Tuesday, November 9, 2010

Chocolate and Peanut Butter...what could be better?!?!


We made this for our brothers birthday last week, he really liked it but beware it's EXTRA rich!



Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie

1 1/2 cups finely ground graham crackers crumbs
1 cup finely ground oreo cookies( cream filling removed)
4 T. butter, melted
6 T. sugar
4 oz. cream cheese, at room temp
1/4 cup confectioners sugar
2 T. milk
4 oz. melted semi-sweet chocolate
2/3 cup smooth peanut butter
1 cup heavy cream
1/4 c. toasted chopped peanuts
Rich chocolate sauce( recipe follows)

Heat oven to 375.
Combine graham crackers, oreo, butter and 4 T. sugar in medium bowl. Stir to combine thoroughly. Press the mixture firmly into 1 9inch pie pan and bake for 15 min. Remove the pan from the oven, let the crust cool completely, then wrap it with plastic wrap and place the pan in the freezer for at least 1 hour and for up to 2 weeks. Allow the crust to come to room temp before filling.

Combine the cream cheese, confectioners sugar, and milk in a large bowl. Beat with an electric mixer until well blended and smooth, about 1min. on medium speed. Add the melted chocolate and the peanut butter and continue to blend for another minute on medium speed. Combine the cream with the remaining 2 T. sugar in another medium bowl. Beat with a whisk or electric mixer until stiff peaks form. Gently fold the whipped cream into the chocolate and peanut butter mixture until thoroughly incorporated and smooth. Pour the filling into the pie crust. Smooth the top of the pie with a spatula, cove, and refrigerate for at least 4 hours before serving. To serve use a hot wet knife to slice the pie into 8 portions. Garnish with peanuts and drizzle with Rich Chocolate sauce.


Rich Chocolate Sauce

3/4 cup half-and-half
8 ounces semisweet chocolate chips
1/4 tsp. vanilla
1 T. butter

In a small saucepan bring half & half to a bare simmer over medium-low heat. Remove from the heat. Place the chocolate in a medium heatproof bowl. Whisk the Half&half slowly into chocolate. Add the vanilla and butter to the sauce and whisk until butter is completely incorporated. The sauce can be kept refrigerated in an air tight container for several days, but must be returned to room temp. before serving