Kevin’s favorite food (behind meat and green bean casserole with extra crunchy onion things) is most definitely chocolate and peanut butter. Together or separate, the guy doesn’t discriminate. Remember when he spread peanut butter on the double chocolate zucchini bread? My world changed.
All of this peanut butter and chocolate information makes the dessert brainstorming quite simple each year. What better dessert to make for the birthday festivities than a peanut butter chocolate pie.
There are 4 things happening in this unbelievable peanut butter pie:
Peanut butter Oreo crust
Creamy peanut butter filling
Rich chocolate ganache
Crushed Reese’s Pieces: in two places!
I knew an Oreo crust was the place to start, but when I was in the cookie aisle my mind started racing staring at the 347 different flavors of Oreos. I really do think there are 347 Oreo flavors by now. Has anyone seen or tried the fruity crisp Oreos yet? Anyway, I went with peanut butter flavored and obviously did not regret that decision. Neither will you!
In related news: peanut butter Oreos may just the the best cookie in the cookie aisle ever of all time. Thank you.
The peanut butter filling is about as decadently rich as we can get. It’s just 5 ingredients: heavy cream, peanut butter, cream cheese, confectioners’ sugar, and vanilla extract. In other words, calories. It’s made from calories.
You’ll whip the heavy cream into whipped cream, then fold it into the other ingredients. I tried my hand at making this peanut butter pie without cream cheese. My goodness, that thing wouldn’t hold its shape! Delish? Yes. Sloppy central? Heck yes. For anyone concerned, don’t fret. You can’t really taste the cream cheese; rather, you truly just taste peanut butter. A lot of peanut butter.
For the ganache, it’s simply chocolate and heavy cream. Ganache is so easy. Just pour warm cream over chocolate and stir. Use a quality chocolate because it’s where all of the flavor comes from. I would avoid using chocolate chips– use the real deal. Pure chocolate never lets you down, my friends. Never!
You’ll want to make the ganache in the beginning because it must fully cool down before pouring over the peanut butter filling. Likewise, prepare the Oreo crust in advance. It must be pre-baked for about 10 minutes, then cool down. This all makes it a wonderful pie to begin ahead of time.
There’s no baking! Well, except for that crust. Rather, the refrigerator does all the work. The pie must set up in the refrigerator for 5-6 hours. Overnight would be wonderful, but I’ve made this peanut butter pie twice in just 5 hours of chill time. Peanut butter perfection each time.
The layers! The textures! The crunch from the Oreo crust, the Reese’s pieces candy pieces, the creamy peanut butter filling, the smooth chocolate ganache. This might just be the richest dessert I’ve ever made. Honestly, a small sliver is enough to satisfy. Until next month when I make this again.
PREPARATION
Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C). Spray a 9-inch pie dish with nonstick spray or grease lightly with butter.
Make the crust: In a food processor or blender, pulse the whole Oreos into a fine crumb. Stir the cookie crumbs and melted butter together, then press into the pie dish. Bake for 9-10 minutes. Allow to cool as you prepare the rest.
Make the ganache: Place chopped chocolate in a medium bowl. Heat the cream in a small saucepan over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Once it begins to boil, immediately remove from heat then pour over the chocolate. Stir gently until the ganache is smooth. Set aside and allow to cool to room temperature. During this time, it will slowly thicken as well.
Make the filling: Using a hand mixer or a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, beat the heavy cream on medium-high speed until stiff peaks form, about 5 minutes. Spoon the whipped cream into a bowl and set aside. Using the same mixing bowl (no need to rinse clean!), beat the cream cheese, peanut butter, confectioners' sugar, and vanilla extract together on medium-high speed until combined. Mixture will be thick. Fold in the whipped cream until smooth. be gentle, you don't want to deflate that cream.
Sprinkle half of the Reese's Pieces on top of the cooled crust. Spread peanut butter filling evenly on top, then spread ganache on top of filling. Sprinkle the rest of the Reese's Pieces on top.
Chill the pie in the refrigerator for 5-6 hours or even overnight. Slice and serve cold.
Make ahead tip: You can get started on the crust in step 2 and the ganache in step 3. You can keep both in the refrigerator overnight if you're getting started the day before. Cover both tightly. This pie can be frozen up to 3 months. It's tasty frozen or you can let it thaw overnight in the refrigerator before serving.
INGREDIENTS
OREO CRUST
20 peanut butter Oreos (or regular, Double Stuf is ok!)
5 Tablespoons (75g) unsalted butter, melted
GANACHE
3/4 cup (180g) heavy cream
6 ounces (170g) semi-sweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
PEANUT BUTTER FILLING
3/4 cup (180ml) heavy cream
8 ounce (224g) block cream cheese, softened to room temperature
1 and 1/2 cups (310g) creamy peanut butter
3/4 cup (90g) confectioners' sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup (200g) Reese's Pieces, crushed
NUTRITION INFORMATION
Serving Size: 1 (134 g) Servings Per Recipe: 8
Calories 484.7 Calories from Fat 292 60% Total Fat 32.5 g 50% Saturated Fat 13.2 g 66% Cholesterol 56.2 mg 18% Sodium 382.5 mg 15% Total Carbohydrate 43.2 g 14% Dietary Fiber 1.4 g 5% Sugars 30.9 g 123% Protein 8.4 g 16%
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