Frozen Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie

Hold your horses folks. Summer time has just arrived and it's going to stay for awhile (it better or I'm gonna have problems with mother nature.) I've got the perfect pie for you to make for all your summer cookouts.

This pie is sensational. I'm a huge peanut butter fan, so if you're not, I'm not sure how you'd feel about this pie. It just might convert you though. You'll become a peanut butter worshiper.

But I'm sure you like chocolate, right?! And cream cheese. Whipping cream. Oh and how can I forget....Oreo's. It's got an Oreo crust folks. If you don't like Oreo's then I don't know what to do for you.

The first time I made this I was blown away. Although, I'm not gonna lie, I was pretty upset with how the crust turned out. It.was.stuck.to.the.pie.plate! There I was chiseling at the pie plate in front of guests, reminding myself of that when-you-invite-guests-over cordial rule- don't make something new! I'm not sure if I baked the crust for too long (even though I followed the recipe) or if the pie was still too frozen (I was able to cut through the filling just fine) but something was off. I was able to scrape the crust off with a fork and serve it alongside the pie filling so it still had the same effect as if the crust was actually attached to the slice. This time around I baked it for less time and while it was easier for the crust to come off the pie plate, it still wasn't sticking to the filling as much as I would have liked. Oh well. Don't let that discourage you from making this. It will still be just as scrumptiously peanut buttery wonderful.

Next time I might try a different method. Maybe even go so far as to buy a pre-made crust. Shudder.

Source: Tracey's Culinary Adventures

Crust
1 3/4 cups chocolate cookie crumbs
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
3 tablespoons dark brown sugar
pinch salt

Filling
6 oz cream cheese, at room temperature
3/4 cup confectioners' sugar
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 1/4 cups peanut butter (smooth, not natural or chunky)
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 cups heavy cream

Garnish
1 oz semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
2 tablespoons peanut butter

To make the crust: Preheat oven to 350 F.  Combine the cookie crumbs, brown sugar and salt in a medium bowl.  Add the butter and toss with a fork until all of the crumbs are moistened (the mixture will be quite wet).  Press into the bottom and up the sides of a 9-inch pie plate.  Refrigerate for about 15 minutes so the crust is firm, then bake until set, about 8-10 minutes.  Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

To make the filling: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese, confectioners' sugar and salt on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.   Mix in the peanut butter and vanilla.  (If you don't have a second bowl for your stand mixer either transfer the cream cheese mixture to another bowl and wash the first, or do the next step with a hand mixer.)  Switch to the whisk attachment on your mixer and beat the heavy cream until you have soft peaks.  Take about 1/3 of the whipped cream and stir it into the cream cheese mixture to lighten it.  Use a rubber spatula to gently fold in the remaining 2/3 of the whipped cream.  Transfer the filling to the cooled crust and spread in an even layer.  Freeze uncovered for at least 4 hours or up to 1 day covered with plastic wrap.

To garnish the pie: Put the chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl and heat in 30 second bursts at 50% power, stirring in between each burst.  Continue until the chocolate is melted and smooth.  Transfer to a resealable plastic bag and snip a tiny bit off the corner.  Hold the bag over the pie and drizzle the melted chocolate in a zig-zag pattern.  Put the peanut butter in a small saucepan set over low heat and melt it, stirring frequently.  Add the melted peanut butter to a resealable plastic bag, snip off a corner and drizzle over the pie.  Let stand for about 10 minutes to set.

Remove the pie from the freezer about 10-15 minutes before you are ready to serve.  If you have trouble cutting it, running your knife under warm water will help.