Choco PB Dulce frozen pie no bake

Bet you'll never guess what makes this delightfully decadent...

no-bake...Chocolate...Peanut Butter...Dulce de Leche...frozen pie so special?

The somewhat unpopular ingredient which...

unifies this pie to a healthier level without ever knowing it...

is none other than the flavour sponge and poorly misunderstood Tofu.

***

What else makes this simple to make dessert so yummy and unique?

For the crust:

Multigrain cereals flakes blended with a little grape seed oil and maple syrup.

For the creaminess:

A whole package of silken tofu beautifully blended with just a small quantity of cream cheese.

For the flavours:

Smooth peanut butter, melted chocolate and creamy 'Dulce de Leche' with a touch of vanilla.

First, a little something personal to share about me getting better acquainted...

with one of the key ingredients in this yummy refreshing pie...PEAnuts

a.k.a...earthnuts, ground nuts, goober peas, monkey nuts, pygmy nuts and pig nuts.

Just the other evening, Hubby and I were watching an incredibly interesting travel segment highlighting Indonesia.

Now, this wonderful tourist destination would have conjured up several guesses on their agricultural richness...however, I honestly would never have mentioned PEANUTS in the top 10 of their important harvests. 

photo credit: by 'shutterhappy' on flickr

More importantly, was the fact that I had absolutely NO idea that peanuts are NOT picked from a tree.

The Peanut Pods are actually yanked out of the earth along with its roots.

The family of nuts in general are part of one of my very favourite food groups...and I was so pleased to have learned something new about such a popular nutty product.

photo credit: Peaceworks

Ohh...No...but wait...not again. 
I was still not properly informed...there's more.

PEANUTS are Not NUTS after all...they're actually part of the...

LEGUME family...another of my favourite food groups.

How convoluted.
 

Who in the world decided that attaching the word Nuts in Peanuts...

would actually have someone remotely think it actually was a bean instead?

Don't you just love how the originating Foodie Founders...

started toying with us from some very early stages?

Well, I guess that's what keeps it interesting?!?

So, tell me, besides myself, who knew about what I once more was oblivious to?

***

Alright then, enough about peanuts and more about where today's pie originated:

Years ago, Mom had torn off a very tiny recipe in one of her ‘HomeMaker’ magazines for: frozen Peanut Butter Tofu Chocolate pie.  She and I have this pesky paper keeping habit in common...which sometimes proves to become a terrible hoarding habit of ours.  Oh well, in this case, it had been a good thing since it's the one thing that got me back to re-discovering the once personally hated tofu.  Up until then, all I had was a unfortunate memory of wanting to gag while having tofu in a soup at an Asian restaurant.  After that incident...I absolutely wanted nothing to do with this soy product.  Actually, in truth, I didn't even know what tofu really was!  Later on, and a multitude of creations later...the soybean and its derived tofu have now become a big part of my culinary repertoire.

I figured...with all the benefits that Tofu was purporting...it was time to re-visit with a dessert concoction.  It was the perfect recipe because it actually masked the very idea that tofu was actually in the preparation.
There's not a time when I make this dessert that I don't taunt my first time tasters to figure out what's in this indulgent pie.  NOT once, did ANYONE ever guess. Come to think of it, I should have placed bets...a little for my distant retirement and all ;o)

In the last decade or so, this highly requested delicious pie...

has been significantly changed...and here’s what’s taken place so far:

The pre-baked graham cookie crust made with sugar and butter...

now has turned into a no-bake multigrain cereal crust with grape seed oil and maple syrup.

The cream cheese mix was accompanied by a slightly inflated Peanut Butter amount...

which I had to substantially reduce in order to decrease it's overpowering aspect.

An overly sweet commercial syrup of chocolate was used at the time...

and at present, a melted bittersweet chocolate has taken its place.

The granulated sugar was completely replaced by a creamy 'Dulce de Leche'

***

Alright then...

get your power tools out and lets get this cool indulgence into gear.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Dulce de Leche

frozen pie _ no bake

serves 8 persons

Click HERE to get a PRINT version

INGREDIENTS:

(American / Metric measures)

...Crust:

. 2-1/2 cups (135g) multi-grain cereal flakes
. 3 Tbsps. (45ml) grapeseed oil
. 3 Tbsps. (45ml) Maple syrup

...Creamy mix:

. 1/4 cup (60g) bittersweet (60-70%) Chocolate, coarsely chopped
. 4 oz. (125g) Cream Cheese. 1 pkg.(8oz)/(about 250-300g) drained Tofu * (silken variety only)
. 1/4 cup (60ml) smooth, organic Peanut Butter
. 1/2 cup (120ml) Dulce de Leche
. 1 tsp. (5ml) pure Vanilla extract
. 1 Tbsp. (15ml) Vodka
 
. garnish: a big handful of shelled Peanuts (optional)

* Tofu (soft-'silken'):

High in protein. Very similar in texture of a fine custard which contains a high moisture content.  Make sure to purchase the most natural product avoiding many unwanted preservatives.

PREPARATION:

. Prepare a 9 inch (22-23cm) pie plate, very lightly oiled.

1. MELT the chopped chocolate.  Stir it with spatula so that it becomes completely smooth.  Set aside to slightly cool.

Crust:

2.In a blender, place the cereals, oil and syrup together.  Pulse the motor a few times to then spin until a good humid crumble appears.  Pour it out onto the lightly oiled pie plate.  With the aid of a spatula or spoon, spread and pat down the cereal mix onto the plate’s sides and bottom.  Set aside.

Creamy mix:

3.In the same blender, place the rest of the remaining ingredients with the melted chocolate added last.  Pulse a few times to then blitz until a good smooth consistency is achieved.  Do use the spatula to scrape down the sides in between spins.
Assembly:

4. Pour the creamy mixture over the cereal crust.  With a spatula, spread the mix evenly.
5. At this point, if a garnish or decor of peanuts is desired...go ahead and create your personal design.

Freezing:

6. Cover the pie plate with a plastic wrap followed by placing it into an airtight freezer bag.  Freeze it for a minimum of 4 hours.  The pie keeps very well for about 1 month without losing its quality.

. Serve: transfer the pie plate to the refrigerator for about 1 hour before slicing.  

Once you try this sumptuous, creamy and flavourful frozen pie...yourself, along with your accompanying sacrificial tasters will undoubtedly ask for a second piece.  It's really that amazing.

Flavourful wishes, 
Foodessa

Comments or suggestions ... write me :o)

Claudia at: foodessa [at] gmail [dot] com

Go HERE for more SWEET creations.

Please take note on how I bake and cook...

Here’s a 101 of sorts to make sure that there are no disappointments when trying my creations.  

Also...just so you know...feel free to increase the salt and sweet factor since I'm not high on either of them ;o)

. Use DRY cup measurements for...you guessed it...all DRY ingredients.

Anything DRY gets measured by spooning the overfilled ingredient (never shake the cup) and then level off with a flat edged tool.  Exception...Brown sugar should be packed in and leveled.

. Use LIQUID cup measurements for...all LIQUIDS that cannot be leveled like for example butter, yogurt...etc.  Measure the liquids at eye level to avoid overdoing what the recipe truly needs.

. OVENS are unfortunately not created equal.  Mine is so old that it has reached many degrees off it's norm.  It's really worth investing a few dollars to test yours with an appropriate oven thermometer.  You'd be surprised how many ovens I've heard about not being where they should have been.  Before you lose any more ingredients and much time preparing a new recipe...run to the store...you'll thank me later.  

Other refreshing and delectable frozen desserts:

.. Frozen Desserts...GENERAL:

- CHOCOLATE frozen MOUSSE _ 3 Ingredients only
- LEMON mousse frozen PIE no bake
.. Frozen Desserts...ICE-CREAMS:
- BUTTERSCOTCH caramel from scratch...no ice-cream machine
- FIG chocolate PORT nutty GELATO ice cream...no ice-cream machine
- LEMON coconut ginger MOUSSE GELATO...no ice-cream machine