This is a classic!!  Delicious, rich, sooooo yummy…  So yummy that you eat it out of the pie plate with a fork.  I’m not saying “I” was the one that ate it out of the pie plate, but “someone” in our house sure did:)

This one comes from the kitchen of Sister’s Cafe

Peanut Butter Pie

Crust: (I actually just used a graham cracker crust and it turned out fabulous)

25 vanilla wafers, crushed
1/2 cup finely chopped peanuts (without skins)
1/4 cup butter, melted
1 Tb sugar

Preheat oven to 350. Combine vanilla wafers, peanuts, sugar and melted butter together and press into a 10 inch pie plate. Bake for 15 minutes. Cool.

Filling:
1 cup smooth peanut butter
8oz cream cheese, softened
1 cup sugar
1 cup heavy cream
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
2 Tb real butter, melted
1/2-1 cup Hot Fudge Sauce (recipe included or a good store brand)

In a large bowl, cream peanut butter, cream cheese, butter and sugar together with an electric mixer on medium speed. Blend well. Whip the heavy cream in a separate bowl until stiff, add vanilla. Fold into the peanut butter mixture. Fold gently until mixture is consistent and smooth. Pour into cooled crust and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.

Thin hot fudge sauce by heating slightly. Allow to cool to just warm to touch. (It should not be hot that it would melt the filling). Spread a thin layer of fudge sauce over chilled pie. The fudge may be left smooth or incorporated into a slight flower or ribbon pattern by running a spatula or knife through the fudge to make a design. chill pie for at least 6 hours.

Hot Fudge Sauce: 

(Once again, I skimped and went with a store brand, it was totally fine!)
1 14oz can sweetened condensed milk
2 1oz squares unsweetened chocolate or semi-sweet chocolate
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
2 Tb real butter

Combine milk and chocolate and cook over low heat until chocolate is melted and mixture thickens. Add vanilla and butter. Store covered in the refrigerator.

Enjoy!!!

I’ve been a HUGE slacker these last couple of weeks and I know the rest of you are just as busy as me, so I really have no excuse… Thanksgiving, being a mom, being a business owner, shopping for and buying a new car, Christmas parties, Christmas shopping, gift-making, work parties, school parties, keeping a household, celebrating my anniversary, and blogging, phew!!!

So to make up for my neglect, I’ve got TWO delicious recipes to share with you this week!!

I learned how to make a pie crust over Thanksgiving break and contributed a home-made apple pie to Thanksgiving dinner this year. I’ll be honest, I’m usually not a big fan of apple pie, but this one with it’s flaky yummy crust was pretty darn tasty!!

Classic Apple Pie

• 1 recipe basic pie dough (recipe below)
• 3 large granny smith apples
• 4 large Mcintosh apples
• 1 1/2 Tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tsp lemon zest
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon
• 1/8 tsp allspice
• 1/8 tsp fresh nutmeg
• 3 Tbsp boiled cider
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 4 Tbsp flour or 2 to 3 Tbsp instant clear gel
• heavy cream for brushing and decorative sugar

Directions:

Heat oven to 425.  Peel, core, and cut apples into 1/2 inch slices and toss w/ lemon juice, zest, salt, and spices.  In a small bowl, mix together sugar and flour or instant clear gel.  Pour over apples and mix well.  If using, add boiled cider and mix to coat apples.

Turn fruit mixture, including juices, into chilled pie shell and mound slightly in the center.  Roll out second dough round and place over filling.  Trim top and bottom edges to 1/2 inch beyond pan lip.  Tuck this rim of dough underneath itself so that the folded edge is flush with pan lip.  Flute edging.  Cut four slits on dough top, (I used a cute apple cutout to cut shapes of apples along the top of the crust).  Brush with cream and sprinkle with sugar.

Bake until crust is golden, about 25 mintues.  Reduce oven temp to 375, continue baking until juices bubble and crust is deep golden brown, 30 + minutes longer.  Transfer pie to a wire rack and cool about 3 hours to room temperature.

Basic Pie Dough

(the following pie dough is enough for one double-crusted 9 inch pie.  When rolling out the dough, roll to a thickness of about 1/8 inch thick.)

• 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 Tbsp sugar
• 1/2 cup vegetable shortening, chilled
• 12 Tbsp (1 1/2 sticks) cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces
• 8 Tbsp ice water

Mix flour, salt, and sugar in a food processor.  Add shortening and pulse until the mixture resembles wet sand.  Add butter and pulse to mix in five 1-second bursts, until butter pieces are no larger than small peas.  Put mixture into bowl.

Sprinkle 7 Tbsp ice water over mixture.  With blade of rubber spatula, use folding motion to mix.  Press down on dough with spatula until dough sticks together, adding more ice water if it will not come together.  Divide the dough into 2 balls and flatten each into a 4 inch disk.  Wrap in plastic and refrigerate at least 1 hour or up to 2 days before rolling.

Remove dough from fridge.  If stiff and very cold, let stand until dough is cool but malleable.  Roll ou on a lightly floured surface into a 12 inch circle.  Transfer to a pie plate and return to the refrigerator until filling is ready.

Source:  Cook’s III

The next pie is one I found on Kraft Foods and I use this recipe all the time!  It’s one of my favs…

Peanut Butter Chocolate Banana Cream Pie

I LOVE pie!  And I LOVE caramel.  So imagine my hyperventilation when I found a recipe for a caramel pie!!!!  You can’t believe how easy this one is either…

Ingredients:

• 2 14-oz cans sweetened condensed milk
• 9-in graham cracker pie crust
• 8-oz container Cool Whip
• Lg English Toffee cand bar chopped

Directions:

Pour condensed milk into a 1-qt glass measuring cup; cover with foil.  Place in a 3 1/2-qt slow cooker, adding water around cup to milk level.  Cook, covered, 8 to 9 hours on low, or until mixture is the color of peanut butter; stir with a wire whisk.  Pour into pie crust; chill one hour or until firm.  Spread whipped topping over top of pie, and sprinkle evenly with chopped candy bar.  Makes 6 to 8 servings.

Soooooooo gooooood!!!