Creamy Peanut Butter and Chocolate Pie…Yum!

It’s Dessert Extravaganza Day at the boys’ school for the end of Teacher Appreciation Week, and I’m a little embarrassed to say I’m taking this not-really-from-scratch pie. My justification is that there will be so many choices, a truly homemade treat might not be fully appreciated.  That sounds good, right?

If you love Reese’s, this is a marvelously flavor-packed pie. We eat peanut butter more than any other food at our house, I think.  Even though we’re not big chocolate fans, it does serve to help the spotlight shine on the peanut butter in this recipe, so we love it.  I hope you do, too!

 

Peanut Butter Cream Pie

8 oz reduced fat cream cheese, softened
1 cup natural peanut butter
14 oz. can Fat Free Eagle Brand Sweetened Condensed Milk
12 oz Cool Whip Free
2 chocolate graham (or Oreo) pie crusts
2 cups mini peanut butter cups (the really small ones…mine were from Trader Joe’s)
About 6 Tbsp chocolate syrup(3 Tbsp per pie), for drizzling

1. With an electric mixer (yes, I used a wooden spoon), blend together cream cheese, peanut butter, and sweetened condensed milk until completely smooth.

2. Fold in Cool Whip until blended.

3. Divide evenly between the pie crusts. Top with mini peanut butter cups and chill for at least 8 hours. The pies can be frozen at this point, if you think that will slow your consumption of them.

4. Just before serving, drizzle with chocolate syrup. Then enjoy it!

And now (drumroll, please), I’m trying something new today…adding the link below that you can click on and print…wahoo!  If it works.  But I think it will. I’m sure you’ll let me know if not.

Click here to print the recipe

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Pie Time!

My life has been lacking in pie lately.  I’m pretty sure if I eat enough pie, I could solve all the problems of the world.  Or maybe world leaders need more pie.  Anyway, on with the post.

Our house in Washington has tons of wild huckleberry bushes in the yard.  Did you even know huckleberries were a real berry?  They are, and they are delicious, if a bit tart.  The wild ones are tiny, and it takes forever and a day to pick enough to do anything with…but it’s great entertainment for the little ones.

We were fortunate enough to have neighbors who gave us huckleberries they had picked (thanks, Mr. Tom!), so we didn’t have to rely on the foraging skills of preschoolers.  As you can see, he was willing to pick, but ate more than went in the bowl!

I made up this pie last year using huckleberries, based on a raspberry cream cheese pie that our favorite sandwich shop in Washington features.  If you’re in the neighborhood, 5th Avenue Sandwich Shop in Olympia is definitely worth a try!  Until then, here’s my huckleberry pie, changed back to use raspberries because there are no huckleberries (or neighbors to pick them!) here in Wisconsin.

Raspberry Cream Cheese Pie

1 pie shell, baked
Raspberry filling:

12 oz bag frozen raspberries, thawed but not drained
1/2 cup sugar
2 Tbsp cornstarch
2 tsp butter

Cream Cheese filling:

8 oz. cream cheese (light or regular will work), very soft
3/4 cup confectioners’ sugar
1 tsp almond extract (or vanilla, but I like almond better)
1 cup whipped cream (or you can use thawed Cool Whip)

1. To make filling:  Whisk together cornstarch and sugar (this keeps lumps out of your filling) in a medium saucepan.  Add raspberries with their juice and whisk over medium heat until thickened and bubbly.  Cook one minute after it bubbles (this sets the cornstarch and makes your filling nice and shiny).  Remove from heat, stir in butter, and let cool.


2. To make cream cheese layer:  Cream together cream cheese and confectioners’ sugar.  Stir in almond extract, then fold in whipped cream.   Spread in cooled crust.

3.  Chill at this point for about half an hour, then spread cooled raspberry filling on top.

4.  Chill until serving. Top with additional whipped cream if you’d like.  And who wouldn’t?


If you’re lucky enough to have them, you can make this with huckleberries by substituting 2 cups fresh or frozen berries and 1/2 cup water for the raspberries and juice.

This pie is light, not too sweet, and utterly delicious.  I hope you try it!

Easy as 3.14159

You might not know this about me, but I’m a total math geek. Someday when I grow up I want to be a high school math teacher. I thought I wanted to be a chemical engineer, and studied to do that, but instead I’m an Army wife. That totally rocks, most of the time, but doesn't involve a whole lot of complicated math.

My obsession with equations is probably only equaled by my obsession with pie. Any kind, really. Except ones involving a lot of chocolate. So this is kind of my own favorite day of the year…March 14, 3/14, Pi(e) Day!

We had Hash Brown Pie for breakfast, and I’m making Chicken Pot Pie for dinner…but here’s my very favorite pie, anytime I can find enough fresh blueberries at a price that doesn’t mean I have to sell a kid.

When we were young and went on adventurous vacation (intentionally adventurous, not the kind of unplanned adventure you tend to have when traveling with the hooligans), we spent a couple of weeks blue-tarp camping in Maine. We cooked a few meals on the campfire, but mostly just enjoyed the local offerings. I particularly remember brown butter lobster pasta and blueberry pie.

I’ve never tried to duplicate the pasta, but this recipe comes very close to our memories of that fabulous pie.

Maine Blueberry Pie

1- 9” pie shell, baked

4 cups fresh blueberries

1 – 1/3 cups cold water

1 –1/3 cups sugar

1/3 cup cornstarch

2 Tbsp amaretto liquor

Whipped cream

1. In medium saucepan, mix sugar and cornstarch together, add the sugar. Squash about 1/2 cup of the blueberries and add.

2. Stirring frequently, bring to a boil. Stir constantly until thickened, about 1 minute. Add remaining blueberries and amaretto. Pour into the pie shell and chill at least 3 hours, until serving. Top each serving with a dollop of whipped cream.

Unfortunately, I had to cut a slice to entice you to make your own, through the magic of photography. I can’t let it go to waste, so I’d better go brew a cup of coffee to go with it.

Here’s a link to another pie I debated making for today, but decided against when I saw fresh blueberries at Costco. It’ll probably make an appearance on our dessert menu very soon, though. Doesn’t it look delish? (I can overcome my aversion to chocolate when it’s balanced with peanut butter!)

Peanut Butter Cup Pie

Happy Pi Day!