Peanut butter was developed in 1890 Dr. John Kellogg (of corn flakes fame), created peanut butter as a healthy protein substitute that was easy to digest for patients with no teeth. (denture-users be thankful) Today, more than half the American peanut crop goes into the making of peanut butter, but surprisingly, the majority of peanut butter consumed in the United States is imported. Federal law mandates that any product labeled as peanut butter must contain at least 90 percent peanuts, with the remaining 10 percent restricted to salt, sweeteners, and stabilizers. In 1992, statistics showed Americans alone consumed 857 million pounds of good ole PB. Commercial varieties are usually a blend of ground, shelled, roasted peanuts mixed with vegetable oil (usually hydrogenated) and a bit of salt. Some varieties also contain sugar and additives as stabilizers to prevent oil separation and to also enhance flavor. My personal favorite is Skippy's crunchy reduced fat brand. Sadly reduced fat peanut butter is only ten calories less pert two tablespoons than is regular peanut butter...
On to the peanut butter candies!
-Strawberried Peanut Butter M&Ms (part of the Transformers 2 gimmick)
-Reese's Select Creams (smooth, creamy PB covered in milk chocolate, fancy stuff!)
-Dark Chocolate Reese's Peanut Butter Cups
-Reese's Crunchy Peanut Butter Cups
-Melster's Peanut Butter Kisses
-Reese's Peanut Butter Bar
-ReeseSticks
-Peanut Butter M&Ms
-Peanut Butter CookieDough Bites
-KitKat PeanutButter
-Reese's Pieces
-Reese's Whipps (light and fluffy PB nougat coated in mockolate)
-Twix Peanut Butter
-Elvis Reese's Peanut Butter and Banana Big Cup
-Reese's Big Cup with Caramel and Nuts
-Reese's Big Cup with Mixed Nuts
-Reese's While Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups
-Reese's Caramel Peanut Butter Cups
-Reese's Hazelnut Creme Peanut Butter Cups
-Reese's Crispy Crunchy Bar (crispy PB crunch in the center with a sprinkling of crushed peanuts and then milk chocolate)
-PayDay Peanut Butter Avalanche
-Mary Janes
-Atkinson's Peanut Butter Bars
-Hershey's Peanut Butter Kisses
-Reese's Peanut Butter Cups with Marshmallow
-Take 5 Marshmallow
-Reese's Peanut Butter Double Chocolate Cups
-Reese's Extra Smooth and Creamy Peanut Butter Cups
-Take 5 Chocolate Cookie
-Take 5 Peanut Butter
-Clark
-Reese's Nutrageous
-Reese's Fast Break
-Abba-zabba
-5th Avenue
-Butterfinger
-Take 5 White Chocolate
-Butterfinger Crisp
-Reese's Pieces with Peanuts
-Reese's Swoops
-Take 5 (original)
-Take 5 (PB version)
-Reese's Whoppers
-Reese's Select Clusters (peanuts, pecans, PB and caramel in milk chocolate)
-Whatchamacallit (pb & crisped rice bar covered in milk chocolate)
....That's a loooot of candy...
Recipe Time!
Haven't tried this but I sure would like to!
Ingredients
Cupcakes:
1/4 cup creamy peanut butter (recommended: Skippy)
1 cup sliced and firmly packed, ripe banana
1 tablespoon canola oil
3 tablespoons water
1 large egg
1 tablespoon Dutch process cocoa powder
1 (9-ounce) package devil's food cake mix without pudding (recommended: Jiffy)
Peanut Butter Frosting:
2 1/2 tablespoons softened unsalted butter
1/4 cup creamy peanut butter (recommended: Skippy)
1/3 cup plus 2 1/4 teaspoons powdered sugar
1 1/2 to 2 teaspoons whole milk
2 1/2 tablespoons roasted and lightly salted chopped peanuts
10 dried banana chips
Directions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Place a medium-sized platter in the freezer.
Line 10 standard (2 3/4-inch wide) muffin cups with paper liners. Set aside.
To make the cupcakes, in a medium bowl and with an electric mixer, beat the peanut butter, sliced banana, oil and water together on medium speed until mostly smooth or only a few very small pieces of banana are visible. On low speed beat in the egg, cocoa powder and the cake mix. Increase speed to medium-high and beat for 1 minute or until batter is well blended.
Spoon an equal amount of batter into the lined muffin cups, filling each about 2/3 full. Bake on the center rack for 15 to 20 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted into the center of cakes comes out clean.
Remove cupcakes from the pan and place on the platter in the freezer. Freeze for 8 minutes to quickly cool the cupcakes.
While the cakes cool, make the frosting, with an electric mixer beat together the butter and peanut butter until smooth. Gradually beat in the powdered sugar and 1 1/2 teaspoons milk until frosting reaches a spreadable consistency. (If needed, add up to an extra 1/2 teaspoon of milk to make frosting smooth.) Frost cupcakes. Sprinkle the tops with an even amount of the chopped peanuts. Garnish the tops of each cake with a dried banana chip.
Peanut Butter Cup Brownie Bottom Cheesecake
Brownie Crust:
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 cup peanut butter chips
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1-1/4 cups sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract (I used Madagascar Bourbon Vanilla)
2 eggs
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
Cheesecake Filling:
2 lbs cream cheese, softened
5 eggs, at room temperature
1-1/2 cups firmly packed brown sugar
1 cup smooth peanut butter (not natural-style)
1/2 cups whipping cream
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
6 peanut butter cups, cut into quarters
(this made too much batter for me. Not sure how to cut down the portions. I was able to make an extra very slim 7" cheesecake with the leftover batter. So less than half was left over...)
Decoration:
6 peanut butter cups, cut carefully in half
1/2 cup whipping cream
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 cup peanut butter cups
(this makes a lot more than you'll need for decorative purposes. I plan on using the extra to serve with the individual slices)
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1. Heat oven to 350°F. Grease 9-inch springform pan with butter.
2. Stir together butter, sugar and vanilla in large bowl with spoon or wire whisk. Add eggs; stir until well blended. Stir in flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt; blend well. Spread in prepared pan.
3. Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until brownie begins to pull away from side of pan. Meanwhile make cheesecake layer (see below).
4. Immediately after removing brownie from oven, sprinkle milk chocolate chips, peanut butter chips and peanut butter cups over brownie surface. Spoon cheesecake mixture over chips. Turn down oven 325°.
Cheesecake Filling:
5. Beat cream cheese in bowl of electric mixer until smooth.
6. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
7. Add sugar, peanut butter and cream; mix until smooth.
8. Stir in vanilla.
9. Pour filling into prepared crust.
[I had extra batter that I put in a smaller springform pan at this point]
10. Double-wrap springform pan with aluminum foil to prevent water seeping in.
11. Place springform pan into a larger baking pan.
12. Pour hot water into the larger pan so that the water comes 1 inch up the sides of the springform pan.
13. Bake at 325 degrees 1-1/2 hours, or until firm and lightly browned.
14. Remove from the oven and allow to cool on a wire rack for one hour.
15. Run a knife along the edge of the cake to loosen it from the pan somewhat.
16. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours before decorating. I tend to make cheesecakes a day ahead to let things set.
Cheesecake tip: to get the cake off the bottom of the springform pan, because most crusts have butter in them, you just need to heat up the bottom of the pan a bit and the cake should come off easily. I remove the sides, then hold the pan over a burner on my stove - set to LOW - for about 15 or so seconds. Whatever you can handle. Then run a long cake spatula under the cake and it should slip easily off the pan. Just be careful - the bottom of the cake is now very slippery.
17. Remove cake from pan and put on a pretty plate.
18. Bring whipping cream to boil in a small saucepan.
19. Remove from heat and add semi-sweet and peanut butter chips. Stir, stir, stir until melted and smooth.
20. Drizzle over cake and then add peanut butter cup halves around the edge of the cake.
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