Tuesday, March 13, 2012

Individual Peanut Butter Pie Trifle

You may have noticed the lack of regular posting in recent weeks. Ideally I post on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays but lately I have been feeling uninspired in the kitchen. Lack of inspiration usually means I am cooking old standbys or just throwing a bunch of things together without writing recipes down or taking any pictures. My usual sources of inspiration include many wonderful food blogs and leisurely trips to my local market. Sadly I have been so busy that I have not had the time to do either of these things. For the next month or two hope to post once or twice a week until my schedule sorts itself out. Now on to the recipe...

I am still pretty green when it comes to blogging and social media and I was very much a newbie when this story popped up on my Twitter feed. The original Twitter link was to an article about Jennifer Perillo and her husband Mikey. I was so touched by Jennifer's loss that I spent the better part of 2 days reading through her many blog posts. My heart ached for the woman who lost her husband and for the little girls that lost their father far too young. Jeannie's post titled for mikey was a reminder to me to take time out to unplug and enjoy the company of those I cherish most. I recommend using 4 ounce jelly jars to easily transport and share these trifles with your loved ones.



Individual Peanut Butter Pie Trifle
recipe courtesy of My Baking Addiction originally adapted from In Jennie's Kitchen

For the crust
16 Oreo cookies
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

For the filling
1 cup heavy cream
8 ounces cream cheese
1 cup creamy-style peanut butter
1 cup confectioners’ sugar
14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Place the Oreo cookies into the bowl of a food processor and pulse into fine crumbs. In a small bowl, combine cookie crumbs and melted butter and stir.

Evenly divide the crumbs between your individual serving dishes and press into the bottoms of the dishes to form a crust layer.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment or in a large bowl with an electric mixer, beat the heavy cream until stiff peaks form. Transfer whipped cream to a small bowl and place it into the refrigerator while you prepare the rest of the filling.

Place cream cheese and peanut butter the mixing bowl and beat on medium speed until smooth. Reduce speed to low and gradually add in confectioners' sugar until well combined. Add in sweetened condensed milk and vanilla and beat on medium speed until mixture is creamy and smooth. Take care to scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.

Stir in 1/3 of the whipped cream into the filling mixture. Use a rubber spatula to fold in the remaining whipped cream until well blended until no streaks remain.

Evenly pipe or spoon the filling into individual serving dishes. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 3 hours before serving. If desired, garnish with whipped cream and chocolate curls.