Chocolate Peanut Butter Fudge Ice Cream Pie

My sister Emily and I used to have a pretty good system down for splitting slices of Dairy Queen ice cream cake: she'd eat both of our frosted vanilla ice cream layers, and I'd get the fudge-topped chocolate ice cream layers.  Fellow chocolate-lovers can surely understand why that arrangement worked for me.   

This ice cream pie recipe takes things to the next level, swapping out vanilla for peanut butter.  It starts with a chocolate graham cracker crust. Then, chocolate peanut butter ice cream filling is topped with chocolate peanut butter fudge and garnished with chopped peanuts.

Ice cream pie

Recipe:
Chocolate Peanut Butter Fudge Ice Cream Pie

Crust:

• 2.5 cups vegan graham cracker crumbs (I crushed graham crackers in the food processor)
• 1 teaspoon honey (or agave)
• 2 tablespoons cocoa powder
• 1/2 cup shortening, softened

Peanut Butter Fudge Topping:

• 1/4 cup agave
• 1/4 cup honey (or more agave)
• 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
• 1/4 cup plain organic soymilk
• 5 ounces Ghirardelli semi-sweet chocolate chips

Filling:

• 1 heaping tablespoon arrowroot powder
• 3/4 cup plain organic soymilk
• 2 tablespoon cocoa powder
• 5 ounces Ghirardelli semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1/4 cup creamy peanut butter
• 12 ounces vanilla flavored, coconut milk-based, vegan yogurt
• 3 pints So Delicious Chocolate Peanut Butter Swirl Coconut Milk Dairy-Free Frozen Dessert, softened

Garnish:

• 1/2 cup roasted peanuts, chopped

First, make the crust.  Mix together the graham cracker crumbs, honey, cocoa powder, and shortening in a medium bowl until well-combined.  Pour the mixture into a 10-inch springform pan and press onto the bottom and most of the way up the sides of the pan.  Set aside.

Then, make the peanut butter fudge topping. Pour the agave and honey into a small, heavy-bottomed saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, for about 5-7 minutes.  The mixture should bubble and get a bit darker in color.  Remove from heat and add the peanut butter, soymilk, and chocolate chips.  Stir until the chocolate has melted and the mixture is smooth.  Set aside and allow to cool.

Next, make the ice cream filling. In a medium saucepan, heat the arrowroot powder and soymilk on medium-low heat, whisking frequently, until simmering.  Remove from heat, and whisk in the cocoa powder, chocolate chips, and peanut butter until well combined.  Then stir in the yogurt.  Transfer this mixture to a large bowl, and add in the ice cream.  Use an electric mixer to beat the mixture until all ingredients are combined and the mixture appears light and fluffy. 

Now, assemble the pie.  Pour the filling into the crust, cover with plastic wrap, and freeze the pie for one hour.  After an hour, remove the pie from the freezer, remove the plastic wrap, and spread on the peanut butter fudge topping.  Top with chopped peanuts.

Allow the pie to chill in the freezer for another 8 hours (overnight) to set completely.

Remove the pie from the freezer at least 15 minutes before serving.  Run a knife around the inside of the spring form pan to loosen the pie, and then release the spring form ring from the bottom of the pan.  Cut the pie using a knife that has been run under hot water, and serve. 

Comments:

Taste:           

YUM.  This ice cream pie is a chocolate peanut butter lover's dream, even though the peanut butter flavor is somewhat subtle.  The rich, gooey, peanut buttery fudge topping is the star of the pie, in my opinion.  I also enjoyed the variety of textures throughout the pie: the crumbly crust, smooth ice cream filling, and crunchy peanut garnish complement each other well.  The only thing I'd change is the crust -- it was a bit too crumbly, but I think softening the shortening before using it (as I wrote in the recipe above) will help fix that.

Accessibility:         

This is an expensive dish to make.  Unfortunately, vegan ice cream is not yet fully mainstream; so, it's both difficult to find (we went to Whole Foods) and quite expensive.  We also had to get vegan yogurt at Whole Foods.

 Ease of Preparation:        

Each individual step in this recipe isn't too difficult, but it does take a long time to make (freezing overnight will do that to you).  At least you can lick the spoons/bowls used for preparation immediately!

Non-vegan friendliness:            

I haven't had an ice cream cake in years, so it's hard to compare this version to the "real thing." Simon says that it doesn't taste quite like ice cream, but it's still very good. 

Chocolate Whoopie Pies

I had my first whoopie pie at an extended family gathering in rural Pennsylvania.  I can't tell you why a whoopie pie is called a whoopie pie (it's more like a mix between a cake and a cookie) and I can't tell you where whoopie pies come from (apparently Pennsylvania, Maine, and New Hampshire all claim to be the original creators of this dessert); all I can tell you is that whoopie pies are big, sweet, delicious desserts.

Whoopie!  It's so big and sweet and good!  (And yes, it's blurry. And a little uneven.)

Recipe:     
Chocolate Whoopie Pies

Chocolate "Pie" Halves

• 1 cup organic soymilk
• 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
• 2 cups flour
• 3/4 cup cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/3 cup vegan butter
• 1 cup sugar
• 1.5 teaspoons Ener-G Egg Replacer powder
• 2 tablespoons water

Vanilla Filling

• 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons vegan shortening
• 2 tablespoons vegan butter
• 1.5 cups powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 to 1 tablespoon soymilk, as needed

First, preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit to make the pie halves.  Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper and set aside.

In a small bowl, mix together the soymilk and vinegar and allow to sit for five minutes to curdle.  Meanwhile, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl.  Set aside.  Then, using a stand or hand mixer, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy (about two to three minutes). Scrape down the side of the bowl and mix for one more minute.

In a separate small bowl, whisk together the egg replacer and water.  Add this to the sugar mixture and stir.  Then add the dry ingredients and the curdled soymilk to the wet ingredients and stir together until just combined.

Scoop mounds of dough about 1 inch apart on the prepared cookie sheets.  For large pies, create 24 mounds; for small pies, create 48.  Then bake the pie halves, rotating the pans once during baking, until a toothpick inserted into the center of the pie comes out clean (about 8 to 10 minutes).  Once out of the oven, let cool completely on the pans.

While the pie halves are cooling, make the vanilla filling.  Using a stand or hand mixer, mix together the butter and shortening until well combined, scraping the side of the bowl at least once during mixing.  Then, while mixing on low speed, slowly add the powdered sugar.  Finally, add the vanilla and soymilk and mix on low until a smooth, spreadable filling is formed. 

Now it's time to assemble the whoopie pies.  Fill a pastry bag (or use a ziplock bag with the corner cut off) with filling and pipe a dollop of filling onto half of the pie halves.  Top those with the remaining pie halves and press down slightly. 

Yields 12 large or 24 small whoopie pies.

Comments:
Taste:          

This is a fun and delicious recipe.  The pie halves are rich and chocolatey, while the filling is light and sweet.  There were two issues with the pies we made, though.  First, the pie halves were a bit crumbly.  Be sure not to over-bake them.  Second, the filling was a bit stiff and difficult to work with.  I usually like my frosting to be thick, but this filling needs to be malleable and easy to work with.  With those two changes, they'd surely earn a four-carrot rating.

Accessibility:      

I recommend Earth Balance shortening and butter, but those aren't sold everywhere (try Whole Foods). 

 Ease of Preparation:        

If you have a spring-loaded ice cream scoop, now is the time to get it out!  An ice cream scoop would have been really helpful to use when forming each half of the pie, making them flat on the bottom and round on top—and symmetrical.  If you're like me and you don't have one of those, a small measuring cup will do! 

Non-vegan friendliness:        

It's always a good sign when people go back for seconds.  There was a lot of that going on when we brought these over to a friend's house for dinner.  Whoopie!

Shoofly Pie

My dad's side of the family is Pennsylvania German (commonly called Pennsylvania Dutch, though "Dutch" is a mistranslation of "Deutsch," or "German").  Shoofly pie is a traditional Pennsylvania German dessert--something that's well-known to me but probably not to many others.  Shoofly pie is molasses based and therefore gets its name from its sweetness: if left outside to cool, it attracts flies that then must be shooed away.

Shoofly Pie with Coconut-Based Ice Cream

We made a "wet-bottom" shoofly pie last night.  It's "wet-bottom" because the crumb topping sits on a gooey molasses-filling bottom.  

Recipe: 
Shoofly Pie

Pie Crust

• 1 cup all-purpose flour, plus more for work surface
• 2.5 tablespoons sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/3 cup cold vegan butter, cut into 1/2-inch chunks
• 1.5 tablespoons cold water

Pie Filling 

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup packed light-brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon salt + 1 pinch
• 6 tablespoons cold vegan butter, cut into 1/2-inch chunks
• 1 cup boiling water
• 1/2 cup molasses
• 1/2 cup light corn syrup
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 tablespoon ground flax seed
• 3 tablespoons water (you may need a little more)

First, prepare the crust.  In a food processor, pulse together the flour, sugar, and salt until combined.  Add the butter and pulse about 7 more times, or until the mixture is crumbly.  Then add the cold water and pulse 7 more times, or until the mixture just comes together.  Remove the dough from the food processor and briefly knead the dough until everything is well incorporated--be careful not to overknead the dough or it will become tough.  Then roll out the dough on a lightly floured work surface to 1/8 inch thick.  Place the dough into a 9-inch pie dish and trim the edges, leaving a little bit of an overhang to fold under.  Crimp the edges of the dough with your fingers, a fork, or a pie crust crimper.  Keep the crust cold while you prepare the filling.

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. Whisk together the flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and 1/4 teaspoon salt in a medium bowl.  Add the butter and work the mixture through your fingers until it forms fine crumbs.  Be careful not to over-handle the crumbs, as the heat from your fingers will melt the butter.  Then set the crumb topping aside. Next, whisk together the boiling water, molasses, and corn syrup in another medium bowl.  Whisk in the baking soda, flax, water, and a pinch of salt.  Pour the molasses mixture into the prepared pie shell and scatter the crumb topping over the filling.  Finally, place the pie on a rimmed baking sheet and bake until filling is set and topping is deep golden brown, about 50 minutes. 

Let cool on a wire rack 30 minutes.  (Really, this is important--the filling needs to set!)  Makes one 9-inch pie.

 Comments:
Taste:      

Shoofly pie has a delightfully sweet, interesting flavor, and this version is no exception.  It tastes a little like gingerbread in pie form.  The wet bottom and crumbly top are great together, and unlike any other pie I've tasted.  I usually serve this with vanilla coconut-based ice cream.  Mmm.  It's quite the combination.  

Accessibility:     

I've made this with both egg-replacer powder and the water/flax combination in lieu of eggs; I prefer it with flax, but you could try another egg-replacer if needed. 

 Ease of Preparation:    

The recipe may look long, but it's pretty simple.  Though it does take a fair amount of time to prepare, I love the fact that the pie crust doesn't need to be baked ahead of time (as many other recipes require).  You could also use a pre-made, frozen pie crust.    

Non-vegan friendliness:   

Simon is making another pie tonight to bring to work tomorrow.  That's quite the testament to its non-vegan friendliness!  I will say that this pie doesn't taste exactly how I remember my grandmother's non-vegan shoofly pie tasting--hers had a bit more of a clear divide between the crumb topping and wet bottom, perhaps--but it's still great.