peanut butter-chocolate chip pie

Whenever my 2.0 comes into town, her family is nice enough to invite me to Sunday dinner. I always like to bring a dessert, because that's how I do. This family is a chocolate loving family. Like, for serious rich, decadent, chocolate insanity loving. I mean—the grandkids eat dark chocolate squares for dessert snacks—if that tells you anything. It took me to get to my 30's before I was down for the dark side like that. So, I always feel like I have to bring my chocolate A-game to these events. This time I brought my favorite combo, peanut butter and chocolate. My offering was a success, and it's safe to say that I will be invited again in the future. Phew!

Peanut Butter-Chocolate Chip Pie, adapted from one of my very favorite food blogs, Bake or Break.

Crust:
1 package Nabisco Famous Chocolate Wafers
1/3 cup granulated sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup unsalted butter, melted

Filling:
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 cup creamy peanut butter
1 cup confectioners’ sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 & 1/2 cups heavy cream
1 cup chocolate chips, pulsed a few times in a food processor (I like the mixture of big pieces and fine pieces that come from doing this step)

Preheat oven to 350°. Combine all crust ingredients in a medium bowl, stirring until moistened. Press mixture on bottom and up sides of a 9-inch pie pan. Bake for 10 minutes.

Mix cream cheese, peanut butter, confectioners’ sugar, and vanilla until combined. Whip cream until soft peaks form. Gently fold whipped cream into cream cheese mixture. Fold in already processed chocolate chips. Pour filling into baked crust. Refrigerate for about 4 hours, or until set, before serving. Keep pie refrigerated.

blueberry peach crumble

So... peach season... it is upon us with all of it's glory. If there was one perfect thing that Mother Nature ever put forth on this earth, it is the glorious peach. It's like happiness, sunshine and summer—all in one place. It makes everything that accompanies that much better. Waffles? Check. Sweetened Condensed Milk? Check. Check. My face? Triple check. For these peaches however, I chose blueberries. In my humble opinion, crumbles and crisps are the best way to devour these amazing summer fruits. I adapted this recipe from Two Peas & Their Pod and shared their splendor with the Summer Olympics (let's take a moment and pour some out for the hole that has been left in my life since they ended) and some friends. Good times were had.

Blueberry Peach Crumble

Ingredients:
3 cups blueberries
4 cups peeled and sliced peaches
4 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup all-purpose Gold Medal Flour

For the crumble topping:
1 cup all-purpose Gold Medal Flour
1 cup old-fashioned oats
2/3 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
10 tablespoons cold butter, diced

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

2. In a large bowl, combine blueberries, sliced peaches, lemon juice, vanilla extract, granulated sugar, and flour. Gently toss until fruit is well coated. Let the fruit mixture sit while you prepare the crumble topping.

3. For the crumble topping: in a large bowl, combine the flour, oatmeal, brown sugar, granulated sugar, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg. Stir together with a whisk. Mix in the butter with your fingers until the mixture comes together and you have big crumbles.

4. Place the fruit mixture in a 3 quart ceramic or glass baking dish. Sprinkle the crumble mixture evenly over the fruit. Place the pan on a baking sheet pan lined with a Silpat or parchment paper and bake for 50-60 minutes, or until the tops are browned and crisp and the juices are bubbly. Serve warm or at room temperature.

raspberry peach jam

(photo via Instagram)

Ya'll know I love jam. Ya'll know I love peaches. So when I saw this recipe for Raspberry Peach Jam, I knew I had to make that happen. It's super simple to make, and even easier to eat. I want to eat it all day, every day. You should try it. Let's eat jam together, yeah?

Homemade Raspberry Peach Jam adapted from America'sTestKitchenFeed.com

2/3 cup sugar
1 pint of raspberries
3 fresh peaches, peeled, halved, pitted, sliced ¼ inch thick, and each slice halved crosswise
3 tablespoons lemon juice

1. Place metal spoon in freezer to chill. Heat sugar in large saucepan over medium heat, stirring frequently, about 1 minute. Add raspberries and continue to stir until raspberries release their juices, about 1 minute more. Stir in peaches, increase heat to medium-high, bring to boil, and cook until peaches are just tender, 5 to 7 minutes. Remove pan from heat, and mash fruit with potato masher.

2. Return fruit mixture to boil and cook until mixture thickens to jam-like consistency, 8 to 10 minutes. To test for set point, remove saucepan from heat. Dip chilled spoon into jam, and allow jam to run off spoon; jam should slowly fall off spoon in one thickened clump. If it is runny, return jam to medium heat and simmer 2 to 4 minutes before re-testing. Using large spoon, skim foam from top of jam. Stir in lemon juice.

3. Transfer jam to jars with tight-fitting lids, let cool to room temperature, then cover and refrigerate. Jam can be refrigerated for up to 3 weeks.

lemon cream pie with biscoff cookie crust

This is the Lemon Cream Pie I mentioned in my last post. Another winning pie that was so good, I had to make it myself when I got home from the reunion. 2.0 originally found this recipe, and when she made it, she used Biscoff cookies for the crust (my other sister has made it with a normal pie crust, which is extremely delectable, as well). I went with the Biscoff option, cause, I mean, have you tried Biscoff Spread? And how can you go wrong with the flavor of "crisp, caramelized biscuits"? I'm telling you—you can't. You just can't. So get up on this. As soon as you can.

Lemon Cream Pie, adapted from RealSimple.com

1 package Biscoff Cookies
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 teaspoon kosher salt
2 large eggs
1 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk
2 tablespoons finely grated lemon zest, plus about 1 tablespoon more for serving

1/2 cup lemon juice
1 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar

Heat oven to 350° F. In a food processor, process the Biscoff cookies until fine crumbs form. Add the butter, granulated sugar, and ½ teaspoon of the salt and pulse until moistened. Press the mixture firmly into the bottom and up the sides of a 9-inch pie plate, using a straight-sided dry measuring cup to help. Place on a rimmed baking sheet and bake until the edges are dry and set, 16 to 18 minutes. Let cool.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, condensed milk, lemon zest and juice, and the remaining ½ teaspoon of salt. Pour the mixture into the crust and bake until set in the center, 18 to 20 minutes. Let cool and then refrigerate until firm, at least 2 hours.

Using an electric mixer, whip the cream and confectioners’ sugar on medium until soft peaks form, 2 to 3 minutes. Spread on the pie, sprinkle with the additional zest, and serve immediately.

blueberry pie

I'm not normally a berry pie person (except for Strawberry Pie, cause, well... doi). Usually berry pies just look like sad jam languishing in crust. Recently, we had a little family reunion, and needless to say, when we get together, there are many pies made. There was Cinnamon Chocolate Mousse, there was Granola Pie, and a Lemon Pie (recipe coming soon). When my Mom made this recipe that my sister found, I was blown away. It was so good, I had to make it myself the next week for one of my best girls that was visiting. She loved it as much as I did—which I consider a great success!

Blueberry Pie, adapted from AllRecipes.com

3/4 cup white sugar
3 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
5 cups fresh blueberries (we used the entire container of blueberries from Costco)
1 recipe pastry for a 9 inch double crust pie
1 tablespoon butter

Turbinado sugar

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Mix sugar, cornstarch, salt, and cinnamon, and sprinkle over blueberries. Line pie dish with one pie crust. Pour berry mixture into the crust, and dot with butter. Cut remaining pastry into 1/2-3/4 inch wide strips, and make lattice top. Crimp and flute edges. Sprinkle sugar on the top. Bake pie on lower shelf of oven for about 40-50 minutes, or until crust is golden brown. (If the crust edges start to get too brown after 30 minutes, cover with foil.)