SRC Reveal Day-Peanut Butter Banana Cream Squares

 I was so excited recently when, after waiting a nearly a year, I got an email asking if I still wanted to join The Secret Recipe Club.  Boy, did I!  So I signed up and received my very first assignment.  The blog I was assigned is Eat Laugh Love.

This is a fun blog with many interesting recipes.  Although some recipes are more sophisticated than what I usually eat, I found many recipes that I want to try.  Among them are Baked Egg Rolls, Roasted Cauliflower with Parmesan and Bacon, Company’s Coming Apple Cake, and Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Blondes.

You will notice that the last two recipes listed are for sweets so it is no surprise that the recipe I chose to make is for a dessert.  When I saw the recipe for Peanut Butter Banana Cream Pie I knew that is what I would be making.

This recipe had a number of things going for it.  I love peanut butter, bananas, cream cheese and chocolate so what could be better than a combination of all of these?  I'm also inherently lazy so love quick, easy and make ahead recipes.  Lastly, we are having a heat wave which makes a frozen dessert seem even better.

Instead of making a pie, I chose to put this in an 8-inch baking pan.  To be sure there was enough crust to cover the bottom of the pan, I increased the crust ingredients by half.  The recipe posted here reflects that change.

I wanted lots of banana so cut my slices about 1/2 inch thick.  I still took only two bananas of the size that I had.

I made my homemade Chocolate Sauce because I think that it tastes much better, but purchased can be used.

This was very good, and we will be having it often at our house.

Peanut Butter Banana Cream Squares
Adapted from Eat Laugh Love
1 1/2 c. crushed vanilla wafer cookies (about 40 small ones)
6 T. brown sugar, packed
1/4 c. butter, melted
1/2 c. brown sugar
1/2 c. (4 oz.) cream cheese, softened (I used 1/3 c. less fat)
1/2 c. chunky peanut butter
1/2 t. vanilla extract
1 container (8 oz.) frozen whipped topping, thawed (I used light)
2 bananas, sliced
Chocolate sauce, homemade or purchased

In a bowl mix together cookie crumbs and brown sugar.  Add brown sugar and mix until all the crumbs are coated.  Pour into an 8-inch baking pan which has been very well sprayed with nonstick spray.  Bake at 350 degrees for  10 minutes.  Set on a wire rack to cool completely. When crust has cooled, beat the cream cheese, sugar, and peanut butter together until smooth.  Add the vanilla and mix well.  Fold in thawed whipped topping until everything is well combined.  Cover the cooled crust with the banana slices.  Spoon the peanut butter mixture over the bananas.  Smooth the top and drizzle with the chocolate sauce.  Cover and freeze at least 8 hours.  Let stand at room temperature 15 minutes before serving.  Makes 9 servings.

Linking to Food on Fridays

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Ingredient Spotlight-Frozen Peaches and Cream Crisp-GF

 
Since I am the self-proclaimed queen of layered desserts, when peaches were the Spotlight Ingredient a few weeks ago, I began thinking about creating a new one.  Unfortunately local fruits are very behind here this year, and California peaches were just beginning to hit the super markets.  I decided to wait, so posted the Peachy Keen Barbecue Sauce at that time.

I continued to think about something with peaches, and when I found the Easy No-Machine Ice Cream recipe, I knew I had a base to work with.  I then decided to use an Oatmeal Crust from an old cook booklet called The Quaker Oats Wholegrain Cookbook put out in 1979.  I wanted the flavor of peaches and cream (my favorite way to eat peaches), so I added a cream cheese/powdered sugar/frozen whipped topping layer and now present Frozen Peaches and Cream Crisp.

The oat base has no flour in it so this dessert can be eaten by my gluten-free friends if gluten-free oats are used.   An additional 1/2 c. of oats, wheat germ, or unprocessed bran can be used instead of the nuts for those who do not like nuts or have allergies.  I would try whipped cream (1/2 c. unwhipped) or Greek yogurt for the frozen whipped topping in the cream layer if I did not want to use the topping.  If a thicker “cream” layer is wanted, double the ingredients.

I have Gladware baking pans with lids that I use to make this, but I don't know if they are still available.  If a pan is used that may be needed before the dessert is eaten up, line the pan with a piece of heavy duty foil, letting the foil extend beyond the short ends.  When the dessert is completely frozen, lift it from the pan using the foil as handles.  Wrap foil around dessert then wrap tightly with plastic wrap.

I prefer to add 1 to 2 chopped peaches to the ice cream layer.  My hubby, however, bought cling peaches which were so difficult to remove from the pit, I did not add any to the dessert in the photo.  Any other pureed fresh fruit or berries can be used in place of the peaches.  Do not puree the fruit too smoothly.  I use fresh fruit as much as I can, but well-drained frozen or canned fruit can be used in the winter.  Though not necessary, I added a couple drops each of red and yellow food coloring to get the peach color.

This is definitely a “make ahead” dessert and makes 15 servings so is great for a party.  Of course, it keeps well in the freezer so there doesn’t need to be 15 people to eat it at one time.  At our house, I make this up, and we eat it over a couple of weeks.

Frozen Peaches and Cream Crisp

2 c. quick rolled oats
1/2 c. finely chopped nuts (I used walnuts)
1/2 c. firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 c. (1 stick) butter, melted
1 pkg. (8 oz.) cream cheese softened (can be 1/3 less fat, but I’m not sure why one would bother considering the other ingredients)
1 c. powdered sugar, sifted
1 c. frozen whipped topping,thawed
1 can (14 oz.) sweetened condensed milk (or make your own)
1 c. pureed peaches (about 4 small peaches)
2 c. (1 pt.) whipping cream, whipped till soft peaks form
1-2 additional peaches, peeled and chopped
1-2 drops each red and yellow food coloring

Combine oats, nuts, brown sugar, and melted butter mixing well.  Measure out 1 c. and spread evenly in an 8-in. square pan.  Do not press down.  Put remaining mixture into a 9x13-in. baking pan (preferably one with a cover) and press down evenly to form a crust.  Bake both pans at 375 degrees 8-12 minutes until golden brown.  Remove from oven.  Set crust pan aside to cool 30-45 minutes.  When cool enough to touch, crumble mixture in 8-in. pan with your fingers and set aside.
In a medium bowl combine softened cream cheese and powdered sugar stirring until well blended.  Fold in whipped topping until well blended.  Spread mixture over cooled oat crust.  Place in freezer for 30 minutes.
Peel, chop and puree peaches, using a blender or food processor.  In a large bowl mix peach puree and sweetened condensed milk until very well blended.  Gently fold in the whipped whipping cream until very well combined.  Fold in chopped peaches.  Add the red and yellow food coloring and mix well, adding additional coloring until the desired shade is reached.  Pour this mixture over cream cheese mixture in pan.  Sprinkle the reserved oat mixture over the top.  Cover tightly with a piece of plastic wrap.  Place in freezer and freeze at least 6 hours.  To serve, remove from freezer, cut into squares with a moistened kitchen knife and place on dessert plates.  Makes 15 servings.  For extended storage cover dessert tightly.

Linking to
Made From Scratch Tuesday
Ingredient Spotlight
Cast Party Wednesday
These Chicks Cooked
Foodie Wednesday
Recipes I Can't Wait to Try
Sweets for a Saturday
Strut Your Stuff

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