Friday Pie-Day: Peanut Lover Pie

We have ourselves another family favorite! Of the 61 different pies we’ve made over the last 5 years, this makes the top 5. 

It takes a little time and effort, but it can be made in advance and frozen.

Also, there are nuts in it. Lots and lots and lots of peanuts! So don’t make or eat this if you have a peanut allergy. This pie is for those of us with a peanut obsession (aka my entire extended family).

First, the ingredients. Not too difficult. Let’s move on.

This was my first time using a food processor. I think I’m in love. If I had left it on a little longer, these honey roasted peanuts would have turned into peanut butter!

It was also (surprisingly) my first time making a graham cracker crust! It is just so much easier to buy them usually, but adding peanuts to the graham crackers was a worthwhile investment of my time.

This experience was much better than when I tried to make a crust for my Oreo pie several years ago!

I couldn’t stop photographing this gorgeous crust, and I also can’t believe how simple it was to make!

By the way, throughout the entire crust-making process, I had the chocolate ice cream carton sitting out on the counter getting soft.

These are all the ingredients you need for the filling! (Yes, I finished that jar of peanut butter.)

I worried needlessly about mixing peanut butter with ice cream – the melted ice cream absorbed its counterpart easily.

It doesn’t even look like ice cream anymore, does it? Looks more like a chocolate peanut butter milkshake…

Take the pie crust out of the freezer, where it has gotten firm for the last 30 minutes, and pour half the filling into the crust. Then refreeze the pie and the other half of the filling (still in the bowl).

Meanwhile, chop up some peanut butter cups! (These were leftover from Christmas.)

I chopped each one into eighths.

Set aside the best looking ones, about a third of them, and place all the others as the middle layer of the pie! (after it’s had an hour in the freezer)

Then while the pie is freezing for half an hour, take out the ice cream mixture bowl and let it melt a little. Spoon it over the pie, remembering that the pie will be very full and almost overflowing. (That’s the way we like it!)

This is what 2 more hours in the freezer will do to it! Note the garnishes I had ready to sprinkle on top.

Peanuts all the way through – crust, filling, and even topping!

But wait, there’s more! A little peanut butter mixed in with caramel, anyone? I heated it for 30 seconds in the microwave.

My family tried to be patient with me as I garnished each of the plates with this delicious (and sticky) peanut caramel sauce.

And then as I placed a slice of pie on each plate.

And then as I garnished each slice of pie with more peanut caramel sauce.

Some descriptive words I heard while we were all digging in were, “rich,” “delicious,” “favorite,” and “oh yeah!”

Compared with our peanut butter cup pie, I'd say this is a little more work but a lot more peanutty and delicious! Even with all the freezing times, I would classify this as an easy pie to make. I love that you can prepare it in advance. And the taste is well worth the effort!

 

Peanut Lover Pie (recipe from Taste of Home)

6 T. honey-roasted peanuts, divided

1½ cups graham cracker crumbs

7 T. butter, melted

3 pints chocolate ice cream, softened

1 cup plus 1 T. peanut butter, divided

¾ cup coarsely chopped peanut butter cups, divided

½ cup caramel ice cream topping

1. Chop 1 T. of peanuts; set aside. Place remaining peanuts in a food processor; cover and process until ground. In a small bowl, combine ground nuts, cracker crumbs, and butter. Press onto the bottom and up the sides of an ungreased 9-inch pie plate. Freeze until firm, about 30 minutes.
2. In a large bowl, combine ice cream and 1 cup peanut butter until blended. Spoon half into crust. Return remaining ice cream mixture to freezer. Cover and freeze pie until almost firm, about 1 hour.
3. Sprinkle with about two thirds of the chopped peanut butter cups. Freeze for 30 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, resoften remaining ice cream mixture. Spread over peanut butter cups (pie will be very full). Cover and freeze for at least 2 hours or until almost firm.
5. Sprinkle with chopped peanuts and remaining chopped peanut butter cups. Cover and freeze until firm, about 1 hour longer.
6. Remove from freezer 15 minutes before serving. Combine caramel topping with remaining peanut butter; drizzle some over dessert plates. Top with a piece of pie; drizzle with remaining caramel mixture.