peanut butter pie...any bakers out there??

[bubbantenn]

Today is my son's 21st birthday and I want to make him a pie from his two favorites...peanut butter and chocolate. I have a recipe but my first pie wouldn't thicken up when it was chilled. My cousin sadi it was because I didn't whip my heavy whipping cream enough and then instead of folding it into my peanut butter and cream cheese mixture by hand, I used a mixer. Apparently a big no-no and the reason my pie didn't set.
Soooooooo...I tried it again with a bit more success. The pie is setting but doesn't seem thick enough to cut and put on a plate. Should I just chill it a bit longer? It's been more than two hours. Are there other suggestions you could make? I still have to make the chocolate sauce to go over the top of the pie.
Any suggestions would be totally welcome. I really want to do something special for him for his 21st. He's a good son and deserves a special treat on a special day.

Bubba

[Band Saw Box]

Not really sure how to make it thicken up now, except maybe place it in the freezer for a short time. That might help.
I have a couple of peanut better pie recipes that I could share with you for the next time, if you would like.
Evelyn

[bubbantenn]

Not really sure how to make it thicken up now, except maybe place it in the freezer for a short time. That might help.
I have a couple of peanut better pie recipes that I could share with you for the next time, if you would like.
Evelyn

Thanks...I think I may have gotten it. I just have to learn to whip when I'm supposed to whip and fold when I'm supposed to fold, etc.
The two new ones I made seem to be setting up okay but I had to throw the first one away. It was like a milk shake. Hmmmm...come to think of it, I should have drank it. LOL

Bubba

[jim_mex]

Hey Bubba - that sounds like a really yummy pie.

Ref getting the cream to set - I was taught to put all your effort into whipping the cream. I had an aunt who was a farmer's wife and an excellent cook who passed on loads of tips to me and her technique was to use cold whipping cream (definitely not warm) and whip it in a really big bowl which she inclined towards her so that she could move the cream from a top to bottom circular movement in the bowl whilst she was whipping in order to bring as much air into it as possible. She was a slightly built lady but the amount of work she put into whipping by hand would make a grown man wince! I think she was actually a part time arm wrestler down at the local pub!

Once you have the cream as thick as you can get it then very, very gently fold the peanut butter and cheesecake mix little by little into the cream using the back of a large wooden spoon. Don't overwork the folding in otherwise you'll break down the cream again. I was also told to never use a metal spoon for this work. This could be part of farmhouse cooking folklore but my aunt insisted that using a metal spoon will also break down the setting of the cream.

Hope your pie turns out to be a winner cos it's darn difficult to get those chunks of peanut to travel up a milkshake straw!

.

[sawdustus]

Bubba, When my wife makes a chocolate pudding pie, she dissolves some gelatin in hot water and adds that to the pudding mix before putting it in the pie shell. It always thickens up and each piece of pie holds together perfectly. I don't know how much she uses but I think it is one packet of gelatin for two boxes of pudding mix and a cup or two of whipped cream.

george

[jim_mex]

When my wife makes a chocolate pudding pie, she dissolves some gelatin in hot water and adds that to the pudding mix before putting it in the pie shell

Hey George - tell your wife that's cheating! She should get you to do the whipping - the cream I mean!

Actually the reason I know its cheating is since I use the same trick occasionally when making the topping french custard for a traditional English sherry trifle. I can rarely get that stuff to set properly however many egg yolks I throw at it. I think its something to do with the French having it in for us Brits in the dim and distant past.

Now where the heck is Carole on this thread? I'm sure she has something to say on the matter. Handibunny, come in please!

[evilbadger]

I'm not a cook but I couldn't resist. Sawdust should thicken things up a bit. LOL

[Forester21]

I was hoping for a recipe in this thread.....

Another tip for whipping cream - make sure the bowl and utinsals used are also cold. I throw mine in the freezer for an hour or so before using.
T

[bubbantenn]

Wow, some great tips, here. Se?? I knew we were much more than a bunch of wood workers and crafters.. LOL I love this group!

Well, my pies didn't set up as well the second time as I would have liked, but because of the tips and encouragement I received, they are holding their own and are edible.

For anyone who wants to try the recipe (it's a common one) I'll post it later today on this forum in a separate message. Right now, though, I've got to get ready to go out the door for church.

Thanks again for those who took the time to read and reply. By the way, Jim (Mex), I am a huge advocate of wooden spoons. I think your grandmother had it right. ~wink~

Bubba

[handibunny]

OK, Jim, at your request I'll put my 2 cents worth in.

I'm wondering if the whipped cream without any gelatin to stabilize it is really designed to do the job. I've never known it to thicken much once whipped, and then it thickens because it weeps out liquid.

That said, maybe the technique I use with beaten egg whites would help here. I always stir a little of the egg whites into the denser mixture first to lighten things up. Then I dump the rest of the egg whites on top, and gently fold everything in with a large rubber spatula, just until mixed. Maybe the same approach could work here, but I'd definitely look into using the gelatin to stabilize the mixture.

[bubbantenn]

Just to ad my aunt's thoughts to this post...she suggested eliminating the heavy cream altogether in favor of a small container of whipped cream, thereby doing away with the problem of sufficiently whipping the cream properly. I am seriously taking her suggestion under advisement for my next peanut butter pie.

Bubba

[jim_mex]

Hey Bubba - that Carole is one smart lady. Some heavily whipped egg whites could well do the trick!

As for Tim's suggestion - I guess thickening with sawdust was to be expected from him. The guy's has got no finesse! As a ceramist, I'd be more inclined to stir in some plaster of Paris to the mix and at least retain the whiteness. Also the plaster would help settle the stomach if the pudding eating was taken to excess!

Looking forward to seeing your recipe!

[evilbadger]

Jim

I could think of numerous things to thicken the pie with but being this is a scrolling forum sawdust was the first thing that came to mind. Plaster of Paris would break your teeth, caulking would work but it would be kind of chewy. LOL

[Dirts]

Peanut Butter and Chocolate Cream Pie

1 recipe Nutty Graham Cracker Crust made with peanuts.

3/4 cup coarsely chopped nuts of your choice
2 Tbsp firmly packed light brown sugar
2 Tbsp all purpose flour
1 cup plus 2 Tbsp graham cracker crumbs
1/4 Ground cinnamon
Big pinch of salt
1/4 cup =1/2 stick unsalted butter melted

1.Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly butter your choice of pie pan and set aside.
2. Combine the nuts, brown sugar, and flour in a food processor and process in a number of long bursts until the nuts are very finely chopped. Dump the mixture into a large bowl. Run your fingers through them, breaking up any bigger pieces the machine might have missed. Stir in the graham cracker crumbs, cinnamon, and salt. Add the butter and incorporate well. Mix first with a fork, then with your hands, and rub everything together thoroughly to form evenly dampened crumbs.
3. Spread the crumbs evenly and loosely in the pie pan, pressing them into the bottom and up the side. Refrigerate for 5 to 10 minutes.
4. Place on the center oven rack and bake for 7 minutes. Let cool on a wire rack before filling. For ice cream pies and other icebox pies, refrigerate the thoroughly cooled pie shell for 10 minutes before filling.
You can use mixed nuts also.

1. Combine the granulated sugar, cornstarch, and salt in a medium size, heavy saucepan, preferably nonstick. Whisk in the milk and egg yolks. Place over medium heat and cool, whisking virtually nonstop, until the mixture starts to thicken and comes to a low boil, 5-7 minutes. Continue to whisk and heat until quite thick, sbout 1 1/2 minutes. Whisk in the vanilla and remove from the heat.
2. Immediately pour half of the mixture into a small bowll. Stir in the chocolate chips and half of the butter. Immediately turn your attention to the other half of the custard in the pan.Using separate whisks, whisk both bixtures until evenly blended.
3. Scrape the chocolate custard into the cooled pie shell, smoothing the top with a spoon. Using a large spoon, gently spoon the peanut putter custard over the chocolate layer, smoothing to even it out without, mixing them up. Gently press a piece of plastic wrap directly over the top of the pie, leaving no gaps or air pockets, to prevent a skin from forming. Place on a wire rack and let cool thoroughly , then refrigerate for at leeast 3 hours or overnight
4 Shortly before serving, make the topping. Using medium size bowl and chilled beaters, beat the cream with an electric mixer until it holds soft peaks. Add the confectioners sugar and vanilla and continue to beat until stiff but not grainy. Smooth the topping over the pie, then sprinkle with the peanuts. Drizzle each slice with chocolate syrup, if desired.
* Just in case you store your chocolate chips and peanut butter chips in the refrigerator, bring them to room temperature 30 minutes befor starting this recipe.
*Since you're relying on the heat of the milk mixture to melt the chocolate and peanut butter chips, its important that you anticipate this step and act quickly while the mixture is very hot. Have you chips measured, a small bowl standing by, and 2 whisks in place- one for each flavor.
*As with all cream pies, press the plastic wrap snugly up against the filling without leaving any gaps, such as wher the filling meets the pastry. Gaps will create a space where moisture can gather, leaving a puddle of water.

Pie Ken Haedrich