peanut butter pie {craig's favorite}

craig's birthday was last week.
on easter he asked for a peanut butter pie....ON easter day.
yeah no.
i was busy...making coconut cream pie for my sugar-deprived self.
but i remembered his request and made it for his birthday.

if you like peanut butter....you HAVE to make this.
everyone who tries it says something like "OHHHHH! YUUUUMMMM!" after their first bite.

first i made PW's pie crust.
(i am wearing a quilted apron...made of all polyester pieces...from the thrift shop....i love it.)
  


roll it out.
this is a labor of love....it's messy.
  

make it look pretty.
then bake it for 10 - 15 minutes.
 

mix peanut butter and powdered sugar together with a fork...
 


until it looks like this....
then put 3/4 of it at the bottom of your cooled pie crust.
 

my pie crust baking skills are very raw.
it hasn't worked quite right yet...doesn't keep it's shape.  
but i will just keep practicing.
it tastes fabulous though...and i don't even like pie crust!
 

don't laugh at my pie crust...i am trying here people!!
it's not pillsbury and THAT is the important part of this story.

whisk the pudding mix with milk and pour on top of the peanut butter crumbles.
refrigerate it for a few minutes for it to set.
 

after it's set, spread a container of whipped topping on top of the pudding.
(or you could make homemade whipped cream...if you are awesome)
sprinkle the remaining peanut butter crumbles on the whipped cream.
refrigerate until you are ready to serve.

this is so good.
i think it may be a midwest recipe.
it seems like it is....but maybe i am way off.
it makes me think of church potlucks or family renuions.  
in a good way.

RECIPE IN THE SIDEBAR.

(and btw...craig looooved it...no surprise)         

Comments

[mom]

Meg-
Just as a side note - the first time we ever had this recipe it came from your Grandmother Ranney. She had it somewhere and came home and made it for every family event for several years. The last time I made it for a family gathering she said, "This is wonderful. Where did you get the recipe?" I said, "From you!" She didn't remember ever making it!
But it's a keeper.

[Jen]

Yum! I have a certain 13 yo who would LOVE this. I may just have to figure out a way to add chocolate though--chocolate pudding instead? Chocolate pie crust? Chocolate whipped cream??? Thanks for sharing!

[Laura Phelps]

next year I will hire you to make me a birthday pie
and I will come to your house to get it
and stay for a couple of weeks
and help with the kids
and bake with you
and go to thrift shops
and drink coffee

and to the commenter above, Jenn...you can make a chocolate cookie crust, or add chocolate chips, or drizzle a chocolate ganahche on top....

[Carrie]

You need pie weights - or save money and use dry beans when you blind bake a pie crust.
After you have placed the crust in the pie plate, just prick the crust a couple of times with a fork, place some parchment paper on the crust, and then put the dry beans in on top. This will help keep it from shrinking.

[Mary Beth]

I was just thinking about making a pie this weekend...you have me craving your peanut butter one for sure! thanks for sharing it with us!

[Melody]

Meg, my mom worked at Marie Calender's in the 70's here in California, and she said they had peanut butter pie there and it was "to die for." She said their version was like a peanut butter type custard with meringue on top. YUM!

[Jessica - One Shiny Star]

What kind of pudding mix is this, vanilla? I wonder if it would be good with chocolate... ya know, kind of like a Reese's cup?

[Heather]

Okay, is it too early in the morning for all this goodness? I think I'll have peanut butter pie for desert - after my cereal. Yum!

[Staci]

My hubby would love this :) We make a version of it....only it is peanut butter ICE CREAM pie :) Heavy cream, vanilla ice cream, pb and then you freeze it!....oh man, I want some right now :) "Pie, Pie, me oh my...I love pie!!!" Do you know what movie that's from?

[`Kelly]

As "fate" would have it, today is my husband's birthday. Too bad he doesn't like peanut butter. Yeah, I know, it's wrong but I don't hold it against him. My birthday isn't until November but good thing Mother's Day is coming up! I'll make it for myself then! :) Thanks for sharing - yum!

[Casey]

I am making this TONIGHT! No... make that NOW! Yummy. Who doesn't love peanut butter pie?? Thanks for sharing!

[Tara]

hummmmm??? who is my life is having a birthday??? I wanna make one!

[Grace]

Wow. I think I need to stop reading blogs when I have to be on strange diets. I went off sugar last week and now I have to be on a clear-liquids-only diet.

And I LOVE PEANUT BUTTER PIE.

Sigh.

It sure looks tasty! :D And I'm trying it as soon as I possibly can!

[Anna Marie]

I had peanut butter pie for the first time a few months ago and I couldn't believe I had never had it before! "Where have you been my whole life???" It was very similar to yours except for the crumb stuff which sounds like "icing on the cake"...I mean pie ;)

[Tricia]

Oh.My.Goodness. I am on this ridiculous reese's pb cup thing lately and if you threw chocolate shavings on top of that pie, I would probably eat the whole thing!!
Yum!

Thanks for sharing and happy belated, Craig.
XO*Tricia

[Angel/TaDa!Creations]

This looks heavenly and probptly made it on the menu for when my bestest blogging friend comes to visit me in 2 weeks (we've never met in person). She loves peanut better! I can't wait to swap stories over this one.

[Julie]

I have a son who will LOVE this! Thanks for the recipe!

[Lori]

Yum! thanks for sharing!

[Bethany]

I agree with Carrie, you need pie weights... Bed, Bath and Beyond usually carries them for about 5 bucks. They're well worth the investment and they can be used over and over. Peanutbutter is one of my favorites, I'll have to give this a try!

[RLG]

Can't wait to try it. BTW, I made the chicken enchiladas for my family when they came to visit. My mother actual said, "These are the best enchiladas I've ever had." And she's the cook in the family, not me. So thanks for making me look so good, Meg. Much love to you. xoxo

[Nancy]

Alison will love this. She's a huge peanut butter fan. As for pie crusts...I have a really easy and yummy recipe that you mix in the pie pan...no rolling out the dough. Doesn't get any better than that!

[Courtney Walsh]

I am a huge PB pie fan!! Would be fun to put some little mini Reeses' on the top, just because, you know, I love those too!

About the crust...do you sort of wrap it around the edge of the pie plate? I am certainly no expert, but I do make a mean apple pie (seriously, it is A.MA.ZING.) and the recipe actually says to wrap it around the edge of the plate an it works like a charm! (Of course, you cover it with another layer of crust, so maybe that's why it holds up so well.

Hm. At any rate, it's worth a shot, no? I don't really think it matters since this pie is gorgeous and looks super yummy! :)

[Tanya]

I am now starving

[tinycandi]

That looks amazing! I've never actually made a pie before (aside from helping my grandma make pies since I was little...didn't require a lot of work on my part)...but I may just have to try making this one!

[ETruitt]

My mother-in-law makes this every year for my husband on his birthday. They call it "Robert Redford Pie". Maybe it was a favorite of his too??

[Kimberlee J.]

Can't wait to try this!

[Natalie (The Sweets Life)]

wow i am from the midwest and have never seen this before, ever! I've only made FROZEN pb pie, which is also delicious (and so so easy, recipe here if you want to try: http://www.thesweetslife.com/2009/09/frozen-peanut-butter-pie.html)

I'm curious to try this version now too, thanks!

[Tam]

oh yum! that looks delicious. :) Thanks for sharing the recipe, it's a bit different from the PB pie we make. I can't wait to try it!

Happy Belated Birthday Craig!

[Jemm]

That looks awesome! You can't go wrong with homemade crust. I bet your hubby was very happy.

[Cami]

Thanks for sharing :) I have a son who honestly lives on peanut butter.

[karin c]

Pie crust is an interesting breed! I can't see how you placed the rolled out dough in your pie plate, but remember that if you pull the dough up to cover the plate (stretching it to fit) that the pie dough will shrink back to the original size it was before you stretched it. That's my guess on your shortened sides.

Pie weights or beans will keep the bottom from rising and being lopsided, they will keep the bottom flat.

[Lee Ann]

You just made my DAY!!! I was looking all weekend for a PB pie recipe that had the crumbles on top!!! My baby sitter (when I was a little girl) made one like this! I can't wait to try it!!!

Tips for the pie crust. Put it in the freezer (after it's in the pan) for a bit before you bake it. If it's super cold, it won't shrink as much. you can also buy "pie weights" at a kitchen store, and they keep it from bubbling up so much. Awesome start!!! I'm a pie crust snob :)

[tess s.]

i just made this recipe. i used a graham cracker crust because it's what i had. i also mixed in cool whip with the pudding mixture and then added some on top too. i'm not sure how the graham cracker crust and the peanut butter crumble will hold up together but here's hoping. thanks for the recipe!

my husband walked into the kitchen as i ws making the pie. "is that a peanut butter pie?" me: "yes" him: "really?!?!?" i think it'll go over just fine.

[merlin]

That pie crust spells L-O-V-E, and that makes it perfect!

[Amy]

This is a great pie. Some have commented about using chocolate pudding. I make it both ways and it is great both ways. When you use chocolate pudding, you can also add chocolate shavings/sprinkles on top with the peanut butter crumbles. Also very good. Hmmmm, I think I need to go make a pie!!

[Lisa]

Um Yummy, I was thinking that it would be so easy to substitute the peanut butter if you had nut allergies to something like chocolate spread. MMMMMMM

[Bec]

I'm definitely going to give it a try with chocolate pudding! (I had mono for a month straight once and all I could eat was jello and vanilla pudding so they are on my dislike list now)

[Kellie Dugan]

I have never heard of this type of peanut butter pie recipe. I will have to try this. My hubby loves peanut butter anything.
I just purchased your "4" shirt from etsy. Thanks, I had not even thought of what my son would wear for his BD. Oh the things that slip our mind till the last minute.

[Alicia]

I am sorry to be laughing out loud at your pie crust...only because I know from experience, sadly. Glad to hear about the weight things. You really crack me up--much love!

[Meredith]

I make the same recipe but with homemade pudding instead of the box kind. It is delicious. The funny thing is, whenever guests have it, everyone agrees it is such a southern recipe! (I'm in North Carolina.) I guess we all like to claim the really good recipes. :)

[kathleen]

hi, love your blog...love the pie. I am going to have to try to make it. Have you ever tried the trick with foil and no pie weights... that's what finally conquered my wonky pie crust... smittenkitchen.com is where I found it.
I've always wondered if phrases like "easy as pie" and "pie crust promise, easily made easily broken" were sarcastic, because I found pie crust to be the most challenging thing I had ever tried... and I cook alll the time....

[candace]

oh, that sounds (and looks) goooood! can't wait to try it, but i will be honest, it will probably be in a pillsbury pie shell. :)

[Melanie]

I made PW's cinnamon rolls this past week and there is an art to dough. Just keep practicing. You will get it.

I don't eat anything peanut butter except plain old pb&j. The pie looks good though.

[Rebekah]

That looks SO good! I wish I could make one. My daughter is allergic to peanuts and while we do keep a jar in the house for my husband and me to have sandwiches once in a while, I don't cook with them because I'm afraid the fumes might cause her to have an allergy attack! Maybe one day when she's not at home... :)

[Tanya H]

oh my YUM! Thank you!!!

[robin]

OK, I didn't put on any cute apron, but I made this pie tonight and it was DELISH. I even got inspired and went all out with a stouffers family lasagna and garlic bread beforehand. My family was SHOCKED and are being so nice to me. :) Thanks for the wonderful recipe!

[Elizabeth]

Yum. I wish that I could have a piece right now! I was a pastry chef before I became a mother, and I have a couple of tips for you about pie crust if you'll forgive my presumption:
1. Don't overmix the dough -- use cold butter and/or shortening, and you should see little bits of it scattered throughout
2. Blind bake your crust. After you lay it out in the pan, lay a sheet of tin foil over it and fill it with beans. Bake it that way and it won't shrink down.

Yay!

[Gemma]

That looks great but unfortunately i'm allergic to Peanuts! If I wasn't I would definately make it..

If any of you get a chance please take a peek at my blog http://musings-of-a-gem.blogspot.com/

Gemma X

[Karen]

Oh man, don't all guys LOVE peanut butter!?! I love your pie crust... it's homemade! YUM. Thanks for the recipe!

[Mansi]

Hi Meg,

I have been following your blog since last 1.4 years.

You have been such an inspiration & the blog is full of colors & blessings.

No wonder, each of us dream to have an ideal house like yours.

I am from India & unlike you all, belong to a different segment of world where women are still bound by so many roles & responsibilities that most of us prefer to give up on our hobbies & craft skills.

I have recently thought of starting an inspiration blog that might help me to share some good practices of the west with the east.

Please feel free to visit my blog http://mansirana.blogspot.com/2010/04/indians-can-never-think-like-americans.html

It's not as good as yours but I am trying :)

Please feel free to share some suggestions to make it better.

[juliann brenner]

Oh Megan, this looks so delicious........I bet it would be tasty with mini-recees cups crumbled on top - PB and chocolate and pie crust, oh my.

[Dana D@BoysMyJoys]

Yum!
And.. God heavens, you have pretty hands!
:)

[Michele]

Made this yesterday. It was so yummy! TFS!

[Kathy Young]

Hi Meg, I've never posted before but I do follow and enjoy reading your blog. I read other poster's tips for pie crust & agree that you can't stretch pie dough much because it will shrink back. When you flute the edges, be sure to snag it over the edge of the pie dish a little with each pinch to give it something to "hold" on to while baking. Then either prick it well with a fork or weight it to prevent it from bubbling while pre-baking.

After that my best advice is to relax and go with however the finished crust turns out because something made at home with love beats store bought any time no matter what it looks like! :-)

[sarah]

i'm making this tomorrow for a baby shower i'm hosting. the guest of honor is going to LOVE this!

one question: when it's cut into slices does it keep it's shape? i want to pre cut the pie and have it on plates ready for serving. but i won't do it if it's not going to look beautiful.

any suggestions?

[lisa]

this is very close to the recipe my husband uses for his peanut butter pie recipe which he 'borrowed' from an amish bakery in ohio! it's awesome!!! lucky you :)

[Denise]

Please post the link for the recipe because I can't find it.