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!