PB2 Creation: Peanut Butter Ice Cream with Chocolate Sauce

I have made a marvelous culinary discovery: PB2. If you're unfamiliar with this product, you can read all about it here.

However, I will provide a quick overview for those of you who possess an intolerance for clicking links and opening new windows and the like. PB2 is essentially powdered peanut butter. No, you didn't misread that. Bell Plantation creates PB2 by slow-roasting peanuts and then pressing them to remove the oil. What remains is a substance that can only be described as "peanut powder." 

So why would anyone want to use PB2 in lieu of traditional peanut butter? Well, for starters, PB2 contains significantly less fat and calories than its creamy predecessor. You can create your own peanut butter by adding a bit of water to the substance and whipping it up into a peanut buttery paste. However, admittedly, I have not used this product in this manner; instead, I prefer to use PB2 as an ingredient in some of my recipes. About a month or so ago, I made a delicious chocolate cake with peanut butter-buttercream icing that was phenomenal. I whipped up a traditional batch of buttercream (2 sticks of butter, 1 box of powdered sugar) and then added a cup of PB2, and the end result tasted exactly like the peanut butter icing I'd made before. The powder was easy to incorporate into the mixture, and I managed to save myself a few calories. (Granted, when inhaling cake, one probably relinquishes the right to worry over calories, but take it for what it is.) 

This week, I was itching to crank up my ice cream maker again, and I wondered how well PB2 would work in an ice cream recipe. Well, it's amazing. I was immensely pleased with how successful this peanut butter ice cream turned out, and the chocolate sauce adds the perfect finishing touch. Also, this recipe would be perfect for summer entertaining!


Peanut Butter Ice Cream

2 cups heavy cream
1 cup milk 
1 cup sugar
2 tsp. vanilla
1 cup PB2 Powdered Peanut Butter

Combine all ingredients except vanilla in a saucepan and bring to medium-high heat. Whisk gently until all the ingredients have blended together. Remove from heat and add vanilla. Refrigerate the mixture for at least 4 hours or until chilled. 
 

Once chilled, pour the mixture into an ice cream freezer and follow the manufacturer’s instructions. Make sure to store the ice cream in a freezer-proof container with a tight lid. 

Chocolate Sauce

1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

1/2 cup heavy cream

(NOTE: This should probably be prepared in a double-boiler, since you're working with chocolate. However, I made this recipe in a simple saucepan, and the sauce was excellent. Just make sure to keep stirring the mixture vigorously.)

In a saucepan, bring chocolate chips and cream to medium high heat. Stir vigorously until the chocolate has melted and the cream is thoroughly incorporated. Remove from heat, and store the sauce in an air-tight container. 

(Who wants a Reese's cup when you can have this?)

Enjoy!