Sunday Brunchies and Crunchies: Peanut Butter Tease
September 25, 2011
Warning: Please take the title of this week's Sunday
Brunch quite literally, especially if:
1. You have hunger cravings after reading Sunday Brunch
2. You are lucky enough to live near Disney World
3. Predict you will run out and get this after reading (you know who
you are)
I apologize in advance because you will be
disappointed by the last paragraph.
On my list of favorite foods, Peanut Butter is
definitely one of the top, right next to pineapple and cookies. Is
it the nostalgia of having a peanut butter sandwich (with no crust
of course) every day for my school lunch in grade school? Is it the
unique peanutty flavor that really can't be found anywhere else?
Maybe the smooth, creaminess of the spread brings comfort no other
food can. Or perhaps because it's one of the fattiest foods ever
made. Whatever the reason, I was sad to find that the Board Walk
Bakery, did not serve any desserts with Peanut Butter. They had in
the past, and I've had many guests asking for the famous Peanut
Butter Pie, but sadly I would have to tell them we do not make them
anymore. Alas, over the years menus, tastes, and moods changed. When
working at the register, I noticed that there were options for other
desserts not on our current menu, but Peanut Butter Pie was not
among them, so it has been a long time since we've had it. Though of
the cupcakes there were choices like the Chocolate Cupcake, the
Strawberry Cupcake, and the one I longed for the most: the Peanut
Butter Cupcake!
Around Labor Day, the Board Walk Bakers did
something they had not done all summer: add something to the menu!
Well add is not really correct, since it was more that they brought
something back to the menu. All summer, the three gourmet cupcake
choices at the bakery were the ever popular S'mores Cupcake, the
Oreo Bon Bon Cupcake, and finally the Orange Creamsicle Cupcake. The
S'mores and Oreo cupcakes were big hits and we typically sold out of
them before the day was through. The Orange Creamsicle, while
delicious, had a couple days in which it sold out, but overall, it
was the least popular of the bunch. The pastry chefs at Board Walk
decided it was time for a change and on Labor Day 2011, my wildest
dreams came true and the Peanut Butter Cupcake returned!
After its return, the Peanut Butter cupcake began to sell really
well and I could not resist it any longer. I finally bought one
after work and sat down to enjoy the Peanut Buttery goodness it had
to offer. The cupcake components were a chocolate cupcake with a
sweet and salty peanut butter filling, a generous swirl of peanut
butter infused whipped cream, and a garnish of chocolate crunchies
and a chocolate peanut butter candy crumble (very strongly resembled
Butterfinger). Needless to say, each bite was heaven and I enjoyed
every last crumb of chocolate and peanut butter. A couple sitting
next to me outside the bakery were watching me eat it as they had
just finished sharing their own cupcake. We bonded about how
delicious it was and how we wished it would not be deleterious to
our health to have another.
There is one small problem with this cupcake: the filling was
much too stiff. Our other cupcakes are made with creamy mousse
fillings, but this one was a peanut butter filling. I've made this
filling before for other desserts used at the Board Walk Resort's
many restaurants and while insanely delicious, the physical
properties of its high fat content is its downfall. It is a salty
peanut butter filling made of salt, peanut butter, and a lot of
butter. The butter helps lighten the intensity of peanut, but when
all the fatty ingredients are cooled, they become solid. Since we
refrigerate the cupcakes after they are made and while on
display, the peanut butter filling unfortunately solidified. To get
the ultimate dessert experience with peak quality, it should be
eaten right after it is prepared, which unfortunately is not the
case at a bakery. Despite the textural setbacks, the filling is
still delicious and does not ruin the cupcake one bit.
If that point did not make you sad enough for this cupcake the
next will - we only offered it for a week at the bakery. It did very
well in sales, though the chefs decided they wanted to offer another
peanut butter dessert rather than this one. That new peanut butter
dessert has yet to debut (though I did hear what it will be and it
sounds amazing), but in the Peanut Butter Cupcake's place, another
cupcake made a triumphant return. This cupcake has managed to sell
out nearly every night well before the post-Illuminations crowd gets
to the bakery: the Strawberry Shortcake cupcake! Though that's
another Brunchie and Crunchie for another Sunday!