Showing posts with label mini Reese's cups. Show all posts
Showing posts with label mini Reese's cups. Show all posts

Saturday, July 14, 2012

Mini Chocolate Peanut Butter Parfait

Today our dessert is one that combines two favorites~chocolate and peanut butter! This parfait is one of the recipes from the cookbook , "Just Mini Desserts" that we are giving away along with the 25 Piece "Just Desserts" Parfait Set. There are only about 27 hours left to enter the giveaway. You can enter by leaving me a comment telling me what your favorite mini dessert is. You can enter everyday until Sunday, July 15. You can also go back to the post for the last week and enter on those days by leaving a comment on that page. For 2 extra entries, like us on our fan page on facebook, and follow us here at The Freshman Cook. The contest ends on Sunday at 11:59pm PST. The winner will be announced on Monday! Good Luck!!!

Chocolate Peanut Butter Parfait
1 1/2 cups finely crushed chocolate wafers
4 tablespoon Butter, melted
1 tablespoon Honey
8 0z Cream Cheese, softened
1/2 cup Peanut Butter
1 cup Powdered Sugar
3 tablespoon Milk
1 teaspoon Vanilla
8 oz. Whipping Cream
1/2 cup mini Reese Cups
Crush your chocolate wafers by putting them in a
 plastic ziplock bag, and rolling over the cookies with
a rolling pin.
In a bowl, mix your crushed wafers, melted butter and honey.
Fill each of your shooter glasses with a heaping teaspoon
of the mixture, about 1/2 " high, and packed
down slightly.
Chop up the mini reese cups into 4 pieces. 
Place 6 cut pieces in each glass, on top of the wafer.
Combine the whipping cream with 1 spoonful of sugar...
and beat into your whipped cream. Set aside for a moment.
Combine the cream cheese and peanut butter until smooth.
Add powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla until well blended.
If it is too thick, add some milk to make it creamy.
Fold in the whipped cream with the peanut butter.
Add the peanut butter mix to the top of the chopped reeses.
Garnish with 6 chopped pieces of reeses.
 Refrigerate until serving.
Enjoy!

Thanks for joining me today!

Don't forget about entering our giveaway!
We are quickly coming up on the last 24 hours.

Stop by tomorrow for our last mini dessert of the giveaway!




Wednesday, May 9, 2012

Chocolate Peanut Butter Tall Stack Cake

Not too long ago a friend had a birthday party, and the family asked if I would make the cake. Ha! Of course, I will! I never turn down the opportunity to bake anything. I was pleased as punch that they asked me. The only guidelines they gave me is that my friend loves chocolate and peanut butter. Well, yeah, who doesn't?! So I got busy baking, and I came up with a cake that was a big success.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Tall Stack Cake
Cake Decorations
Mini Reese's Cups
Peanut Brittle
Party Peanuts

Chocolate Buttercream
(adapted from Cooks Illustrated)
10 tablespoons unsalted Butter, softened
1 cups Confectioners' Sugar
pinch Salt
1/2 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
4 oz. semisweet Chocolate, melted and cooled

Beat the butter at medium speed for about 20 seconds.
Add confectioners' sugar and salt. Beat at medium speed,
incorporating the sugar, for about 45 seconds. Scrape down your bowl,
and beat again for 15 seconds.
Scrape down your bowl, and add your vanilla extract.
Reduce the speed to low, and slowly pour in your chocolate.
Beat for 4 minutes until all the chocolate is incorporated
and buttercream is light and fluffy

Peanut Butter Buttercream
(adapted from Cooks Illustrated)
8 tablespoons unsalted Butter, softened
1/2 cup creamy Peanut Butter
1/2 cup Confectioners' Sugar
pinch Salt
1 tablespoon Heavy Cream

Beat the butter and peanut butter together at medium speed for
20 seconds. Add the confectioners' sugar and salt. Beat at medium
speed, incorporating the sugar for about 45 seconds . Scrape down your bowl,
and beat again for 15 seconds.
Scrape down your bowl, and add your heavy cream.
Beat at medium speed until incorporated, then beat at
medium speed until light and fluffy.

Buttermilk Devil's Food Cake
(adapted from The Cake Doctor)
1 box Duncan Hines Devil's Food Cake Mix
3 tablespoons unsweetened Cocoa Powder
1 1/3 cup Buttermilk
1/2 cup Vegetable Oil
3 Eggs
1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract


The first thing you should do is multiply the above amounts
by 2. The ingredients listed will make 2 - 9" round cakes.
You will need 4 - 9" round cakes.

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
Prepare your pans by greasing them with pan spray and
dusting them with flour or cocoa powder.
Mix all your ingredients together for 1 minute on low speed.
Scrape your bowl.
Turn it up to high, and mix for 2 minutes.
Pour into your pans.
2 pans need 28-30 minutes to cook. If you are making
all 4 at one time, keep an eye on the time. You may need
a little more time.
Let cool completely.
When cool, wrap each cake in plastic and place in the
freezer for about 30-45 minutes.

Putting It All Together!
Take each cake out and slice the cake through
the middle, sideways. In other words, each cake becomes two.
Have the cake circle or cake plate or whatever you
want to present the finished cake on ready to go.
The cake is heavy to move to a plate after completion.

Plus you take the risk of it falling.
Put the bottom layer on your cake circle.
Frost the middle of the cake with the
peanut butter buttercream. Keep layering the cake
pieces until all eight layers are stacked evenly,
with frosting in between each layer.
The cake is great to work with when it is slightly frozen.
I took 1 cake at a time from the freezer to insure they
would be semi frozen.
Once all the layers had peanut butter buttercream on them,
I stuck 4 wooden cake rods in a square design through the
top of the cake. I measured them before I inserted them.
I wanted them from the bottom of the cake until just
short of the middle of the top layer.
This kept the cake from falling.
I set the cake in the fridge so it would set up quickly.
When it was set up enough, I took it out of the fridge,
and quickly frosted it with the chocolate buttercream.
Then I stuck the mini reese's cups around the bottom and then
haphazardly wherever I thought they needed to be.
I added the brittle and the peanuts because I thought it added
much needed color and texture.
Then I placed it in the fridge for several hours.
My friend was happy with the cake.
I hope they ask me to make his cake again next year!!
Thanks for stopping by!

This recipe partied at the following shindigs:
33 Shades of Green 
Tutorial Tuesday
Crazy Sweet Tuesday
Full Plate Thursday