Peanut butter isn’t just for sandwiches. This sweet and tasty spread, whether crunchy or creamy, creates the most decadent desserts. Any peanut butter lover will go nuts for the multitude of dessert options using peanut butter. Anything from cakes to candies infused with peanut butter will take you back to your favorite childhood sandwich. Additionally, peanut butter blends well with other ingredients such as chocolate, caramel, bananas and other fruits.
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Peanut Butter Pies:
Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie: Mention peanut butter and chocolate and most people will follow you anywhere! These mousse-like pies are often made using a chocolate or peanut butter pie crust. Ideas for pie topping include Reese’s Pieces, chocolate ganache, peanut brittle, bananas or sweetened whipped cream.
Banana Peanut Butter Pie: This would have been Elvis’ favorite pie given his choice of sandwich! Creamy banana pastry cream, a peanut butter ganache and a dark chocolate cookie crust combine three great flavors. There are a multitude of choices to decorate the top of this pie. Consider using torched bananas, peanut brittle, whipped cream or crushed vanilla wafers.
PB&J Pie: This pie is reminiscent of the favorite lunch-box sandwich most children know and love. The pie contains swirls of homemade jam running through a peanut butter mousse. A topping of fresh berries adds an element of color and taste to the pie. A soft cookie dough crust is best for this pie.
Peanut Butter and Honeycomb Pie: This pie is filled with a peanut butter mousse and topped with homemade honeycomb candies. Drizzle with chocolate ganache for added taste.
Peanut Butter Cookies:
The classic peanut butter cookie is an all-time favorite in most households. These cookies are easily identifiable with the crisscross pattern on the top of the cookie. These old-fashioned cookies are best made with crunchy peanut butter for the texture, but creamy will work just as well.
Try a variation on the classic peanut butter cookie by considering the following:
- Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Cookies: add mini chocolate chips to the cookie dough. Gently fold a cup of mini chips after making the dough and before chilling.
- Banana Peanut Butter Cookies: add freeze-dried bananas to the cookie dough. Scoop the cookies and add a dried banana wedge to the top of the cookie before baking.
- No-Bake Peanut Butter Cookies: these drop-style cookies are a combination of peanut butter, chocolate and dried oats. The perfect cookie to make on those hot summer days when you don’t want to turn the oven on. Make the cookies a few hours ahead as they need to set up in the refrigerator.
- Peanut Butter Kiss Cookies: bake the peanut butter cookie. Let the cookies cool for 10 minutes than add a chocolate candy kiss to the top of the cookie.
Peanut Butter Dessert Parfaits:
Creating individual parfaits is another option for desserts with peanut butter. Each serving should be artistically layered with fruit, chocolate, crunchy items or other sweet delights. These desserts take minimal effort and will delight your guests. Consider layering the parfaits with:
- Peanut butter mousse, chocolate ganache and chocolate cookie crumble. Top off each parfait with sweetened whipped cream and peanuts.
- Peanut butter ganache with homemade fruit jam and vanilla cookie crumble.
Candies with Peanut Butter:
Buckeye Balls: Balls of peanut butter and powdered sugar are dipped in chocolate to create a classic treat. These delicious truffles are popular during Christmas in the Midwestern United States. The finished product resembles a buckeye nut which grows abundantly in Ohio.
Peanut Butter Fudge: Smooth and creamy peanut butter fudge can be created in just a few minutes. For added texture include coarsely chopped peanuts.
Peanut Butter Brittle: Create a batch of peanut brittle and drizzle with peanut butter and chocolate ganache. Let the brittle set then break into individual pieces.
Peanut Butter Cakes:
No list of peanut butter desserts would be complete without cakes! The peanut butter may be included in the cake itself or the filling and frosting. Include chopped peanuts to include additional texture. Some examples of cakes with peanut butter include:
- Peanut Butter Cup Cake: this cake includes layers of chocolate cake filled with peanut butter frosting and chopped peanut butter cups.
- Peanut Butter Chocolate Cake: this cake is a classic combination of a rich chocolate cake and peanut butter mousse filling. The cake is then covered in a chocolate ganache drip.
- Peanut Butter Jelly cake: this cake is made with layers of a soft vanilla cake and filled with peanut butter mousse and jelly stripes.
Summary:
Overall, the combination of the creamy texture, unique flavor and versatility of peanut butter makes it a loved ingredient in desserts. Also, while desserts are generally considered indulgent, peanut butter offers some nutritional benefits. It contains protein, dietary fiber and healthy fats.
