A Labor of Love

I have to be honest. My Grammy did not like spending time in the kitchen. She would be the first one to tell you that. She did, however, hit some home runs! After all, she had a hubby and two hungry boys who really liked to eat. 🙂 This peanut buster ice cream dessert was and still is one of my all-time favorite recipes. My Papa LOVES peanuts (and ice cream and chocolate)….no doubt Grammy picked this for him. Those two have been married 71 years, and they still have that special something. Theirs is a pretty spectacular love story, full of sacrifice and devotion; so this blog post is a little tribute to them.

With Memorial Day right around the corner heralding the unofficial beginning of summer, I thought this was a perfect dessert recipe to share…ideal for all of your gatherings with friends and family. Don’t forget to thank the brave men and women who have also shown us the meaning of sacrifice and devotion, allowing us to live in freedom in this beautiful country.

This peanut buster dessert has just a few simple steps because Grammy has just always been efficient like that! 🙂

Step 1: (The Sandwich Cookie Layer)

It starts with a base of crushed chocolate sandwich cookie and butter perfection. Good start, right? Crush a 15.25 ounce bag of cookies in your food processor. Stir in 1/4 cup of melted butter and press into the bottom of a 9×13 pan.

Step 2: (The Ice Cream Layer)

The next step is to allow 1/2 gallon of ice cream to soften just a bit so that you can spread it evenly over the cookie layer. Freeze until firm.

Step 3: (The Chocolate Layer)

Now, for the extra yummy part. Over low heat, melt 6 ounces of semi-sweet chocolate chips with 1/2 cup of butter. Add a 12 ounce can of evaporated milk and a teaspoon of vanilla. Next, slowly add in 2 cups of powdered sugar whisking until smooth. Bring to a boil and boil for 1.5 minutes, whisking constantly. Can’t you just smell the wonderful, warm chocolate sauce? Allow it to cool COMPLETELY, pull your bottom layers out of the freezer and pour this sauce right over the top.

Step 4: (The Peanut Layer)

Sprinkle 12 ounces of salted peanuts over the top of the ice cream layer and then pop the whole thing in the freezer for a few hours. Waiting for that little delight to set up is the hardest part! The chocolate layer will be a bit of a soft set. It certainly is not as hard as a chocolate bar.

Step 5: (The Presentation)

Don’t forget to have a little fun with your presentation! For mine, I stole a few pieces from my momma’s house…antique silk flags, blue crockery bowls (my Grammy’s favorite color), a tablecloth and some old metal toy cars. Aren’t they  perfect with my grandparents’ photo by the old car!?! I piled my white ramekins on my favorite white cake stand along with the framed photo and the wonderful flags for height and color. Then I added a couple of fresh flowers to my table, displayed in old apothecary jars that my momma had given me years ago. The spoons and some bright red napkins found a home in one of the crockery bowls. I love the way it all came together.

Seriously….how much would you like to try this RIGHT NOW? I think this will definitely be making an appearance at our cabin this summer.

Use the Download Here button below for the printable version of this delicious recipe.

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By the way, this recipe, along with LOTS of others, was published in the Betty Jane’s cookbook in 1998. This cookbook was a compilation of recipes from friends, family, customers and employees of my parents’ gift store….Betty Jane’s.  My momma, Betty Jane, is also a blogger and much more eloquent than I am. I just know that you would enjoy her writing over at bettystreff.com. If you are interested in purchasing her cookbook, just email her at bjstreff@gmail.com, as she just had some fresh copies printed a short time ago. They are $16, the same price as in 1998, and $3 will ship one anywhere in the United States. There aren’t many left, so get yours today!!! (Can you tell the one below has been used a few times?!?)

Have a WONDERFUL SUMMER!! Stay in touch and don’t forget to subscribe to my newsletter to get each new post as it comes! God bless.