Peanut Butter Hot Fudge Pie

I made you a pie! And if we lived closer together, I’d totally hand-deliver it.

It’s in my new pie dish (thank you to whomever thought of wedding registries!). So I’ll totally tell you to enjoy it and return the dish whenever is convenient for you. Which, as we all know (or suspected), means washed and water-stain-free by the end of the week.

This pie is super easy. And your super fancy friends will have no idea how many shortcuts you made. That’s just fine. Keep them thinking you’re the most bada** domestic goddess since Martha.

You can buy the crust or make one from scratch. i prefer to just whip one up (so I can use my own pie dish, remember?). You can use chocolate wafer cookies or chocolate grahams. As you may have deduced from previous pies (remember my Cheesecake Strawberries and my Black Bottom Peanut Butter Pumpkin Pie?)  that I use grahams…

But I don’t use just any grahams. I prefer to use the grahams that look like animals. These ones just happen to go by the name “Teddy” and boast the nutritional benifits of “Calcium, Iron, and Zinc.” And, well, you know how important it is to get in all your vitamins! I’m just lookin out for ya.

Now, I didn’t go all out. I didn’t make the hot fudge. Sure, you can! Go right ahead. But I’ll stick to the Breyers one that I found on sale that comes in a handy heat-and-squeeze pouch. That’s just smart.

Peanut Butter Hot Fudge Pie
(makes one 9″ pie)

Crust:
2 cups chocolate graham cracker crumbs

1 Tbs. granulated sugar

6 Tbs. butter, melted

Pie Filling:

½ cup creamy peanut butter

½ cup cream cheese (I use reduced fat)

1 ½ cups cool whip (whipped topping)

¼ cup powdered sugar

1 tsp. vanilla extract

½ cup hot fudge (heated up)

~Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Spray your pie dish with nonstick spray.
~In a mixing bowl, combine the graham cracker crumbs, sugar and melted butter, stirring with a silicone spatula until well combined. Press the crust mixture into the pie dish and up the sides in an even layer. Bake the crust for 15 minutes or until fragrant. Let the crust cool completely on a wire rack.
~Spread an even layer of the heated hot fudge on the bottom of the pie crust.
~In a mixing bowl, with a hand mixer, beat together the peanut butter and cream cheese until fluffy. Then add the vanilla and powdered sugar and continue to mix. Fold in the cool whip by hand or on low speed until evenly mixed. Pour the mixture into the pie dish and spread evenly in the dish with a silicone spatula.
(Optional: drizzle the top of the pie with melted peanut butter)
~Refrigerate the pie for at least 2 hours (for the flavors to develop and the layers to settle) before serving. If not serving right away, keep the pie in your freezer, and then place in the fridge to thaw for an hour before serving. Enjoy!