PEANUT BUTTER CHOCOLATE BANANA CREAM PIE: Banana Cream Pie Day

Today is National Banana Cream Pie Day and yesterday was Peanut Butter Lovers Day, so here's a two-fer recipe to celebrate: Peanut Butter Chocolate Banana Cream Pie. It doesn't get much better than that. This recipe is from Kraft Foods. You can always substitute your own home-made ingredients.

PEANUT BUTTER CHOCOLATE BANANA CREAM PIE

Ingredients
35 Nilla Wafers, finely crushed (about 1 cup)
1/4 cup butter, melted
2 squares Baker's Semi-Sweet Chocolate, divided  (or a high quality dark chocolate)
1/2 cup smooth Peanut Butter
2 Bananas, cut lengthwise in half, then crosswise into quarters
2 packages (3.4 ounces each) JELL-O Vanilla Flavor Instant Pudding
2 cups cold Milk
2 cups thawed COOL WHIP Whipped Topping, divided
2 Tbsp PLANTERS Salted Peanuts, coarsely chopped

Directions
HEAT oven to 350ºF.
MIX wafer crumbs and butter until well blended; press onto bottom and up side of 9-inch pie plate. Bake 5 to 8 min. or until golden brown. Cool completely. Meanwhile, make chocolate curls from 1/2 chocolate square. Refrigerate.
MICROWAVE remaining 1-1/2 chocolate squares and peanut butter in microwaveable bowl on HIGH 1 minutes; stir until chocolate is completely melted and mixture is well blended. Place bananas in crust; drizzle with melted chocolate.
BEAT pudding mixes and milk in large bowl with whisk 2 min. Stir in 1 cup COOL WHIP. Spread over bananas; top with remaining COOL WHIP.
REFRIGERATE 3 hours. Top with chocolate curls and nuts just before serving.

Want to make your Peanut Butter Chocolate Banana Cream Pie from scratch? 

Try these recipes from Joy the Baker or EzraPoundCake's Hunk-a Hunk-a Peanut Butter and Banana Cream Pie.

RECIPES FOR HOMEMADE KAHLUA & KAHLUA BLACK RUSSIAN BUNDT CAKE: National Kahlua Day!

Today is National Kahlua Day. Kahlua is such a versatile liqueur. It is a Mexican coffee-flavored rum-based liqueur that's dense and sweet, with the taste of coffee. Kahlúa also contains sugar, corn syrup, and vanilla bean, so you see why it's often matched with chocolate in drinks, cakes, pies, and candy. 

To celebrate today's Kahlua holiday, scroll down for a recipe for Black Russian Bundt Cake. A Black Russian is a classic cocktail made with 1 part Kahlua, 2 parts Vodka. Fill glass with ice. Add alcohol and mix!  

Want to make your own Kahlua? Here's a recipe. The Kahlua won't be ready for a month, but it will be great!

Homemade Kahlua

Ingredients
4 cups water
4 cups sugar
2 ounces instant coffee
1 vanilla bean
Fifth of vodka or bourbon

Directions
Bring 4 cups water to boil. Add 4 cups sugar and cook until dissolved. Add instant coffee. Simmer slowly - do not boil!
Add vanilla bean and 1/5 vodka or bourbon.
Bottle and cap. Leave for a month or more!
 
Kahlua Black Russian Bundt Cake 

Ingredients
1 box yellow cake mix (without pudding)
1/2 cup sugar
1 pkg (6 ounces) chocolate instant pudding
1 cup oil
4 eggs
1/4 cup Vodka
1/4 cup Kahlua
3/4 cup water

Directions
Combine all ingredients and beat on low for one minute and then on medium for 4 minutes.
Pour into greased and floured 10-inch bundt pan.
Bake at 350 degrees for 55 to 60 minutes.
Let cool in pan for 10 minutes.
Invert onto plate and pour on glaze.

Glaze 
1/4 cup Kahlua
1/2 cup powdered sugar

Combine and have ready when cake comes from oven.
Poke holes in cake and pour glaze over cake. 

Dust with sifted powdered sugar.

NO-BAKE PISTACHIO CHOCOLATE TRUFFLE CAKE: National Pistachio Day

Today is National Pistachio Day. Make this great Gluten-free No-Bake Pistachio Chocolate Truffle Cake! Recipe is from the American Pistachio Growers. There are many other great recipes on their site. When you have a particular food in mind, be sure to check Growers' and Producers' websites for recipes and info!

GLUTEN-FREE NO-BAKE PISTACHIO CHOCOLATE TRUFFLE CAKE

Ingredients:
Gluten free, non-stick cooking spray or melted butter
12 ounces dark chocolate
8 ounces heavy cream or full fat coconut milk (shake can before measuring)
3 Tbsp Kahlua
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/3 cup roasted, salted and shelled pistachios, coarsely chopped

Instructions: 
Spray 8 x 4 inch loaf pan with cooking spray or brush with butter.
Line pan with piece of parchment paper (to remove cake from pan)
Chop chocolate into small pieces.
Place chocolate in mixing bowl. Bring cream and Kahlua just to a boil over medium-high heat. Stir vanilla into hot cream and pour over chocolate. Let sit for 5 minutes. Stir until chocolate and cream are fully combined and mixture is smooth and glossy.
Pour into prepared pan, smooth out top, and sprinkle with chopped pistachios.
Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate 4 hours or until firm.
Using parchment to help, remove cake from pan and slice with thin, hot knife (run knife under hot water then dry with towel.)

GOOBERS: History & Memories for Chocolate Covered Nuts Day!

Today is National Chocolate Covered Nuts Day. I don't think I've ever met a chocolate covered nut I didn't liked, especially chocolate covered macadamia nuts. However, I got to thinking about the whole chocolate covered nut thing, and I realized that my love of chocolate covered nuts goes back to Goobers at the Movies! I always bought Goobers or Raisinets from the concession stand. My favorites. Goobers, though, were the best: fresh roasted peanuts covered in milk chocolate. Goobers are still made, but I miss the original box, the smell of the box, as much as the product. I just love the crunch of these small covered peanuts. The candy used to be made of just peanuts and chocolate. 

Goobers was introduced in the United States in 1925 by the Blumenthal Chocolate Company. Nestlé acquired the brand in 1984. A large number of other chocolate covered peanut brands exist, but Goobers was the original, at least for me. Peanut M&M's, came much later, and when they were introduced, I liked them, too, but not at the movies. I was a traditionalist. Peanut M&M's are nothing like Goobers. Peanut M&M's have larger peanuts, and a hardy candy shell covers the chocolate and the peanut. Goobers are inconsistent in size which I consider part of their charm and enjoyment. Often you'll just get chocolate without the nut. Occasionally you'll even get a raisinet. Whether or not that's a quality control issue, I don't care. It was always a surprise and a good one.

I'd like to say I've moved on from Goobers, but I really haven't. Oh yes, I love dark chocolate more than milk, and, especially with chocolate covered nuts. Also, the quality of the chocolate as well as the freshness of the nut is very important. As a Judge at the San Francisco International Chocolate Salons, I always take all of this into consideration when I judge the toffees and chocolate covered nut truffles, but I'll always have a place in my heart for Goobers.