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.

Crack Brownies

Hi there, blog readers!  I hope you are all doing well, and I hope that none of you are on a diet.  If you are on a diet, I beg you, please, please, please look away right now!  I’m not joking.  The recipe that is soon to follow is not for those trying to watch your waistline.  It’s part brownie, part rice krispie treat and part peanut butter cup.  You will not be able to eat just one!  Not looking away?  Well, alright, but don’t say I didn’t warn you…

Mmmm.  I came across this recipe for “Better-Than-Crack Brownies” on a blog that I read and the minute I saw the picture I just knew that I had to make them.  I’m not even that big of a fan of brownies or rice krispie treats…however, put them together with a layer of peanut butter cups in between and you’ve won me over.

Jeremy asked me to make a dessert for him for the week, so I thought this would be the perfect opportunity to try this recipe.  Sadly though, he wasn’t crazy about this recipe.  He said it was “too peanut buttery.”  Excuse me?  Did my husband really just say that?  I think I was in shock for a few minutes after those words came out of his mouth.  How did I marry someone who doesn’t share my love/obsession with peanut butter?  I don’t think that anything can ever be “too peanut buttery,” especially when paired with chocolate.  Oh well, more for me then. 

This brownies are very rich, but I love that the rice krispies add a bit of lightness and crunch to them.  They are so delicious!  The evening after I made these, we went to dinner and movie with our friends, Jayla.  I brought us each a “Better-Than-Crack-Brownie” to sneak into the theater and they loved them.  I even ended up given them extras.  Being so delicious and having the word “crack” in their name, the brownie’s name somehow got shorten and by the end of dinner, Jeremy and Jayla were calling me a crack dealer who was sneaking crack brownies into the theater, in my purse.  Good thing the cops weren’t around.  I have a feeling that our conversation about crack brownies could have sounded a bit suspicious. :)

Enjoy!  

 

 

Ingredients.

 

 

Cooling.

 

So good!

Crack Brownies, adapted from How Sweet It Is 

• 1 batch box brownies
• 1/2 cup salted almonds
• 3/4 cup chopped Reese’s peanut butter cups
• 1 1/2 cup milk chocolate chips
• 1 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
• 1/2 tablespoon butter
• 2 cups cups Rice Krispies Cereal

1. Mix brownies according to directions, and bake for 20-25 minutes in a 9 x 13 baking dish. Remove and top with peanuts and peanut butter cups, and bake for 4-6 minutes more.
2. While they are finishing baking, melt chocolate chips, peanut butter and butter. Stir in cereal. Remove brownies from oven and evenly pour chocolate mixture over top.
3. Refrigerate for 2 hours before serving.
4. Cut, eat and use serious self control to avoid eating half the pan.