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(Recipe and photos updated 1/18/2016)
Happy President’s Day! Someday, somebody somewhere is going to change the name “President’s Day” to “National – go buy a mattress Monday.” Or at least that’s what one would think with all the commercials and discounts.
In honor of President’s Day we’ll have a little history “did you know” lesson:
Did you know there were eight United States Presidents born in Virginia? The big No. 1 George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, James Monroe, William Harrison, John Tyler, Zachary Taylor, and Woodrow Wilson. Also six Presidents’ wives were born in Virginia. Mrs. Martha Washington, Martha Jefferson, Rachel Jackson, Letitia Tyler, Ellen Arthur, Edith Wilson. And last but not least, seven Presidents are buried in Virginia: Washington, Jefferson, Madison, Monroe, Tyler, Taft and Kennedy. Kennedy is buried at Arlington which most people think is in Washington, D.C. but it is just across the Potomac in Virginia.
Now that the day has not been totally wasted, let’s make a rich, decadent, creamy Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie!
After spending last weekend in Asheville North Carolina, I knew I’d have to make a pie that could come close to the one I tasted at The Grove Park Inn for Sunday Brunch.
This pie may not be as pretty as the one from The Grove Park Inn, but the taste is pretty darn close!
This is a very rich pie, but oh-so wonderful. If you like chocolate and peanut butter, you’ll like this!
(Update 1/18/2016 – based on feedback and comments I tested the recipe again and reduced the amount of butter in the crust. Thank you all for trying my recipes and for reading the blog. I made additional notes in the recipe below. Thanks so much!)
Don’t forget your PIN!
A rich, but wonderful, creamy peanut butter pie filling topped with chocolate ganache. Cut into small slices using a hot knife.
Ingredients
For the crust:
- 1 ½ cups graham cracker crumbs, 12 sheets
- ¼ cup sugar
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
For the filling:
- 16 ounces cream cheese, softened
- 2 cups sugar
- 1 ½ cups creamy peanut butter
- 1 tablespoon vanilla
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
For the Ganache:
- ¼ cup heavy whipping cream
- 2 ounces semisweet chocolate finely chopped, good quality
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Combine the graham cracker crumbs, sugar and melted butter until well blended. Press the mixture into the sides and bottom of a nine-inch deep dish pie plate. Bake at 350°F for 8-10 minutes. Cool completely.
- Beat cream cheese and sugar in a mixing bowl. Add the peanut butter and vanilla and mix well. Beat in the melted butter gradually.
- In a separate bowl, whip the cream until soft peaks form. Gently fold the cream into the peanut butter mixture using a spatula. Do not over beat. Pour into the prepared, cool crust and refrigerate for several hours until set.
- Place the chopped chocolate in a small bowl. Bring the cream to a boil in a saucepan. Pour the hot cream over the chocolate and stir gently until melted and smooth. Cool slightly and spread evenly over the pie. Chill until served.
- Cut with a knife that has been heated under hot water and wiped dry between each slice.
Recipe Notes
- (Inspired by a recipe in Biltmore, Our Table To Yours, Chef's Selection Cookbook)
RECIPE and photos updated 1/18/2016 - Recommendations: After testing this recipe a couple of times, I believe (and taste testers agree) the chocolate layer is too thick. Next time I'll test using chocolate curls or a drizzle of chocolate and update the post again! It's still a deliciously rich pie - just a pain to cut with the slab of chocolate on top.
Nutrition
Calories: 1037kcal | Carbohydrates: 85g | Protein: 18g | Fat: 73g | Saturated Fat: 34g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 9g | Monounsaturated Fat: 25g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 144mg | Sodium: 525mg | Potassium: 495mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 69g | Vitamin A: 1662IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 121mg | Iron: 2mg
Have a great week and thanks so much for stopping by!
Tricia
C says
Is this recipe calling for granulated or powdered sugar?
Tricia Buice says
Granulated!
Angie says
I found this recipe last year and I loved it. I blind baked a pie crust and then put a thin layer of the ganache directly on the bottom of the crust. After letting it set, I added the peanut butter filling and then topped with another thin layer of ganache. Turned out great! It was a huge hit with my family.
Tricia Buice says
Thank you so much for the comment and feedback Angie. I love your idea of the ganache on bottom – in fact this pie would be a whole lot easier to cut with just ganache on the bottom. This is a great pie for peanut butter and chocolate lovers like me 🙂 Have a happy Thanksgiving and a wonderful holiday season. Thank you so much for the great idea and for trying our recipe!
Marilyn says
I love this pie. So does my family, church groups, my IT GUY and everyone I have given it to!
Does anyone know if you can freeze this?
Tricia Buice says
I Marilyn – I have not tried freezing this pie. I don’t think the chocolate topping would do well in the freezer but I guess it is worth a try! Glad you like it – peanut butter and chocolate are two of my favorites!
Bethany says
hi! This pie looks so delicious! I can’t wait to make it this weekend! I have a question though… Do you think this pie would freeze well? I’m thinking about doubling the recipe and saving one for another time! Just wondering if you had ever tried that 🙂
Tricia Buice says
Hi Bethany – I have not tried freezing the pie so I am not sure. I think the chocolate will get that white edges you sometimes see with frozen chocolate. I guess if I was going to try I would leave the chocolate off for last 🙂 The crust should freeze great. Good luck- let me know how it turns out if you don’t mind! Happy holidays!
Pam Trull says
I feel so lucky to have this recipe for my family since this is one of our favorite pie recipe. PLUS we don’t live very far away from the grove park Inn. They have wonderful food, lots of awesome buffet breakfast . Great place to take your Mom on mother’s day or your father on father on father’s day
Tricia Buice says
Thanks Pam – I drove through your area about 10 days ago – so pretty. I bet fall is amazingly gorgeous. Love the Grove Park Inn buffet – it is epic!
Melissa says
Baking this as we speak…..looks so yummy. The crust seems a bit too buttery ? Anyone else find it too wet?
Tricia Buice says
Nobody ever mentioned it being too buttery. I hope it turned out okay for you! Please let me know if it was not dry enough – I would double check my ingredients, etc. It was a long time ago!
Melissa says
I ended up adding about a cup more of crumbs ( which was close to what the graham crust recipe on the box called for) because it was way too wet and then I rebaked it. So wonderful and yummy!!!!! Can’t wait to share this with family for our thanksgiving dinner tomorrow.
Tricia Buice says
Thanks for letting me know Melissa – I will update the recipe accordingly. You’re having Thanksgiving already? Hope you have a wonderful time and thanks again for reaching out.
Tashiana says
Beautiful! Thank you for the recipe walk through 🙂
mkv09 says
Loved the recipe and blogged about it on my site. Thanks!! http://fromkatrinaskitchen.wordpress.com/2014/05/26/chocolate-peanut-butter-pie/
[email protected] Italian Next Door says
Tricia….chocolate and peanut butter are one of my favorite combinations!!….probably along with the rest of the world! This pie looks awesome!! Definitely gonna have to try it! And your year of pies is amazing!! I don't know which to try first!!
Teryll Hopper says
I made this for my sister´s birthday and it was a huge hit. I´ve been asked to make it for Christmas too! I made mine with an Oreo crust – which was divine.
Geni says
I LOVE that you used good chocolate. I knew you were my kind of girl. 😉 This pie looks to die for.
Hungry Jenny says
Oh my gosh, that looks DIVINE! And to think that I used to hate peanut butter – I only got back into eating it about a year ago and keep getting regular cravings for it since! And coupled with choc too? Yum, that's the best!<br /><br />Hungry Jenny x
Sarah @ The Smart Kitchen says
I wish you could box THAT up and mail to Texas. :)<br /><br />I think they should change the name of today to "National Everyone Has Off But You, Sarah" day…although since we are using this as our snow make-up day instead of Memorial Day, I'm not complaining…I'd much rather be able to enjoy the kick-off to summer…
Dawn McMillan says
Looks delicious can’t wait to make it! What size pie dish did you use?
Tricia Buice says
Hi Dawn. I use a glass deep-dish Pyrex 9-inch pie plate. Enjoy!