Oftentimes you’ll find a peanut butter pie with an Oreo crust…and believe me, you’d be hard pressed to find bigger fans of chocolate and peanut butter than we are! (See this chocolate peanut butter pie.) But for this concoction, I really wanted to let the peanut flavor shine. For that reason, a graham cracker crust is the best choice here. Its golden toasty notes are in harmony with the peanut butter. The heaviness of straight peanut butter is brightened by beating in cream cheese and lightened by folding in whipped cream. Topped with more whipped cream, and a sprinkling of chopped peanuts and shaved chocolate for just the slightest textural and flavorful contrast, if not a symphony of flavors, this creamy peanut butter pie is pretty darn delicious and easy to whip up.

peanut butter pie

Ingredients:

[for the crust]

• 12 graham crackers

• 6 tablespoons (3 ounces) butter, melted

• 1/4 cup sugar

[for the filling/topping]

• 10 ounces heavy cream

• 1 cup peanut butter

• 8 ounces cream cheese

• 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

• 1-2 tablespoons milk

• 1 teaspoon vanilla

• chopped peanuts, for topping

• shaved chocolate, for topping

Directions:

1. Prepare the crust. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a food processor, pulse the graham crackers until finely ground. Add the sugar and melted butter and pulse until mixed. Press the moistened crumbs into the bottom and up the sides of a 9-inch pie pan, using the bottom of a cup or ramekin to pack the crumbs firmly down. Bake crust at 350 degrees for 10-15 minutes until fragrant and just beginning to turn golden. Set aside to cool completely.

2. Prepare the filling. In the bowl of a mixer, beat the heavy cream until stiff peaks form. Transfer to another bowl and store in the fridge to keep cool. In the same mixing bowl, beat together peanut butter and cream cheese until well mixed and smooth. Add in sugar, vanilla and 1 tablespoon of milk and beat on medium high until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add another tablespoon or so of milk if the mixture is too thick.

3. Fold 6 ounces (roughly 2/3) of the whipped cream into the peanut butter mixture. Scrape it into the completely cooled pie crust and smooth the top. Top peanut butter filling with the remaining whipped cream, spreading over the top but leaving a 1 inch border. Top with a sprinkling of chopped peanuts and shaved chocolate. Refrigerate until fully chilled and set, about 2-4 hours and up to 24 hours, before serving. Enjoy!