Small Salted Peanut Butter and Jelly Ice Cream Pie -- Makes Four Servings

Did anyone else catch last summer’s Bon Appétit recipe for Salted Peanut Butter and Jelly Ice Cream Pie? Created by the magazine’s associate food editor Sohla El-Waylly, it is a gorgeous, absolutely amazing dessert that’s perfect any time of year.

You’ll need individual tart pans or quiche dishes (4 to 5 inches) to make these beautiful Peanut Butter and Jelly Ice Cream Pies. P.S.: One tartlet easily serves two. So this recipe makes four servings total.

Much more sophisticated than it sounds, but also still incredibly playful, the spectacular dessert starts with a crazy-amazing Ritz-cracker/butter/brown sugar/peanut-butter crust. (Yesssss! Sweet, salty, buttery, nutty, crunchy-good). Then, you add an irresistibly rich and creamy angle by topping it with a homemade peanut butter ice cream, then add some fruity brightness by swirling some jam or jelly into the top.

It’s a beautiful dessert, and one I’ve been dreaming about since I made it a few months ago.

But … it’s a bit time-consuming to make. The crust is simple enough, but the homemade ice cream is a bit fussy. Envision cooking and stirring a custard in a double boiler over medium-low heat forever (or until it reaches 165°F). Then beating that 10 minutes, then folding in peanut butter and beating in whipped cream … and so on.

I’m not saying, by any means, that it wasn’t worth the effort. And I’d definitely make it again if I were cooking for guests.

But while I’m still cooking for just Mr. Sportcoat and me, I’m just not as keen on long-form projects. And I don’t need a pie that serves eight (even if leftovers freeze extraordinarily well, since it’s a frozen pie.)

The advantage of using individual tart pans with removable bottoms is that you can remove the sides easily for a pretty presentation (as in the tart at left). With the quiche/crème brûlée dish option (at right, you will need to cut slices from the dish, as you would a pie. Either way, it’s divine.

And so, I revised, simplified, and halved the recipe, turning it into two separate tartlets (for four servings total). I kept that crazy-amazing Peanuty-Sweet Ritz Cracker crust, but simplified the filling by stirring a little peanut butter into vanilla ice cream. (I added some corn syrup to the PB to soften it a bit). Then, I swirled in some seedless raspberry jam. You can use any jelly or jam you like, as long as it goes well with peanut butter.

Divine!!!! Here’s how to make it:

Salted Peanut Butter and Jam Ice Cream Pie

Crust:
13        Ritz crackers (2 ounces)
2          tablespoons peanuts, finely chopped
2          tablespoons brown sugar
            Pinch of Kosher salt
3          tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Filling:
1          pint good-quality vanilla ice cream
2          tablespoons natural peanut butter
2          tablespoons grape jelly or another jam of your choice

1. Preheat oven to 275°F. Place crackers in a resealable plastic bag; squeeze the air out of the bag and seal the bag. Use a rolling pin to crush the crackers to coarse crumbs. Place crackers, peanuts, brown sugar, and salt in a small bowl. Add butter and toss to coat evenly. 

2. Place crumb mixture in the bottom of two small individual (4- to 5-inch) tart pans or quiche/crème brûlée dishes. Press firmly and evenly into bottom and up the sides. The mixture will feel loose and crumbly, but it will set up just fine as it bakes.

3. Bake in the preheated oven until the crust darkens a shade, about 20 minutes. Allow crust to cool completely. 

4. If the peanut butter has been chilled, bring to room temperature and stir to soften. Place 1 pint of ice cream in a large bowl. Use a large spoon to break the ice cream into chunks. Allow the ice cream to stand 5 minutes to soften slightly, then stir until it is just soft enough to spread. (Do not allow to melt.)

5. Drop the peanut butter by rounded teaspoons into the ice cream. Stir to scatter throughout. (The peanut butter is not meant to be fully incorporated into the ice cream; rather, it will provide tasty bits of nutty goodness here and there throughout the dessert.). Divide the ice cream mixture among the two tart crusts and spread evenly.  

6. Drop jelly or jam by half-teaspoonfuls atop each tart. Use a knife to swirl jam atop the tarts. Freeze at least 3 hours before serving.

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