Alton Brown's homemade peanut butter and chocolate pie in a crisp cookie crust is the ultimate no-bake dessert for peanut butter-lovers.

Course: Sweets

Keyword: Baking, Chocolate, Comfort Food, Desserts, Peanut Butter Pie

Peanut Butter Pie

ACTIVE TIME: 25

TOTAL TIME: 45

Yield: 8 servings

Bittersweet chocolate and homemade nut butter combine forces in a pie that's basically a giant peanut butter cup.

Honestly, the fussiest thing about this chocolate peanut butter pie recipe is making the peanut butter itself, but I promise you that it is worth it. That being said, in a pinch…and I mean a real pinch, you can use freshly ground honey-roasted peanut butter from a store or market where the grinding is done on site. Most Whole Foods have those these days, as do many health food stores and co-ops. So, go that way if you must, but don’t make a habit of it.

Both U.S. standard and metric measurements are listed, but for deliciously consistent results, go metric.

This recipe first appeared in Season 11 of Good Eats.

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6 1/2 ounces chocolate wafers
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
10 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 batch Homemade Peanut Butter
3/4 cup confectioners' sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon heavy cream
2 ounces good-quality bittersweet chocolate

Specialized Hardware

Digital kitchen scale

Food processor

ACTIVE TIME: 25

TOTAL TIME: 45

Yield: 8 servings

Procedure

Heat oven to 350ºF.
Combine the wafers and granulated sugar in a food processor. Process until the wafers are fine crumbs. Melt 6 tablespoons of the butter and drizzle it into the crumb mixture. Pulse to combine. Press this mixture into the bottom, up the sides, and just over the lip of a 9-inch metal pie pan. Bake on the middle rack of the oven for 10 minutes. Cool completely.
Once the crust has cooled, put the peanut butter and the remaining 4 tablespoons butter in the food processor. Process for 1 minute, then add the confectioners' sugar and vanilla and process until smooth, another 1 1/2 to 2 minutes. Carefully spread the mixture in the pie shell and bake for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool while preparing the topping.
Put the cream in a heatproof bowl and microwave on high until just simmering, approximately 30 seconds. Remove from the microwave and add the chocolate. Make sure the chocolate is completely submerged in the cream. Set aside for 2 minutes. Gently whisk until the chocolate is melted and combined with the cream, 2 to 3 minutes.
Spread the chocolate mixture over the pie and chill in the refrigerator for 1 1/2 hours before serving.