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Peanut Butter Crumble Brownies

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Things I’ve consistently been craving during this thing called pregnancy: fruit, pizza, and peanut butter.

I mean…not together…ever…and I eat other things as well, but those are the things I keep wanting.  There’s been all the fresh fruit I can get my hands on (Sean always asks me if I’m working on my “night-fruit”, a la Liz Lemon and her “night-cheese”), many pb&j’s, and pizza from our favorite local spot with the best happy hour deal. I’ve been throwing in a lot of kale as well…because balance, right? Truth: a year ago I would not have eaten raw kale salads without the saddest of faces, but lately I’ve been making it at home and ordering a mountain of it when we go to our favorite pizza place.

Anyway, needless to say with peanut butter being one of my main squeezes, my yearly addiction to those damn Reese’s eggs is in extra full-force this year. They taunt me with their perfect peanut-butter-to-chocolate ratio. If you find yourself with a bag, or seven, of those sweet-sweet eggs  and you want to do something with them other than shove them straight into your face (ahem, like me…) you should totes chop a few up and thrown them into some brownie batter. That way, you can pawn them off on your friends, family, coworkers, or any other willing passerby. These brownies not only include those magical eggs, but also a peanut butter crumble on top…because extra peanut buttery goodness is always a good thing.

Peanut Butter Crumble Brownies

Adapted from this (super-old) recipe.

Honestly, you could use any brownie recipe you like here…I wouldn’t even be mad at ya if you used your favorite mix. Just use something good and be sure to make the crumble topping!

for the Peanut Butter Crumble:

1/2 cup chunky peanut butter (smooth is fine, too)

4 tablespoons powdered sugar

4 tablespoons flour

tiny grating of nutmeg

for the Brownie Batter:

6 tablespoons unsalted butter

6 ounces semisweet chocolate chips, or chopped chocolate

1/4 cup cocoa powder

1 cup sugar

2 eggs

3/4 cup flour

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 heaping cup of chopped Reese’s Peanut Butter Eggs or peanut butter chips

Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Spray a 8×8 inch baking pan with cooking spray and line with parchment, leaving an overhang on 2 sides. Secure the overhang with metal binder clips.

In a bowl, combine the peanut butter powdered sugar, flour, and nutmeg in a bowl. Mix together with a fork until a fairly dry crumble forms. Set aside.

In a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water, combine the butter, chocolate, and cocoa and stir occasionally until melted and smooth. Remove from the heat and allow to cool slightly. When the mixture is still warm, but not super hot, whisk in the sugar, followed by the eggs. After adding the eggs the mixture will be smooth and glossy. Fold in the flour, baking powder, and salt until just combine, then fold in the chopped peanut butter eggs (or peanut butter chips) and spread the batter into the prepared pan. Top the batter evenly with the peanut butter crumble and bake for 28-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the brownie comes out with a few moist crumbs. Remove from the oven and cool on a rack before slicing.

 

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No-Bake Rhubarb Cheesecake Parfaits

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I’ll take any excuse to make something delicious and hot pink with rhubarb, especially if that excuse is the celebration of a brand new baby girl who the always awesome Stephanie–aka Girl versus Dough–will be welcoming in just a few short weeks. A whole bunch of bloggers are celebrating Stephanie with a bit of a virtual baby shower–be warned, there are LOTS of delicious links below. If you follow Stephanie’s blog (which you should), then you know she posts beautiful and delicious recipes regularly on her blog–even in the midst of her pregnancy! She’s a champ, really. Plus, if you follow her on Instagram you may have even seen a peak of her adorable bump. I mean, it’s the kind of cute-bump to envy.

So, in celebration of Stephanie and her sweet girl, I made these little parfait cups. This completely no-bake treat combines my favorite springtime fruity-vegetable with a sweet + tangy cream cheese filling and crunchy graham crust layered all pretty-like for a sweet, tart, creamy, crunchy dream of a dessert.

All of that said, Stephanie, we cannot wait for your little one to arrive! She is going to be one lucky little lass with such a beautiful, talented mother to make her treats and love her to pieces! Hurray!!

Mini Strawberry Cheesecakes from Sarcastic Cooking

Lemon Blueberry Coffee Cake with Lemon Drizzle from Greens & Chocolate

Super Chewy M&M Blondies from The Realistic Nutritionist

Strawberry Cinnamon Twist Knots from A Kitchen Addiction

Lemon Shortbread with Salted Chocolate Drizzle from The Lemon Bowl

Chocolate Cherry Ice Cream from A Zesty Bite

Blackberry and Mango Curd Pie from Joanne Eats Well With Others

Pecan Sticky Buns from Warm Vanilla Sugar

Strawberry Rhubarb Muffins from Garnish with Lemon

Chocolate Chip Pancakes from Susie Freaking Homemaker

Super Simple Sugar Cookies from Espresso and Cream

Raspberry Acai Frozen Margarita from Nutmeg Nanny

Berry Coconut Frozen Yogurt from The Law Student’s Wife

Pretty in Pink Buttercream Cups from Keep it Sweet Desserts

Broccoli Salad with Honey Toasted Walnuts from The Roasted Root

Neapolitan Baked Doughnuts from Climbing Grier Mountain

Giant Pink M&M and Raisinette Cookies from Steph’s Bite by Bite

Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp from A Cedar Spoon

Freckled Strawberry Rhubarb Lemonade from Take a Megabite

Vanilla Anise Cupcakes from Blahnik Baker

Mini Vanilla Bean Layer Cakes from The Baker Chick

Mini Blackberry Hazelnut Meringue Cakes from Eat Your Heart Out

No-Bake Rhubarb Cheesecake Parfaits

Adapted from How Sweet It Is

4-6 servings

This recipe makes extra rhubarb sauce, which is perfect for spooning over plain yogurt or vanilla ice cream.

Rhubarb Sauce:

4 cups chopped rhubarb

2/3 cup raspberries (optional)

2/3-1 cup sugar

juice of 1/2 lemon

Parfaits:

6 graham crackers, ground into crumbs

2 tablespoons coconut oil, melted

8 ounces cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup plain greek yogurt

1/3 cup sweetened condensed milk

rhubarb sauce

whipped cream for garnish

In a saucepan combine the rhubarb, raspberries, sugar, and lemon juice. Heat the mixture over medium heat until the fruit releases it’s juices. Bring the mixture to a simmer and cook about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from the stove, cool, and store in a jar in the fridge until ready to use.

In a bowl mix together the graham crumbs and coconut oil until well combined. In another bowl, mix together the cream cheese, yogurt, and sweetened condensed milk. Layer graham cracker crust into the bottom of 4-6 glasses or jars, followed by the cream cheese mixture, and finally as much rhubarb sauce as you like. Top with whipped cream before serving.

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Fold-Over Rhuberry Pie

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I always know it’s truly the beginning of spring when rhubarb starts showing up at the store in all of it’s ruby-stalked glory. I love, love, LOVE rhubarb with all of it’s weird, vegetal, fruitness. It looks a lot like celery, but it’s flavor is reminiscent of tart berries–which it incidentally pairs beautifully with–and has the best color when cooked. The hue of cooked rhubarb can run the spectrum between a blush of pink to hot magenta, depending on how red your stalks are to begin with.

One of my favorite things to make with rhubarb is a pie. Maybe because flaky, buttery pastry and tart-fruity fillings were made for each other. Maybe because it reminds me of my great-grandmother, her little garden patch full of rhubarb, and her fabulously untouched 60′s decor. I’m talking tortoise, seashell-shaped bead curtains, green shag carpeting, and vibrant granny-square afghans…but I digress. Basically it’s springtime comfort and what pairs better with rhubarb than berries? I am using a mix of marion and raspberries here–because honestly, I’m not so into cooked strawberries. Really, though, any berry you like will pair perfectly with the tart rhubarb. Just be sure to serve it with a generous scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Fold-Over Rhuberry Pie

Rhubarb and a mix of berries meet in this fold-over pie, no pie plate necessary.

This pie dough has a bit of sour cream to add some tenderness, along with the flakiness the butter adds. You will only use half of the pie crust recipe. Make another pie (unbaked) to freeze for later, OR just freeze the crust for another use!

Pie Crust:

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon kosher salt

2 sticks cold butter, cubed

2 tablespoons sour cream

4-6 tablespoons ice water

Rhuberry Filling:

1 cup diced rhubarb

1 cup mixed berries (I used 1/2 cup each marion and raspberries)

1/4 to 1/3 cup sugar (to taste)

1 teaspoon cornstarch

For brushing:

1 egg

1 tablespoon milk

sugar

Place the flour, kosher salt, and cold butter in a bowl (or in the bowl of a food processor) and pinch in the butter (or pulse) until you get a coarse meal with some incorporated bits and some pea-sized bits. Fold (or pulse) in the sour cream, as well as the water beginning with 4 tablespoons, just until the dough sticks together when pinched between your fingers. Add more water only if the dough does not come together. Turn out the dough and knead just a few times until it comes together. Divide the dough in half and shape into a disk. Wrap each dough disk well in plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes. If you are saving one disk of dough for later, go ahead and freeze it.

Preheat the oven to 375˚F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Whisk the egg and milk together in a small bowl. Set aside.

Place the diced rhubarb, berries, sugar, and cornstarch in a bowl and toss to combine. Roll out one of the dough disks into a rough, large rectangle. Place the rectangle of dough onto the baking sheet, one half may flap over the edge of the pan, but it’s okay since you’ll be folding it over the filling anyway. Brush the edge of the dough with the egg mixture, and mound the rhubarb-berry mixture in center of one side of the rectangle. Fold the naked half of the dough over the rhubarb-berry side and press gently along the edges where you have brushed the egg mixture to seal. Using a pastry cutter or paring knife, trim the edge of the crust off to create a large pop-tart shaped pie. Crimp the edges with a fork, if you like, and brush the top of the pie with more of the egg mixture, sprinkle with sugar, and slash some vents in the top of the pie with a knife. Bake in the preheated oven for about 40 minutes or until the pie is golden, the crust edges look flaky, and the juices from the filling are bubbling. Remove from the oven and cool at least 15 minutes before cutting and serving.