Thursday, July 11, 2013

Fancy Chocolate peanut butter pie! oh my!


so the last time i posted was in January...oops. you are wondering where i have been? probably not, since no one REALLY reads this blog besides my husband and my mother. anyway, just in case you didn't know..we moved in February to be closer to civilization. oh yeah, and i am pregnant! hooray! 6 months along now, and happily carrying a baby boy! i guess this post in influenced by this little guy, he makes me eat peanut butter ALL THE TIME! i had this wicked craving for peanut butter pie the other night and searched all over the internet for the PERFECT recipe...lots of which included cream cheese, which to be honest, didn't sound appealing to me. i didn't want it to taste like cheesecake. i was looking for a light and fluffy peanut butter mousse, so i ended up creating my own version. it is still setting in the fridge, but i know its good because i licked the bowl i prepared it in..don't judge me. it was amazing. i will be eating this pie for lunch and dinner today. happy baking!

a few notes: you could totally buy a prepared graham cracker pie crust and skip making your own..i would have done this but the market i went to didn't have prepared crusts. also if you have a food processor feel free to combine all the crust ingredients in it and pulse it that way. for the chocolate sauce..this made a lot, so you can make half the recipe or just save what you have and add it to ice cream or dip some strawberries in it! 
Fancy Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie
ingredients:
for crust..
7 graham crackers, crushed to make crumbs
2 TBSP organic sugar
1/2 stick unsalted butter, melted

for chocolate..
1 1/3 cup semi sweet chocolate chips
2/3 heavy cream (whipping cream) 
1 tsp good quality vanilla extract
1 TBSP light corn syrup or honey

for pie filling..
1 3/4 cup heavy cream (whipping cream) 
2 TBSP organic sugar
1 cup smooth peanut butter(NOT all natural)
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract

preheat oven to 350. spray 9inch pie dish with non stick spray. crush graham crackers in a ziplock bag using a rolling pin to make crumbs. add to medium bowl and mix in sugar and slowly add butter. combine until mixture clumps together slightly. press crumb mixture over bottom and sides of pie dish. bake until lightly browned, about 15 minutes. 
meanwhile, combine chocolate chips, heavy cream, honey or corn syrup, and vanilla in microwave-safe bowl. microwave until chocolate softens, depending on you microwave this can take anywhere from 1 and a half minutes to 3 minutes, mine was good after 1min 30sec. whisk until melted and smooth. once pie crust is done, remove from oven and let cook slightly, then spread chocolate mixture over bottom of crust. save some to drizzle over top. freeze pie crust for 15 minutes. 
whip heavy cream and 2 TBSP granulated sugar until soft peeks form. in bowl of stand mixer using whip attachment, whip peanut butter, powdered sugar and vanilla until combined and smooth, add half whipped cream mixture and beat on medium until combined, add the rest and mix until just combined. spoon mousse over chocolate layer in pie crust. drizzle with chocolate and garnish with peanuts. chill at least one hour or up to 1 day. serve cold!