Peanut Butter Parfaits

 

Back when I was a very young woman, much younger than what I am now, I used to work as the Pastry Chef at the Old Orchard Inn, which was considered to be quite a prestigious restaurant and hotel here in the Annapolis Valley at the time. I was responsible for making all of the appetizers and the desserts for the restaurant.

I loved making the desserts. (No surprise there!)  I made many different ones, including Black Forest Cake, Peach Melba and an assortment of Parfaits. Always very popular.

I think my favorites were the Creme de Menthe Parfaits.  There was something very delicious about ice-cream and that minty liqueur being layered in a parfait glass. Always topped with whipped cream and a cherry.

 

Today I am sharing a recipe with you for a simple and very family friendly Peanut Butter Parfait. A delicious homemade brown sugar peanut butter sauce is created and then layered in a glass with vanilla ice cream and topped with crushed peanuts. 

Easy peasy, lemon squeezy. You can actually make the sauce well ahead of time, ready to put together at the last minute. This is a really simple and delicious dessert that everyone loves! Its ease of prep makes it ideal for entertaining as well!

 

WHAT IS A PARFAIT?

A parfait is a layered ice cream dessert. A sweet sauce or liqueur is layered into a tall narrow parfait glass with ice cream. I like to begin with a layer of sauce on the bottom, then a scoop of ice cream, more sauce, etc. When you get it all in you push it down a bit from the top to make all the layers compact a bit and then top with a final dab of ice cream and sauce, and any toppings you want to use!

You can use any type of sauce or liqueur you enjoy. Even strawberry jam, slightly warmed, is lovely!  A dollop of whipped cream and some nuts or a cherry on top makes for a beautiful finish which is optional but very nice!

 

WHAT YOU NEED 

TO MAKE

PEANUT BUTTER PARFAITS

There is absolutely nothing complicated about this quick and easy dessert. Your family will love these!

• 1 cup (200g) soft light brown sugar, packed
• 1/3 cup (80ml) milk
• 1/4 cup (87g) corn syrup or golden syrup (I used golden syrup)
• 1 TBS (15g) butter
• 1/4 cup (45g) peanut butter

To serve:

• vanilla ice cream
• crushed peanuts (or peanut brittle)

 

Make sure you pack the brown sugar into the cup if you are using traditional measuring cups rather than measuring by weight. It should hold the shape of the measuring cup when dumped out if you have measured it properly.

I used whole milk as that is all I keep in the house.

I used golden syrup, but light corn syrup works fine. 

I used salted butter and SMOOTH peanut butter, the commercial one, not the natural one.

I topped with crushed dry roasted peanuts. I did not have any peanut brittle, which would be lovely, but very sweet. This was plenty sweet for me as is.

 

HOW TO MAKE

PEANUT BUTTER PARFAITS

The sauce is very simple to make.  Once made and cooled everything is just layered in the glass.

1. Begin by making the sauce. This will have to cool before you can make the parfaits.
2. Place the brown sugar, milk, butter and corn syrup into a saucepan. Cook, over medium heat, until the sugar dissolves and the butter melts. (The sugar will no longer feel gritty when it is melted.)
3. Remove from the heat and whisk in the peanut butter until it is completely amalgamated. Leave to cool completely. (I used my small wire whisk for this.)
4. Once the sauce is cold, layer alternate layers of vanilla ice cream and the sauce in a parfait glass. Top with a final layer of sauce and the crushed peanuts. (I don't own dedicated parfait glasses so just used jelly jars. They worked fine.)
5. Serve immediately.
6. Refrigerate any leftover sauce in a tightly covered jar. Bring to room temperature before using.

 

FREQUENTLY

ASKED QUESTIONS

CAN I USE NATURAL PEANUT BUTTER?

I never have so I cannot say with any certainty if it would work well or not. The processed peanut butter has a much smoother texture and melts perfectly into the hot sauce. Natural peanut butter also has a tendency to separate, and I am not sure how that would work in this sauce either. So overall I cannot recommend.

CAN I USE CHUNKY PEANUT BUTTER?

If you are not looking for a smooth sauce, I don't see why you couldn't use chunky peanut butter, but if you want a really smooth sauce, then use the smooth peanut butter.

CAN I ADD SOME VANILLA TO THE SAUCE?

I don't think it would hurt the sauce to add a touch of vanilla; however, I don't think you really need the additional flavor. The sauce is pretty delicious without it. If you do with to add it, however, don't add any more than 1/2 tsp of pure vanilla extract.

 

WHAT ARE SOME 

OTHER WAYS TO USE THIS SAUCE?

You could spoon this sauce over slices of vanilla cake. Add a scoop of ice cream to the top of a square of vanilla cake and spoon some sauce over top for a really simple and delicious dessert.

It would be good drizzled over pancakes or waffles. You don't need much though as it is pretty sweet.

Use it as a dip for fresh fruit.  Strawberries, pineapple, bananas, etc. All would taste really good with this sauce as a dipper.

 

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Yield: 4 servings

Author: Marie Rayner

Peanut Butter Parfaits

A rich, creamy and delicious peanut butter sauce layered in a parfait glass with vanilla ice cream and topped with crushed peanuts! Fabulously simple to make!

Ingredients

• 1 cup (200g) soft light brown sugar, packed
• 1/3 cup (80ml) milk
• 1/4 cup (87g) corn syrup or golden syrup (I used golden syrup)
• 1 TBS (15g) butter
• 1/4 cup (45g) peanut butter

To serve:

• vanilla ice cream
• crushed peanuts (or peanut brittle)

Instructions

1. Begin by making the sauce. This will have to cool before you can make the parfaits.
2. Place the brown sugar, milk, butter and corn syrup into a saucepan. Cook, over medium heat, until the sugar dissolves and the butter melts. (The sugar will no longer feel gritty when it is melted.)
3. Remove from the heat and whisk in the peanut butter until it is completely amalgamated. Leave to cool completely.
4. Once the sauce is cold, layer alternate layers of vanilla ice cream and the sauce in a parfait glass. Top with a final layer of sauce and the crushed peanuts.
5. Serve immediately.
6. Refrigerate any leftover sauce in a tightly covered jar. Bring to room temperature before using.

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