I have a problem with cleaning up peanut butter. The smell of peanut butter and water combined with the stubborn scrubbing it takes to get PB off utensils is enough to make me wrinkle my nose. HOWEVER - this peanut butter pie may have made me change my ways when it comes to baking with the sticky culprit.
Our good friend just celebrated the big 2-6 and I had heard him describe this peanut butter pie he once had in the finest detail. At first I thought I better not try and top it and then I thought, well what if I could?
I am pretty sure this ridiculously easy peanut butter pie from Tessa at Handle the Heat got the job done. You do need an electric mixer for the filling and preferably a food processor to crush the Oreos but a gallon bag and rolling pin will do just as well.
I could not find chocolate graham crackers at the store so ended up using regular Oreos so I'll include that modification after the original recipe.
If you are new to baking, be sure to watch her video linked in the post. It is very helpful to understand textures while whipping the two parts of this pie.
Our good friend just celebrated the big 2-6 and I had heard him describe this peanut butter pie he once had in the finest detail. At first I thought I better not try and top it and then I thought, well what if I could?
I am pretty sure this ridiculously easy peanut butter pie from Tessa at Handle the Heat got the job done. You do need an electric mixer for the filling and preferably a food processor to crush the Oreos but a gallon bag and rolling pin will do just as well.
I could not find chocolate graham crackers at the store so ended up using regular Oreos so I'll include that modification after the original recipe.
If you are new to baking, be sure to watch her video linked in the post. It is very helpful to understand textures while whipping the two parts of this pie.
Peanut Butter Pie, Handle the Heat
INGREDIENTS
FOR THE CRUST:
14 whole chocolate graham crackers
1 tablespoon light brown sugar
7 tablespoons (3.5 ounces) unsalted butter, melted
FOR THE FILLING:
8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
3/4 cup powdered sugar plus 2 tablespoons, divided
1 cup creamy peanut butter
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
FOR THE TOPPING:
Melted peanut butter
Melted chocolate
Mini Reese’s cups (I used Reese's Oreos from Walmart)
Peanut butter chips (also Reese's chips. What do they not make in peanut butter form?)
DIRECTIONS
Preheat the oven to 325°F.
FOR THE CRUST:
In the bowl of a food processor process the crackers and sugar until finely ground. Add the butter and pulse until moistened. Use the bottom of a measuring cup, glass, or ramekin to press the crust mixture into the bottom and up the sides of a 9-inch pie plate. Bake until fragrant, about 12 minutes. Cool completely on a wire rack.
FOR THE FILLING:
In a large bowl, use an electric mixer to beat the cream cheese, 3/4 cup powdered sugar, and the peanut butter until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
In a separate bowl, use an electric mixer with the whisk attachment to whip the heavy cream until thick and light. Add in the remaining 2 tablespoons powdered sugar and the vanilla extract and continue to whip until stiff peaks form.
Note from Sarah: I had a really hard time whipping heavy cream until I figured out a few tricks. Use a metal or glass bowl that you can chill in the fridge 15 minutes ahead of whipping the cream. Also, it will take you much longer than you think to whip the cream if you are using a hand mixer but do not despair! Magic will happen before your very eyes.
Gently(!!!) fold the whipped cream into the peanut butter mixture. Pour into the prepared pie shell and freeze for 3 hours. Drizzle with melted peanut butter and melted chocolate. Top with mini Reese's cups and peanut butter chips. Serve frozen or refrigerated. Store in the fridge or freezer, covered, for up to 3 days.
Note from Sarah: If you are wondering what pie plate to use, any will work for this recipe, glass, ceramic, disposable. However, you should never put a ceramic dish from one extreme temperature to another quickly or else it will crack. and your poor creation will be useless all over the inside of your oven or freezer. I used an aluminum disposable pan and found I had a lot of leftover peanut butter filling - not an issue if you also have leftover Oreos...
Oreo Crust
- 25 Oreos of your choice (I used regular)
- 5-6 Tablespoons of melted butter
- Pie pan
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Crush the Oreos with the filling in a food processor or in a baggie with a rolling pin. They should be finely ground with no large pieces. Melt the butter in a microwave-safe dish and then combine the Oreos and butter in a bowl with a fork. Evenly distribute the mixture onto the pie plate. At this point you can let the crust cool or put it in the oven to ensure a crispier crust - for about 8 minutes or a few more if the butter is pooling. Let cool and then proceed with the recipe's filling.
The decorative melted chocolate...
Snip a very tiny corner of a sandwich baggie and awkwardly pour the chocolate down into the bag, pushing it over to the snipped corner. Get ready to move quickly over the pie and be super fancy.