Peanut Butter Pudding Pie

This pie is the second thing I ever baked in my new kitchen. This pie was me saying "I have leftover homemade graham crackers from the s'more cupcakes. I have peanut butter out the whazoo. I have peanuts....there's a recipe for pb pie I haven't tried yet....and I have all the ingredients already."

And then I made it. And then I said, "Mmmmmm..."

I've made a few different peanut butter pies in the past, and I have loved them. (Because....peanut butter. In pie.) But I'm always up for trying a different kind! 

(Except for kinds with cream cheese in 'em...I steer clear. I'm not a fan of cream cheese in my desserts. #sorryimnotsorry) 

What's cool about this recipe is that the filling is essentially peanut butter pudding. Which is freaking awesome. It's rich and thick and full of peanut butter flavor! Then, to contrast the pudding texture, the buttery graham cracker crust and the crunch of the peanuts on top are just perfect. I'm definitely a fan. As was evidenced by the empty pie plate some days later.

No shame.

Key Lime Pie Bars-Guest Post with That Skinny Chick Can Bake

Hihihiiiii again, my lovely friends! Mmmmmm guess what? That's right-another guest post!! I really am SO grateful to all the ladies who have been helping me out-all these posts are making it so much easier for me to transition to my new home, driving, new work, wedding planning, etc.! Today's post is from the lovely Liz of That Skinny Chick Can Bake! Guys-CAN.SHE.BAKE! OMGEEEE! I wish she was my mom sometimes-partly for the thin genes (her blog name is not lying) and partly so she can make me all the goodies she feeds her actual kids! (sorry mom-I love you. I do. I just also love Liz.) There aren't enough words for the awesomeness, so really, all you have to do is gaze at the beautiful pictures and dream of the food. Then make it. Yes.

  

I am delighted to be guest posting for my adorable friend, Kayle today. She is a constant source of inspiration for me with her dreamy sweets and treats. We both obviously have that sweet tooth that needs continual feeding. While Kayle is busy unpacking, settling in her new locale and new house, AND wedding planning, I saved a yummy dessert to share with all you Cooking Actress fans. My hubby loves his lemon desserts, but gives lime the cold shoulder. Can you believe that??? I adore Key lime pie…with its tart and creamy filling in a sweet graham cracker crust. But I cannot make a whole pie for myself, can I? Nope, I'd never get my pants zipped if I did! I hosted book club last month and made these delectable Key Lime Pie Bars for my friends. Citrusy squares topped with a dollop of whipped cream and a slice of lime. SO darned tasty!!! Thank goodness I had guests to help me eat them. Key lime bars are such a cinch to make. Combine graham cracker crumbs, sugar and melted buter and pat onto the bottom of a baking dish and pop in the oven till lightly browned. Mix egg yolks, lime zest, lime juice and sweetened condensed milk, pour over the crust and bake again till the filling is set. See? Easy as can be! I hope you'll give these babies a try.  

   

Kayle, I hope you're getting settled and adjusted to your new home. I'm certain all your mixing bowls and measuring spoons have been unpacked and the baking will commence very soon. Thanks so much for welcoming me to your blog today. For those fans of The Cooking Actress who haven't visited my blog before, here are all my social media sites. Thanks so much! (Kayle here: GO FOLLOW LIZ! YOU'LL LOVE HER, I mean...you obviously already do. So go on and follow awayyyy!):

Blog: http://www.thatskinnychickcanbake.com/

G+: https://plus.google.com/u/0/116213594518847001708/posts

Twitter: https://twitter.com/ThatSkinnyChick

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ThatSkinnyChickCanBake

Instagram: http://instagram.com/thatskinnychickcanbake..

Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/lizzydo/

Dark Chocolate Dreams Icebox Pie-31 Days of Dark Chocolate Dreams Cookbook Review

I'm feeling prettyyyy cool. Wanna know why? I got to check out an ADVANCE copy of Peanut Butter & Co's new cookbook "31 Days of Dark Chocolate Dreams" (written by Peanut Butter & Co. founder and president, Lee Zalben)!! The cookbook released on January 27th (but I received it a couple weeks before) and features a whole month's worth of delicious, crazy, fabulous recipes using PB&Co's most popular (and my FAVORITE) peanut butter: Dark Chocolate Dreams (remember when I did that full scale review, back in the day?)

When PB&Co approached me about the opportunity, I mean..it was a no brainer. I LOVE them. They have this amazing sandwich shop here in NYC and...I mean...their peanut butters...AHHMAZING. And Dark Chocolate Dreams is the best: chocolate + peanut butter=goodness. Duh. Bonus: it has no cholesterol, no trans fats, no hydrogenated oils, and no high-fructose corn syrup. It is also gluten-free, certified vegan, and certified kosher pareve. Awesomeness, right? And a whole cookbook using this nectar from heaven...whoa!

There were so many delicious options, flipping through this cookbook, that I didn't know where to start!

Fortunately, Michael very succinctly made up my mind. He pointed to the icebox pie and said, "That one."

...ok then

My boy loves pie. So do I. And this, this is the embodiment of everything I want in a pie. After his first bite, Michael said, "Ohhh....this is so good...I take back what I said about the soup." He then proceeded to savor each bite, very slowly. And when the day came that he had to finish the last piece...he was a sad Michael.

Let's break it down: homemade, crunchy, buttery, chocolate cookie crust. Then a rich, thick, creamy, heavenly, dark chocolate peanut butter filling that will make you just want to let it sit on your tongue so you can just enjoy every moment. Then, on top, the perfect bit of texture is added by garnishing with peanuts and chocolate chips. Just....ahhh....so good you guys. I'm not even kidding. You need this pie in your life, NOW.

Just ask my poor, broken fiance', crying in the corner because there is no more pie*.

*this is a slight exaggeration. Slight.

((Keep on reading after the recipe for a GIVEAWAY!))

Pumpkin Pie with Whole Wheat Crust and Cinnamon Caramel Whipped Cream-Stahlbush Farms Review

Pumpkin pie is the first pie I can remember loving. Every Thanksgiving, without fail, my mom would make 2 pies and fill the whole house with that delicious, pumpkin-spice smell. And then I would have to wait, patiently*, for them to cool. My reward was a gorgeous slice of pie with a big dollop of Cool Whip that I would then proceed to scrape out of the crust (because I didn't like pie crust at that time...my theory on this is because I had yet to try a HOMEMADE pie crust at that point.) 

Now I'm grown up. And I made a grown up version of my beloved pumpkin pie.

*(not so patiently)

As a "grown up" I've really gotten into eating food from scratch: real, natural, and oft-times organic food. So when I was approached by Stahlbush Farms, I jumped at the chance to review some of their product.

"Stahlbush Island Farms is an environmentally friendly farm and food processor committed to sustainable agriculture and exceptional quality. Stahlbush has been family-owned since 1985."

Check out all the amazing products Stahlbush offers (plus the products from their Farmer's Market brand!) 

Stahlbush Farms sent me some super tasty frozen grapes to try AND-dun dun dun duuuun!- their Farmer's market brand Organic Pumpkin! And obviously I knew what I had to do: make a healthier pumpkin pie (after all, when dealing with an organic pumpkin puree with no additives, I couldn't ruin it with a bunch of other gunk). So I made a whole wheat pie crust, and topped it off with a just slightly sinful cinnamon caramel whipped cream. Mmmm yes.

I'm gonna be straight with you right now: when I was making this pie I felt like everything was going wrong. I had some issues with the pie crust being too sticky (I had to throw half of it out! Ugh, don't worry though-just follow the instructions below and you should be good. I've updated them so you hopefully won't have my problems) and THEN I was a big old idiot and poured the pie filling into the crust....before I'd mixed the evaporated milk in. *sigh* I only had a minor conniption, eased by the Michael playing "Iris" by the Goo Goo Dolls (he thought it might help calm me down, he was right). End of the day, everything turned out fine. I fixed all the problemos. And still ended up with a tasty tasty pie. 

Crisp, flaky, hearty pie crust. Creamy, dreamy, spiced to perfection pumpkin filling. And a sweet whipped cream with just a hint of spice on top. Oh little Kayle, you had no idea what heights pumpkin pie could reach.

Make this for Thanksgiving. Impress everyone. You're welcome.

Chocolate Raspberry Ganache Pie

I'm a mean old lady...

It's taken me over a month to share this recipe with you. And that's not cool, guys.

This pie was Michael's birthday dessert this year and it could not have been a better choice. First: it represents 2 of Michael's favorite flavors, dark chocolate and raspberry. Second: THIS PIE IS SO EASY IT'S INSANE! Oh hey, can you use a microwave and do you have a refrigerator? Yes? Fab. You can make this pie.

Now, I mean...I can never really make anything too easy for myself. So I made my own crust (although honestly, that's pretty simple too....although I did make my own cookies to make my own crust....#ihaveaproblem). But you can totes just buy one. No judging here. This is a safe space. But yeah, anyway, throw some stuff in a microwave, stir it, pour it in your crust, refrigerate, and you have yourself an amazing pie!

A pie that, I might add, prompted my friend Molly to call me a "goddess". So yeah. It's impressive.

And OF COURSE the birthday boy loooved it! He told me so, repeatedly. The ganache gives you the most amazing, silky, texture and then there's a beautiful raspberry glaze on top to give an extra punch of fruity flavor. And there's nothing more delicious (ok that's prob. a big statement but....it's up there) than a cookie crust!

You're gonna love this one.

Nutella Crack Pie

Soooo remember that homemade Nutella we made Monday?

Well...then I put it in a pie.

A crazy addictive*, potentially dangerous pie.

Crack pie.

That's right. Nutella crack pie.

*(people, don't do drugs. Just eat pie.)

Just in case you didn't know-I can't take ownership of the crack pie idea, crack pie is one of the big desserts over at Momofuku Milk Bar. And then some crazy amazing people on the interwebs put a new spin on it-adding Nutella. Essentially what we have is an oatmeal cookie crust (WHICH OMG IS PROBABLY THE BEST PART, I WAS OFTEN TEMPTED TO JUST EAT IT! SUCH BROWN SUGARY GOODNESS) and then a gooey, brown sugar-y filling (which in this case also has the addition of some chocolate hazelnut-y goodness).

Since I used the homemade Nutella, the hazelnut flavor really came through, but you can absolutely just use storebought. Whatever. You won't hurt my feelings.

This pie is traditionally served at room temperature (or even possibly slightly warm?), but I actually preferred it chilled (a rare thing for me). I thought it just really helped the flavors of the filling come through and still...that crust....*drool*.

He'll deny this, but when I tried to explain the pie to him Michael didn't seem to optimistic about it. Then he tried it. And loved it. Duh. Who wouldn't?

Vanilla & Honey Shortbread Pie (Walkers Shortbread Recipe Challenge)

So um...
I kinda won a recipe contest Monday?

WHAAAT!?

Yes. I am still in shock. I mean it when I say I had 0 expectations of winning. Everyone had such amazing, beautiful, delicious desserts, so I am just humbled. I am so so thrilled that I did win, though-definitely a highlight of my time as a baker/food blogger :).

And now I get to enjoy the awesomeness that is Michael being adorable and saying things like "A kiss for the winner!" "I love you my little champion", etc. etc. :) :) :)
(not to mention the awesome prizes I won. Including 2 tickets to the Summer Fancy Food Show-which I'm super excited about!)

On Monday I (along with 8 other food bloggers, including my friends Susan from The Girl in the Little Red Kitchen and Mallory of Total Noms) brought our recipes, featuring Walkers Shortbread, to the NASFT center in Manhattan. We all had to bring 1 copy of the dish for the 3 judges, and 1 for everyone there to try. This whole thing has been in the works since the fall, so we had all been thinking about our recipes for quite some time. I'll be posting a bunch more about the actual event later. For now, let's talk pie:

I decided to make pie. In my head, shortbread is warm and comforting tasting. So I thought that vanilla and honey were two flavors that would compliment that. And then I sort of just had a vague idea of what to do. And then I decided to just wing it the Sunday before the contest. Because I'm insane, I guess?

Anyway, the recipes I was sort of adapting the elements from didn't behave the ways I thought they would so I really had to think on my feet to make it all work. But it did! And the plus side is, the recipe is now 100% Kayle original :). Lemme sum it up for you:

1. A buttery shortbread crust with honey and peanut butter (although 1 judge, Corina, suggested omitting peanut butter from the crust, as it can overwhelm the other flavors-so feel free to mess around with it).
2. A rich, vanilla-honey pudding filling.
3. Whipped cream on top! (I used honey & a lot of vanilla in mine)

The aforementioned judge, Corina, said it was like "eating a hug", and she made an audible noise of happiness when she took a bite. Best compliment ever :).

Oddly enough, the first time I tasted the entire pie together was while at the contest. I was pretty happy with it, tasted good to me. And Michael really really really liked it (he said it was extremely flavorful without being overwhelming). You will too. It is pure joy in pie form. 

I've got a ton left over, feel free to come on over and have some.

French Silk Brownie Pie

You know what's great?

Mini stuff.

Like me, I'm mini. I'm great, right? Right.

You know what's also great?

Brownies.

And chocolate mousse.

And whipped cream*.

And pie.

*(which I've finally homemade whipped cream...but didn't measure anything so currently I've got no recipe. Sorry guys!)

Put all that greatness together and you've got yourself these babies: french silk brownie pies.

They're impressive and pretty, you'll seem super skilled and awesome if you make these.

They're easily made ahead of time, if you want to serve these for some occasion.

They're also completely delicious and you will revel in the layers of flavor.

When you take a bite, you will embark upon an epic experience of deliciousness: first you get the sweet creaminess of the whipped cream, which gives way to the bittersweet fluffiness of the chocolate mousse and then the whole thing finishes off with the rich, intense chocolatey-ness of the brownie base.

Snowflake Collection  Round Cake Pans

The moral of this story is you should totally make yourself some super amazing, rich and intense, yet light and creamy, mini french silk brownie pies. Or hey, go to town, make a full sized one! I'm cool either way.

Frozen Strawberry Yogurt Pie

NOOOO! Summer is almost over! (There's only a month left!) I hate fall! Nonononononooooooo! I want sun and blue skies! And warmth! And sundresses and shorts! And flowers and green trees and just happy summertime! I dread the leaves and everything dying and the gray skies and colors shifting from blues and yellows and pinks to oranges and browns. I abhor the idea of wearing a jacket and boots instead of a tank top and flip flops. I am not looking forward to September, nononooo.

To try to hold on to summer a little longer, I'll share a super summery dessert recipe that I recently made for my Michael.

Like me, he hates fall. Loves summer. Especially summery desserts. Michael loves anything "refreshing" and is obsessed with berries-especially strawberries. A couple weeks ago I decided to make myself a s'mores treat (that I'll share later), and Michael is not a s'mores fan. So, I knew I'd have to make him his own special dessert. I also had some extra Greek yogurt lying around that I needed to use up. When I saw this recipe I knew it was sure to be a winner-and I was right! Michael says this may be the best thing I've ever made him. He says, "It's like a cheesecake...but frozen...and more refreshing. So pretty much-perfect." It's everything he loves and wants and needs in a dessert. I've scored major girlfriend points. :D.

Yoder's Peanut Butter Pie

I'm sad.

I've been so busy, I've barely been able to cook.

Michael and I have had to have food delivered this last week more times than I would care to admit.

I just wanted to share my feelings.

NOW-about the pie. One day, I was watching the travel channel and some sort of food special was on. One of the many delicious things featured was what was lauded as the "Best Peanut Butter Pie" from Yoder's in Sarasota. Part of what apparently made this pie so amazing was the fact that Yoder's (an Amish establishment) makes everything from scratch--and I love that. So I immediately became obsessed with making this pie myself. A quick Google search yielded some promising options, and then I set to work adapting it. This pie had 4 main components: crust, peanut butter crumbles, vanilla pudding, and whipped cream-all made from scratch! I devoted an entire, internet-less (back when my computer was out of commission) day to putting this pie together. 

End result: a good pie. A little short on peanut butter-y taste, the vanilla pudding took over a bit (I've changed some of the amounts in the following recipe in an attempt to remedy this, but I'm also thinking it'd be better if you mixed some pb into the pudding), but it actually really grew on me. I'm a big fan. It's got a great, old-fashioned, down home taste and texture, and is delicious whilst chilled. Michael only kind of liked it. He's quite loyal to a particular peanut butter pie. I must admit, that is still my favorite, also. This is just different-still very good, but different. I definitely think it's worth trying, and I think I'll make it again someday, even if I'm the only one who eats it ;).