Peanut butter pie has held a special place on our Thanksgiving pie table for over 20 years. He is always at the top of our family’s request list! Move the chocolate pie. This chocolate crust, peanut butter filling, thick fudge in one incredibly rich dessert is guaranteed to steal the show at the end of November.

Are you Reese’s lover? Me. If I was going to make a pie that feels like biting into my favorite candy, it would be this pie. Many chocolate peanut butter pies are light and airy, but this one is denser, like biting into a chilled piece of homemade rice. It’s like one giant bowl of peanut butter in a pie plate!

One warning, this pie is very rich. A small bite will satisfy even the most serious chocolate peanut butter lover! One 9-inch pie will easily feed 10-12 people. Do not forget to collect it at the beginning of the day, or even better, the day before. Sheri’s (Original Name) Southern Peanut Butter Pie with Homemade Fondant Filling can keep for a few days in the fridge (if properly tucked away).

Cream cheese, peanut butter, powdered sugar and heavy cream complete the filling line. Baked in a homemade chocolate graham cracker crust and topped with a simple yet decadent 4-ingredient fudge, this cake will satisfy every chocolate peanut butter lover’s wildest dreams.That’s why I love this cake so much. First, my SIL Sheri makes it for us every year for our annual family pie party. This is her recipe, I have never tried another like it! When she arrives, I immediately take a piece and put it in the fridge to eat, and cook Thanksgiving dinner the next day. Secondly, this is the easiest pie. Bake a crust made up of crushed chocolate flakes, sugar, and butter; make a peanut butter filling, assemble, refrigerate and top with a layer of fondant. That’s all. Thirdly, it is noticeably different from most other Thanksgiving pies we eat. Fourth, if you have leftovers (big IFs), they keep for days!

This is definitely a starter pie. The key is to make sure the cream cheese is softened (room temperature will do) to get a smooth mixture on the filling. Also remember to add (don’t whip) the whipped cream to the filling, this will give the filling a slight lift instead of being very dense. I do this the day before I want to file so it sets up correctly. Plus, who doesn’t want to cross one more item off their to-do list on busy days?!

If you’re invited to Thanksgiving, choose a pretty pie plate and give it to your host. You won’t have to awkwardly pull out your pie plate when you’re ready to leave! This cake works best on a 9 by 1 inch plate.First published on ABK in 2011, this pie recipe has been updated with new content, recipe changes, and photos. Also printed in ABC Cookbook 2022.

Peanut Butter Pie with Homemade Fudge

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cake! Rich peanut butter filling between homemade chocolate crust and delicious homemade fudge. Best served cold!

• Cool, setup time: 8 watch 
• Total time: 8 watch 35 minutes

Ingredients

Crust:

• 1 1/2 cups chocolate crackers
• 10-11 crackers, crushed
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter molten

Filling:

• 8 ounce cream cheese, softened (not low fat)
• 1 cup large peanut butter
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 1 cup heavy cream, whipped until thick

Fudge topping:

• 2/3 cup heavy whipped cream
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 4 ounces semi-sweet chocolate
• 1 tablespoon vanilla

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place a rack in the center of the oven. Lightly butter a 9-inch cake tin.for the pie dough:In a food processor, combine the graham cracker crumbs, sugar and butter. Pulse until well mixed. Squeeze the mixture onto the bottom and sides of the prepared pie pan.Bake 15 minutes. Let cool completely.

For filling:

Clean the food processor; add cream cheese, peanut butter and powdered sugar. Blend until almost smooth, reserving a few pieces of peanut butter.  Gently fold in 1 cup of whipped cream and spread the filling over the crust. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours.

For glaze:

1. In a saucepan, combine 2/3 cup whipped cream, granulated sugar and chocolate over low heat until thickened. Remove from fire; add vanilla and stir until smooth. Let cool completely.
2. Sprinkle fondant on top of the peanut butter pie. Refrigerate 8 hours or overnight before serving.

Recipe Notes

• When baking, the crust will shrink, but this will not affect the finished product.
• Nine rectangular graham crackers make about 1 cup of fine crumbs.
• Whip the heavy cream for the topping before folding it in, but don’t whip it ahead of time for the fondant.It is best to cook with homemade crust and filling.
• I use a 9 x 1 inch pie pan.