Peanut Butter Pie

Peanut Butter Pie... it's pretty straight-forward. In fact, if you opted to purchase your chocolate cookie crust, you could chalk this up as a no-bake pie. Just a few ingredients and a little bit of time yields a supremely luscious and velvety pie.

Now, while the ingredients and method are rather simple, I'll need you to make a choice. To freeze or not to freeze - that is the question. We're a split household - my husband prefers a frozen peanut butter pie. It reads more like ice cream in texture. I, however, prefer it chilled affording for more of a mousse-like texture.

If opting to simply chill, you can prepare the pie in advance. Pour the filling into the pie crust and top with the whipped cream; chill for a few hours and serve. Otherwise, if you plan to freeze your pie, smooth the filling into the crust and hold off on the whipped cream. The frozen pie is really best when topped with whipped cream just before serving so the whipped cream remains light and fluffy.

Nuanced, I know. But very important for your overall Peanut Butter Pie enjoyment!

Peanut Butter Pie

Ingredients

For the crust

·       20 chocolate sandwich cookies (like Oreos)

·       4 tbsp melted butter

For the pie

·       8oz cream cheese, softened

·       1 cup creamy peanut butter

·       1 cup powdered sugar

·       2 tsp vanilla extract

·       Pinch of salt

·       1 cup heavy cream

·       1/3 cup candy-coated peanut butter pieces, crushed (like Reese’s Pieces)

For the whipped cream

·       2 cups heavy cream

·       4 tbsp powdered sugar

·       1 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350F.

For the crust…Pulse the chocolate cookies into crumbs in the bowl of a food processor. Drizzle in the melted butter and pulse until combined. Pour the crumbs into a greased 9in pie dish. Using your fingers or a small measuring cup, tamp the crumbs into an even layer around the bottom and up the sides of the pan forming a crust.

Bake the crust for 15 minutes. Allow the crust to cool completely.

For the pie… while the crust cools, whip the cream cheese in the bowl of a standmixer until fluffy. Whisk in the peanut butter and powdered sugar until smooth and combined. Whisk in the vanilla extract and salt. Whip the peanut butter filling on medium high speed while drizzling in 1 cup of heavy cream. Continue to whip on high speed for another 3-5 minutes until silky.

Pour the peanut butter filling into the baked and cooled pie crust. Smooth the surface of the pie.

Cover the pie with plastic wrap. Depending on preference, either chill or freeze the pie for 4 to 6 hours or overnight.

Before serving, prepare the whipped cream… add the heavy cream to the bowl of a standmixer fitted with a whisk attachment. Beat on medium speed and gradually increase speed to high. Once the whipped cream starts to thicken, whisk in the powdered sugar and vanilla extract on low speed. Then increase to high speed and whip until stiff peaks form.

Top the chilled or frozen pie with whipped cream. Smooth the whipped cream evenly over the top of the pie or use a piping bag to decorate the top with the cream. Sprinkle the crushed peanut butter pieces over the top of the pie.

Slice and serve immediately.

Serves 8

Gluten Free Friendly!

Oreo makes a fabulous gluten free Oreo!