Chocolate Peanut Butter Ice Cream Dessert

June 27, 2011

DessertIt’s summertime!

The days are longer.

The temperatures are higher and my days are busier!

It sounds like the perfect time to make a yummy ice cream dessert!

This recipe was the inspiration for two of our family favorites, Chocolate Strawberry Ice Cream Dessert and Chocolate Ice Cream Dessert.  Both of which we’ve enjoyed often.

But would you believe that we have never made the original?!

It was past time to try it.

And it was delicious!

Chocolate Peanut Butter Ice Cream Dessert

1 cup vanilla wafer crumbs
1/2 cup finely chopped peanuts
1/4 cup butter or margarine, melted
2 tablespoons powdered sugar
6 cups chocolate ice cream, softened, divided.

Filling:
3 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/3 cup peanut butter, either crunchy or smooth
3/4 cup powdered sugar
1/4 cup milk
1/2 cup whipping cream, whipped (I cheated and used about 4 ounces of Cool Whip)

Line the bottom and sides of a loaf pan (9 inch x 3 inch x 5 inch) with heavy duty aluminum foil.

Combine the vanilla wafer crumbs, chopped peanuts, melted butter and 2 tablespoons of powdered sugar. Press half into the bottom of the foil lined pan. Freeze for 15 minutes.

Spread half of the ice cream over the crust and freeze for 1 hour.

(Here’s a hint for the ice cream: a half-gallon carton is the perfect size! Open it up lengthwise and cut the rectangle of ice cream in half. Then cut one of the halves into thirds and squish them into the loaf pan. Put the rest of the ice cream in the freezer till later.)

Meanwhile, for the filling, beat cream cheese and peanut butter in a mixing bowl. Add powdered sugar and milk. Mix well. Fold in whipped cream.

Spread over the ice cream and freeze for 1 hour or until firm.

Spread with remaining ice cream – the pan will be very full. (Just cut the remaining half of the carton of ice cream into thirds and start squishing it in!) Press the remaining crumb mixture on top. Cover and freeze for several hours of overnight.

Remove from the freezer about 10 minutes before serving. using the foil, remove the loaf from the pan and discard the foil.

Cut into pieces with a serrated knife.  It should yield 10-12 large slices, or 15 smaller ones.

Enjoy!

I’ve linked this post up with Tempt My Tummy Tuesday at Blessed with Grace and Tasty Tuesday at Balancing Beauty and Bedlam.

By Country Gal | Posted in Chocolate, Cooking and Food, Desserts | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Comments (2)

Peanut Butter Mousse

March 14, 2011

Chocolate Peanut dessert

I must confess – I have a weakness for mousse.

There’s something very comforting about it’s creamy and rich texture.

There’s also something wonderful about a recipe that takes only moments to whip up and tastes heavenly!

This recipe is so easy that my 10 year old son made it himself. It was so yummy that my peanut butter loving daughter was in speechless wonder as she ate it!

So was her mom. :)

Beware – it’s addicting. Once you’ve tried it you will be craving it often!

Peanut Butter Mousse

1 – 8 ounce package cream cheese
1 cup creamy peanut butter
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1- 8 ounce container Cool Whip
1 cup of mini chocolate chips

In a mixing bowl, cream together the cream cheese, peanut butter, sugar, and vanilla until smooth.

Fold in the Cool Whip and chocolate chips.

Spoon into dessert cups and refrigerate.

Garnish with whipped cream and chopped Reece’s peanut butter cups.

Enjoy!

I’ve linked this post up with Tasty Tuesday at Balancing Beauty and Bedlam, Tempt My Tummy Tuesday at Blessed With Grace,  Tuesdays at the Table at All the Small Stuff and Mouthwatering Mondays at A Southern Fairytale.

By Country Gal | Posted in Chocolate, Desserts | Tagged , , , | Comments (13)

Deep Dark Chocolate Mousse

February 7, 2011

Ahh..February,  how I love you!

When you arrive it means that nasty cold and overcast January is history for another year.

You are the short little month that bridges the gap between the arctic wind of winter and the warmer breezes of spring. At least we hope so….

You bring us the legendary Groundhog’s Day and the holiday that celebrates romance – Valentine’s Day.

And you remind me of chocolate.

Well, all right – so everything reminds of chocolate!;)

Since we’re talking about chocolate anyway – how about something rich, and creamy and smooth?!

Something so decadent that it would chase away the winter doldrums!

Something that said “Chocolate” with every bite.

Enter the legendary Chocolate Mousse.

Made with a rich dark chocolate, this one will make you smile no matter what the thermometer says !

Deep Dark Chocolate Mousse

From the Hershey’s Chocolate Cookbook

1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon unflavored gelatin
1/2 cup milk
1 cup dark chocolate chips
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup cold whipping cream (1/2 pint)
Sweetened whipped cream or Cool Whip (optional)

Stir together the sugar and gelatin in small saucepan. Stir in the milk. Let stand 2 minutes to soften the gelatin. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture just begins to boil.

Remove from heat and immediately add the chocolate chips, stirring until melted. Add the vanilla and cool to room temperature.

Beat whipping cream with electric mixture on medium speed until stiff peaks form. Add half of the chocolate mixture and gently fold until nearly combined.

Add the remaining chocolate mixture and fold until just blended.

Spoon into pretty bowl or individual serving dishes. Refrigerate.  Garnish with sweetened whipped cream just before serving.

Enjoy!

By Country Gal | Posted in Chocolate, Cooking and Food, Desserts | Tagged , , | Comments (4)

Black Forest Trifle

October 29, 2010

pudding In the midst of our busy week with all the extra kiddos – I read that it was National Cupcake Day.

Being the wonderful person that I am – I knew it would be a tragedy for all those precious children to miss such an important holiday.

(What – you don’t believe me?! Okay, okay – so the real reason is that I’m a confirmed chocoholic and will use any excuse to make some chocolate!)

I used a new recipe for the cupcakes and surprised the kids at supper. They were really good! The frosting – however – was not. I fudged a little – okay a lot – on the frosting because I didn’t want to use the package and half of cream cheese the original recipe called for.

This recipe made a lot of cupcakes and those kids chowed down on them the first day. Slowed down a little on the second and pretty soon I noticed that no one even opened them.

It wasn’t until after the extra kids returned home and we were putting things away that I discovered why.

I opened the cupcake container and discovered that the frosting had dissolved and puddled at the bottom. I was left with 9 sad naked cupcakes with a few colored sprinkles on top.

Major frosting fail.

My first thought was “Just chuck them out to the chickens”.

But then my frugal side kicked in.  There was no way I was going to waste all that yummy chocolate.

So with Buddy to assist me – we turned the massive cupcake disaster into a fabulous Black Forest Trifle.

We started by crumbling half of the sorry looking cupcakes in the bottom of my pretty glass bowl. (I’m still on the look-out for a real trifle bowl!)

Then we took 2 cups of frozen cherries from the freezer (remember when we picked them with friends back in June?).

I thawed them, added 1-1/2 cups of sugar, 1/2 cup of water and 2 tablespoons of corn starch and brought them to a boil. When they were slightly thickened, we poured half of them over the brownies and let it cool. That thickened juice just soaked right up into the cupcakes!

Meanwhile we mixed up a small box of instant chocolate pudding.

When the cherry/brownie mixture was cool enough that it wouldn’t melt the pudding, we put half the pudding down followed by a layer of Cool Whip.

We then repeated with the layers in the same order – cupcakes, cherries, chocolate pudding and Cool Whip.

Yum. Yum. Double Yum.

Those poor rejected cupcakes were transformed into a delicious dessert that disappeared within 24 hours.

Waste not, want not – that’s my motto – especially when there’s chocolate involved! :)

I’ve linked this post up with Chocolate Friday over at Stop and Smell the Chocolates and with Foodie Friday over at Designs by Gollum.

By Country Gal | Posted in Chocolate, Cooking and Food, Desserts | Tagged , , , | Comments (10)

Pumpkin Mousse

October 18, 2010

Pumpkin Mousse
Last week when my folks were here, I was digging in the freezer for a hunk of meat to throw in the oven for supper and discovered a lone bag of pumpkin puree.

It looked at me and said dessert.

I looked at it and said mousse!

Quick and easy, this mousse recipe reminded me of pumpkin pie with whipped cream, with out the hassle of a crust and baking time.

My only complaint was my own pumpkin puree which was still a bit stringy. If I had used canned pumpkin the texture of the mousse would be been much smoother.

Thankfully my folks are not picky people and everybody loved it!

Pumpkin Mousse

1 1/2 cups cold milk
1 small (3.75 oz) package instant butterscotch pudding
1/2 cup canned pumpkin
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ginger
1/4 teaspoon allspice
1 cup whipped cream (I used Cool Whip)

In a large bowl mix the milk and pudding until it is soft set.  In a another bowl mix the pumpkin, ginger, cinnamon, and allspice.  Fold the pumpkin and the whipped cream into the pudding.

Refrigerate until set.

Serve with a dollop of whipped cream and a quick dust of cinnamon.

Enjoy!

I’ve linked this post up at Tasty Tuesday at Balancing Beauty and Bedlam, Tempt My Tummy Tuesday over at Blessed With Grace, and Tuesdays at the Table at All the Small Stuff.

By Country Gal | Posted in Cooking and Food, Desserts | Tagged , | Comments (6)