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My uncle told everybody at the family reunion that he could not stand peanut butter, never had, never would. Then my mother set her peanut butter pie on the dessert table, and he ate two pieces and asked if there was a third. He claimed afterward that it did not taste like peanut butter at all. It tastes like nothing but peanut butter. It is just so light and so cold and so smooth that it does not taste like the thick stuff in a sandwich. It tastes like the inside of the best candy you ever had, on a dark chocolate crust.
The pie is simple, and it is all about two things. The first is the chocolate crust. Chocolate cookie crumbs pressed with melted butter and baked for a few minutes so they set firm, and that dark chocolate under the peanut butter is why every bite tastes like the candy everybody loves. The second is the fold. Cream cheese, peanut butter and powdered sugar beaten together make a thick, heavy paste. Cream whipped to stiff peaks and folded in gently by hand turns that paste into something like a mousse, light and tall. Then the pie needs time. At least six hours in the refrigerator, better overnight, until it slices clean.
Why this peanut butter pie works
- A baked crumb crust. Ten minutes in the oven sets the cookie crust so it slices cleanly and does not crumble under the filling.
- Cream cheese base. Cream cheese gives the filling body and a slight tang that keeps it from tasting too sweet.
- Regular creamy peanut butter. Shelf-stable creamy peanut butter stays smooth and sets firm; natural peanut butter separates.
- Whipped cream folded in. Stiffly whipped cream folded by hand makes the filling light and fluffy instead of dense.
- A long chill. Six hours or overnight lets the filling set so each slice holds its shape.
Ingredients
Makes one 9 inch pie, 8 slices. The measurements are in US cups with grams and milliliters in brackets.
For the crust
- 24 chocolate sandwich cookies or 1 3/4 cups chocolate cookie crumbs (about 260g)
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted (56g)
For the filling
- 8 ounces cream cheese, softened (226g)
- 1 cup creamy peanut butter (250g)
- 1 cup powdered sugar (120g)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Pinch of fine salt
- 1 1/2 cups cold heavy cream (360ml)
For the topping
- 1 cup cold heavy cream (240ml)
- 2 tablespoons powdered sugar (15g)
- 2 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped (56g)
- 1 teaspoon vegetable oil or butter
- 2 tablespoons chopped roasted peanuts (18g)
Use a regular creamy peanut butter from the shelf, the kind that does not separate. Natural peanut butter with oil on top makes a runny filling that never sets firm. Chocolate wafer cookies or plain chocolate sandwich cookies, filling and all, both make a good crust.
How to make peanut butter pie
Make the crust
- Heat the oven to 350 degrees (175°C). Crush the cookies to fine crumbs in a food processor or in a bag with a rolling pin.
- Stir the crumbs with the melted butter until they look like wet sand. Press them firmly over the bottom and up the sides of a 9 inch pie plate, using the bottom of a measuring cup to pack them tight.
- Bake 8 to 10 minutes, until set and fragrant. Cool completely before filling.
Make the filling
- In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese until completely smooth. Add the peanut butter, powdered sugar, vanilla and salt and beat until smooth and creamy.
- In a separate cold bowl, whip the 1 1/2 cups cream to stiff peaks.
- Stir one large spoonful of the whipped cream into the peanut butter mixture to loosen it. Then fold in the rest gently with a spatula, in two parts, just until no white streaks remain.
- Spread the filling into the cooled crust and smooth the top.
Top and chill
- Whip the remaining 1 cup cream with the 2 tablespoons powdered sugar to soft peaks and spread it over the filling.
- Melt the chopped chocolate with the oil in a small bowl in the microwave in 20 second bursts, stirring, until smooth. Drizzle it back and forth over the pie with a spoon and scatter the chopped peanuts on top.
- Refrigerate the pie for at least 6 hours, or overnight, until the filling is firm. Slice with a sharp knife dipped in hot water and wiped dry between cuts.
Tips that make the difference
- Soften the cream cheese fully, or it leaves small lumps you cannot beat out once the peanut butter is in.
- Whip the cream in a cold bowl to stiff peaks. Soft cream deflates when it meets the heavy peanut butter mixture.
- Fold, do not beat. Beating the whipped cream into the filling knocks out the air that makes the pie fluffy.
- Give it the full chill. A peanut butter pie cut after two hours slumps on the plate; after six it slices clean.
- A hot, dry knife gives the neatest slices. Wipe it between every cut.
Variations
- Graham cracker crust. Use 1 1/2 cups (150g) graham cracker crumbs, 1/4 cup sugar and 6 tablespoons melted butter.
- Chocolate layer. Spread a thin layer of warm chocolate ganache over the crust and chill it before adding the filling.
- Frozen. Freeze the pie for 4 hours and serve it like an ice cream pie, letting it stand 10 minutes before slicing.
- Crunchy. Use crunchy peanut butter in place of creamy for a filling with little pieces of peanut through it.
Storage and make-ahead
Keep the pie covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. The crust stays crisp for the first two days and softens a little after that.
To freeze, chill the pie until firm, wrap it well in plastic and foil, and freeze for up to 1 month. Thaw in the refrigerator for several hours before serving.
Make it a day ahead. It sets best overnight and frees up the day you serve it.
Frequently asked questions
How long does peanut butter pie need to set?
At least 6 hours in the refrigerator, and overnight is best. The filling needs that time to firm up so each slice holds a clean edge. Cut sooner and it will be soft and slump on the plate.
Why didn’t my peanut butter pie set?
The usual reasons are natural peanut butter, which separates and stays runny, cream that was not whipped to stiff peaks, or too little chilling time. Use a regular creamy peanut butter, whip the cream until it holds firm peaks, and chill overnight.
Can I use whipped topping instead of whipped cream?
You can fold in an equal amount of thawed whipped topping, but freshly whipped cream gives a richer, cleaner taste and sets just as firm.
Do I have to bake the crust?
You can skip it and just chill the pressed crust for an hour, but baking it for 8 to 10 minutes makes it firmer and much easier to slice.
Bake the crust, fold in the cream gently, and give it a whole night in the refrigerator. Then set it in front of the one person who swears they do not like peanut butter.
No-Bake Peanut Butter Pie with a Chocolate Cookie Crust
Fluffy no-bake peanut butter pie: a chocolate cookie crumb crust, a filling of cream cheese, creamy peanut butter, powdered sugar and folded whipped cream, topped with whipped cream and a chocolate drizzle, chilled at least 6 hours or overnight.
Ingredients
- 24 chocolate sandwich cookies or 1 3/4 cups chocolate cookie crumbs
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
- 1 cup creamy peanut butter
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Pinch of fine salt
- 1 1/2 cups cold heavy cream
- 1 cup cold heavy cream
- 2 tablespoons powdered sugar
- 2 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped
- 1 teaspoon vegetable oil or butter
- 2 tablespoons chopped roasted peanuts
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 350 degrees (175°C). Crush the cookies to fine crumbs in a food processor or in a bag with a rolling pin.
- Stir the crumbs with the melted butter until they look like wet sand. Press them firmly over the bottom and up the sides of a 9 inch pie plate, using the bottom of a measuring cup to pack them tight.
- Bake 8 to 10 minutes, until set and fragrant. Cool completely before filling.
- In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese until completely smooth. Add the peanut butter, powdered sugar, vanilla and salt and beat until smooth and creamy.
- In a separate cold bowl, whip the 1 1/2 cups cream to stiff peaks.
- Stir one large spoonful of the whipped cream into the peanut butter mixture to loosen it. Then fold in the rest gently with a spatula, in two parts, just until no white streaks remain.
- Spread the filling into the cooled crust and smooth the top.
- Whip the remaining 1 cup cream with the 2 tablespoons powdered sugar to soft peaks and spread it over the filling.
- Melt the chopped chocolate with the oil in a small bowl in the microwave in 20 second bursts, stirring, until smooth. Drizzle it back and forth over the pie with a spoon and scatter the chopped peanuts on top.
- Refrigerate the pie for at least 6 hours, or overnight, until the filling is firm. Slice with a sharp knife dipped in hot water and wiped dry between cuts.
