Decadent Peanut Butter Pie

Well, well, well...look who it is!  It's me!  I'm back from my blogging hiatus!  Isn't that exciting?  Since the end of February, I've been traveling a lot for work, but over the past week I have been home and making some good recipes.  To make up for my absence, I'm starting off with a recipe that will knock your socks off, so here we go...

First of all, I love peanut butter.  It is my favorite food.  I've asked (and received) peanut butter for Christmas.  I think it's delicious.  I have a jar in my desk at work.  And I've been know to eat spoonfuls straight out of the jar.  It completes me.  When I first saw this recipe, I knew that I was destined to make it. 

Man 'o man, this pie did not disappoint us.  It is rich in it's peanut butter and chocolate flavor, but also light at the same time.  With a filling made of cream cheese and cool whip, it doesn't leave you feeling weighed down...just thoroughly peanut butter satisfied.  Usually I would use light cream cheese, but I didn’t want to risk changing the texture of the pie, so I used regular.  However, I did use “light” Cool Whip because as you all know, if you use at least one “light” item in your baking, it cancels out the calories of everything else.  No joke.  It’s a true story.  Also, as you'll see from the pictures, I added chopped up Reese's Peanut Butter cups to the top of the pie because really...why not?  If you’re a peanut butter nut like me, go make this pie and then enjoy every single bite of it.  That’s what I’m going to go do now! 

Enjoy!

Ingredients.

Ummm…YUM!

Jif’s Decadent Peanut Butter Pie

Ingredients

• 1 cup Jif Creamy Peanut Butter, plus 2 tablespoons, divided
• 1 (8 oz.) package cream cheese, softened
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 (12 oz.) container (4 1/2 cups) frozen whipped topping, thawed and divided
• 1 prepared chocolate pie crust
• 1 (11.75 oz.) jar Smucker's Hot Fudge Ice Cream Topping, divided

Directions

1. BEAT together 1 cup peanut butter, cream cheese and sugar in large bowl with an electric mixer on medium, until well combined. Gently mix in 3 cups whipped topping until thoroughly combined. Spoon mixture into pie shell. Using a spatula, smooth mixture to edges of pie.
2. RESERVE 2 tablespoons of hot fudge topping into the corner of a resealable food storage bag; set aside. Microwave remaining topping on HIGH (100% power) for 1 minute. Stir. Spread topping over pie, covering entire peanut butter layer. Refrigerate until set. Spread remaining whipped topping (1 1/2 cups), over hot fudge layer, being careful not to mix the two layers.
3. CUT a small corner from bag containing topping. Squeeze bag to drizzle topping over pie. Place remaining 2 tablespoons peanut butter in a resealable food storage bag; cut bag corner and squeeze to drizzle in opposite direction from topping. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Peanut Butter and Chocolate Chip Cookies

I’ve said it before, but I’ll say it again…I love cookies.  I especially love these cookies because they contain my most favorite food: peanut butter.  But not only do they contain peanut butter, they also have Reese’s Pieces in them AND chocolate chips!  I know, right?  AMAZING!

I bought a good sized bag of Reese’s Pieces to snack on, but after having them in the house for about a week, I realized how dangerous they were and I needed to devise a plan to get rid of them (without throwing them away, of course).  Cookies immediately came to mind.  Phew!  Crisis averted.

So, where did this recipe come from??  Whenever I find a new recipe on a blog or website, I usually print it out and throw it on my computer desk in our office.  As you can imagine, with all the wonderful blogs that I read, I have quite a stack of delicious recipes, especially cookie recipes, sitting there, just waiting for me to make them.  However, this recipe came from…the back of my peanut butter jar!  I look at that jar almost everyday, so no wonder the recipe was in my head! :)

In my usual baking-fashion, I made a few adjustments to the recipe.  First of all, I used butter instead of shortening because 1) shortening kinda creeps me out and 2) butter makes a softer cookie.  While gathering ingredients out of the pantry, I came across half a bag of chocolate chips and thought, “Hey, why not!”  Then, of course, I added the Reese’s pieces.  Also, as a side note, in between batches I’d put the dough in the fridge, so the texture/butter consistency would not change.

I’m not gonna lie…these cookies are good.  They are soft, peanut buttery and chocolaty.  Could it get any better?  I took them to work the next day and one of my co-workers (who’s eaten a lot of my cookies) said, “Oh my gosh, these are the best cookies you’ve made in my entire life!”  Ha!  So, there’s the proof.  They are good.

Enjoy!

 

Ingredients.

Cooling.

Up close and personal.

Irresistible Jif Peanut Butter Cookies

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup Jif Creamy Peanut Butter
• 1/2 cup Crisco® All-Vegetable Shortening (1/2 cup butter)
• 1 1/4 cups firmly packed light brown sugar
• 3 Tablespoons milk
• 1 Tablespoon vanilla
• 1 egg
• 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 cup chocolate chips
• 1 cup Reese’s Pieces

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375ºF.
2. Place sheets of foil on countertop for cooling cookies.
3. Combine Jif peanut butter, Crisco® Shortening (butter), light brown sugar, milk and vanilla in large bowl.
4. Beat at medium speed of electric mixer until well blended.
5. Add egg. Beat just until blended.
6. Combine flour, salt and baking soda.
7. Add to creamed mixture at low speed. Mix just until blended.
8. Drop by heaping teaspoonfuls 2 inches apart onto ungreased baking sheet.
9. Flatten slightly in crisscross pattern with tines of fork. (skip if using chip and pieces)
10. Bake at 375ºF for 7 to 8 minutes or until set and just beginning to brown.  Makes 3 dozen cookies.