peanut butter & chocolate pudding pie

peanut butter & chocolate pudding pie

i have the best friends in the world. -no, seriously. i know you think yours are pretty awesome, but mine are the BEST. i mean, the kind of friends that come from San Francisco to see you. the kind that spend the last change of their money on a food co-op membership for your birthday. the kind that secretly remember to send you a sweet and sappy card in the mail across the country (seriously spm, i needed it so badly!). the kind that buy you fancy gin, just because they want you to experience new flavors. the kind that spend a sunday night at a late night bbq just to catch up… mom & dad, you are included in this. thanks for putting up with my craziness! you are all amazing, and i want to thank everyone for making last weekend an incredible party. i don’t care if it was to see emily, or for my birthday, what a great day.

by the way, this is the last birthday that starts with a “2” for me.., so next year, i want an over the hill party. can you hire a grim reaper to show up instead of a clown? anyone know?

more loco than four loco

most of our parties end up in a bonfire. when we ran out of logs to burn, we ended up burning the famous “mural doors” that came with the house. -they had wisteria and fairies painted on them. burning these awful things…. ughh…. very theraputic.

i made this peanut butter & chocolate pudding pie for my birthday this weekend, and it was killer. we all know chocolate and peanut butter will make my heart melt, but this was surprisingly delicious. i whipped it together hours before the party, just winging it as i went along. why is it that the things i throw together turn out better than those that are calculated?

this pie is naturally sweetened with honey, not sugar, which is always amazing with peanut butter. the peanut cookie crust is lightly salted, which is a nice contrast with the sweetness that comes through the honeyed crust and, the filling of the pie. the crust is a little crumbly, a little crunchy, and super dreamy. it held the filling of the pie well. i was surprised at how well the filling set up, because the arrowroot worked like a charm. i am always a little skeptical with puddings, but this firmed up perfectly, even the peanut butter pudding. you could use cornstarch if you don’t have arrowroot powder.

yes, it did turn out a little lumpy. i was being impatient.

lesson learned: let it cool for 3 minutes before adding arrowroot powder.

still delicious and silky.

i can’t say much more about this pie other than that it is everything you imagine it will be.

lumpy love

favorite pie? yes.

make again? duh.

peanut butter & chocolate pudding pie

for the crust:

3 cups roasted & salted peanuts

1/4 cup peanut flour or coconut flour

1/2 tsp sea salt

1/2 tsp baking soda

4 tbsp oil

1/4 cup honey

2 tbsp vanilla extract

method:

preheat oven to 350f.

combine vanilla, oil and honey in a bowl and set aside. grind peanuts in food processor until they make a crumbly meal. add in dry ingredients and pulse a few times. add wet ingredients, and mix in processor until thick dough forms. don’t over process, or it will turn into a liquidy peanut butter.

press dough into spring-form pan, or something where the bottom drops out. bake for 8-10 minutes, until it smells like a giant amazing cookie. it should appear golden brown, not too dark, or it will taste burnt. cool for an hour or more before filling.

chocolate pudding:

1 can coconut milk (14oz)

pinch of sea salt

3 tbsp honey

1 tbsp vanilla extract

1 cup dark chocolate chips

method: in saucepan, heat coconut milk and salt over medium. once it comes to gentle boil, remove from heat for 3 minutes. now sift in arrowroot powder and whisk vigorously. i like to use a hand mixer for the arrowroot step. it will thicken, and should be relatively smooth. whisk in honey and vanilla.

once combined, whisk in chocolate until it melts. whisk, whisk, whisk, then chill for an hour or so, along with peanut butter filling.

peanut butter pudding:

1 can coconut milk (14oz)

pinch of salt

3 tbsp arrowroot powder

1 cup smooth, no stir, natural peanut butter

1 tsp vanilla

method: in saucepan, heat coconut milk and salt over medium. once it comes to gentle boil, remove from heat for 3 minutes. now sift in arrowroot powder and whisk vigorously, again with a mixer if you have one. it will thicken, and should be relatively smooth. whisk in honey and vanilla.

finally, whisk in peanut butter until well combined and smooth. whisk, whisk, whisk, then chill for an hour or so.

chocolate pudding and peanut butter filling should cool at the same time.

to assemble:

fill pie by dropping heaping spoonful of pudding onto cooled shell. use a knife blade to swirl and marble. chill for at least 2 hours before serving. keep this pie cold, slice when cold, and serve cold.

i fully intended on serving this pie with bananas ice cream, but totally forgot by the time i was slicing, but i do know it would be an awesome addition.

ps, don’t forget about this:

click here to watch something wonderful!