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Peanut Butter Cup Pie

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Peanut Butter Cup Pie
Peanut butter pie is, quite honestly, something that I didn’t think would appeal to me the first time I had it. I like peanut butter, but a pie with a super-creamy peanut butter base actually sounded like it would be a bit (or a lot) too much. When I was a pie judge at the American Pie Council’s Pie Contest last year, however, I had the chance to try several peanut butter pies and was very impressed with the flavor and texture of them. I still love apple pies, but a whole new pie category was opened to me after that.

There are all kinds of peanut butter pies out there, from creamy, mousse-like pies to dense, fudge-like pies. This pie is a bit candy-like and reminds me of a huge Reese’s peanut butter cup. As you can imagine, it’s a big hit with kids. It is a little bit of a twist on a recipe I saw Alton Brown make on an episode of Good Eats a couple of years ago. The pie is made with homemade peanut butter, sweetened and thickened with some confectioners’ sugar and smoothed with a bit of butter. That sounds too simple to work, but the deep flavor of the homemade peanut butter gives the pie a lot of body and a freshness that you definitely wouldn’t get from store-bought peanut butter. The filling is poured into a dark chocolate-lined crust and drizzled with plenty of extra chocolate. The dark chocolate keeps it from getting too sweet, while the crust adds a nice crunch and texture. A graham cracker crust will work (and you can see I’ve used one in the photo above), but a chocolate crumb crust is even better.

The pie filling will thicken up in the refrigerator and the pie should be served cold. It is dense and creamy, but still has a bit of texture from the peanuts in the homemade peanut butter. Slice it with a warm knife (run it under hot water and quickly dry it off before using) to get very clean slices. The pie is rich, so serve it in small slices. To lighten up the pie if it feels a bit too candy-like for your taste, serve it with a bit of very lightly sweetened whipped cream for a mousse-like feel.


Peanut Butter Cup Pie

Peanut Butter Cup Pie
1 9-inch chocolate crumb pie crust (recipe below)
6 oz dark chocolate, chopped and divided
1 1/2 cups homemade peanut butter, room temperature
1/2 cup plus 2 tbsp confectioners’ sugar
4 tbsp butter, room temperature
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
pinch salt

Melt 3 ounces of dark chocolate in a small, microwave-safe bowl. Pour melted chocolate into chocolate crumb pie crust and spread evenly over the crust with a pastry brush. Refrigerate for 10 minutes to allow chocolate to set up.
In the food processor, combine homemade peanut butter, confectioners’ sugar, softened butter, vanilla extract and a pinch of salt. Whiz until very smooth. Pour into prepared crust.
Melt remaining 3 ounces of dark chocolate (or use half milk and half dark chocolate) and drizzle it over the top of the peanut butter filling using a pastry bag or simply by drizzling the chocolate off of the tines of a large fork.
Chill pie for at least 4 hours before slicing and serving.

Serves 10.

Chocolate Crumb Crust
1 1/2 cups chocolate wafer cookie crumbs
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup butter, melted and cooled

Preheat the oven to 350F.
In a medium bowl, combine chocolate crumbs, sugar and butter and stir well. Pat into 9-in. pie plate.
Bake for 14-17 minutes, until firm at the edges.
Cool completely before using.

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12 Comments
  • Hannah at FleurDeLicious
    March 14, 2011

    I LOVE that you used homemade peanut butter. A lot of peanut butter pies can be top sweet since you can’t control the sugar in store-bought, but this sounds amazing! Thanks for the recipe!

  • Adam
    March 14, 2011

    Hand me a fork… I’m all in :).

  • Heidi
    March 14, 2011

    Excellent! I have a friend who loves peanut butter pie, but for her it must not involve cream cheese…this will be her birthday pie! Thanks Nicole.

  • Tarrah
    March 14, 2011

    I love peanut butter pie! I was a wuss and made a lighter version that I posted today…yours looks sinfully indulgent and is making my mouth water! Now I want to make another one :/

    http://damegoodeats.blogspot.com/2011/03/lighter-peanut-butter-pie.html

  • Lauren at Keep It Sweet
    March 15, 2011

    I love anything that tastes like a peanut butter cup!

  • Elizabeth
    March 15, 2011

    The link below is the best chocolate peanut butter pie ever, IMHO. I usually make this with a regular graham cracker crust lined with a few ounces of melted dark chocolate and butter.

    http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/double-chocolate-peanut-butter-pie

    My version:
    Double-Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie

    1 graham cracker crust (I used “Keebler® Ready Crust® Graham 2 Extra Servings Pie Crust” and it was very full so I wouldn’t use a smaller crust.)

    BOTTOM CHOCOLATE LAYER

    * 2 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped
    * 2 ounces butter

    PEANUT BUTTER FILLING

    * 8 ounces regular or 1/3 less fat cream cheese, softened (1 cup)
    * 1 cup creamy peanut butter
    * 1/2 cup sugar
    * 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
    * 1 cup well-chilled heavy cream

    CHOCOLATE TOPPING

    * 4 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped (1/2 cup)
    * 1/2 cup heavy cream

    directions

    1. MAKE THE BOTTOM CHOCOLATE LAYER: Melt the butter and chocolate in the microwave and stir until smooth. Pour into crust and tilt crust to coat. Chill in fridge while making the filling.
    2. MAKE THE PEANUT BUTTER FILLING: In a large bowl, using a handheld electric mixer, beat the cream cheese with the peanut butter, sugar and vanilla extract until blended. In another large bowl, using the same beaters, whip the chilled cream until firm. Fold one-third of the whipped cream into the peanut butter mixture to loosen it, then fold in the remaining whipped cream. Spoon the filling into the crust, smoothing the surface. Refrigerate until set, about 3 hours.
    3. MAKE THE CHOCOLATE TOPPING: In a medium glass bowl, combine the chocolate with the heavy cream and microwave at high power in 20-second intervals until the chocolate is melted and the cream is hot. Stir the chocolate topping until blended, then let cool to barely warm, stirring occasionally.
    4. Spread the chocolate topping over the peanut butter filling and refrigerate until just firm, about 15 minutes. Using a sharp knife, cut the pie into wedges. Run the knife under hot water and dry it between each cut.

  • Sarah
    March 15, 2011

    When I’m only one paragraph into your post, and I have already heard the word pie 8 times, I know I’m in for a treat! PIE!

  • Margaret
    March 18, 2011

    OH!! MY!! I HAVE to make this one!!!

  • Shellie Anne
    March 18, 2011

    Is that crust chocolate? It doesn’t look chocolate. I love this idea will try it out!

  • Nicole
    March 21, 2011

    Shellie – The crust on this pie is a graham cracker crust, also with a chocolate lining. I think the pie is a bit better with a chocolate crumb crust, but it works both ways.

  • tom
    December 20, 2011

    Made one of these pies for Thanksgiving….my mistake should have made two or possibly three. I wil adjust for next year mmmmmmm mmmmmmm good!!!!

  • Katie
    November 13, 2015

    Do you think this would work with a natural peanut butter if I don’t want to make my own? Or maybe almond butter?

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