Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie

I always make the same peanut butter pie because, well....it's pretty much the perfect peanut butter pie AND it's my dad's favorite. So, I'd make it for him when I went home or he came to visit. You can check out my favorite peanut butter pie recipe HERE.

I saw my dad earlier this week, but I did not make a peanut butter pie for him. Why? Because in his words, "I wouldn't touch it with a ten foot pole now." Let me explain why.

Here is a picture of my dad and his sister, my Aunt Diann, at my cousin's wedding in November of 2008.



He looks like a man who would enjoy peanut butter pie, no? I'm not being mean, he is the first person to admit that he needed to improve his eating habits. 4 months later he did just that. In March of 2009 my dad began a life changing transformation. No surgery, supplements, dietitians, or trainers...he just started eating better and exercising. He stuck with it and worked hard. I love my dad and I've always been proud of him. I recognize how blessed I am to have a loving father who has always been there for our family. However, this Father's Day, I'm extra proud of my dad.

Here are a couple of pictures I snapped of my dad skipping stones on a walk that we took earlier this week....





He has lost 171 lbs! People that haven't seen him in a year don't even recognize him. A little over a year ago, walking from place to place was a laborious effort. Now we're hiking together, he's taking my kids on bike rides, and we even went running together! GO DAD...and Happy Father's Day too!

Since I wasn't making this for my dad, I decided to try a new peanut butter pie recipe for a picnic that we attended last weekend: Chocolate topped peanut butter pie with a cookie crust. MMmmmm.



I thought that I had a pre-made chocolate graham cracker crust in my pantry. I was wrong. I did have these "wanna-be" Oreos that I picked up at Aldi's at my daughter's request, so I settled on making my own chocolate cookie crust.



My daughters insisted on "helping" with the pie. They had a blast dropping them into the food processor and then watching as the cookies were reduced to crumbs in mere seconds.



Of course, chocolate cookie "dust" is VERY appealing to toddlers.




It made quite a mess.



I mean, this stuff was everywhere! I found myself REALLY wishing that I had a pre-made crust in my pantry.



I mixed some melted butter into the cookie crumbs and pressed the mixture into a pie plate.



Once I cleaned up the mess, I set about making the filling. First, I combined a 1/2 cup peanut butter with 8oz. of cream cheese in my mixer.



Then I added in vanilla pudding mix and milk. Beat for 2 minutes.



Next, I whisked in a cup of whipped topping.



Spread it into your pie shell. Pop it into the fridge to chill while you make the chocolate topping.



Now, take the remaining whipped topping from the tub, 1-1/2 cups, and combine it with 3 squares of semi-sweet chocolate or 1/2 cup of chocolate chips. Melt it in the microwave for 1-1/2 to 2 minutes, stirring after each minute, until the chocolate is melted and the mixture is smooth.



Cool completely and spread over the pie.



Finally, melt a couple of tablespoons of peanut butter in the microwave and drizzle over the pie.



Refrigerate for 4 hours or until firm (this one should've stayed in a bit longer) and serve!



The verdict: I still like my peanut butter pie filling better...however, who can argue with chocolate and peanut butter? Next time, I might just top my peanut butter pie with this chocolate topping and easy peanut butter drizzle. It really was decadent and delicious!

Peanut Butter Cup Pie from Kraft Food and Family, original recipe found HERE.

prep time: 15 min
total time: 4 hr 30 min
makes: 10 servings

What You Need!

1 pkg. (8 oz.) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, softened
1/2 cup plus 1 Tbsp. creamy peanut butter, divided
1 cup cold milk
1 pkg. (3.4 oz.) JELL-O Vanilla Flavor Instant Pudding
2-1/2 cups thawed COOL WHIP Whipped Topping, divided
1 OREO Pie Crust (6 oz.)
3 squares BAKER'S Semi-Sweet Chocolate

Make It!

BEAT cream cheese and 1/2 cup peanut butter in medium bowl until well blended. Add milk and dry pudding mix; beat 2 min. Whisk in 1 cup COOL WHIP; spoon into crust. Refrigerate until ready to use.

MEANWHILE, microwave remaining COOL WHIP and chocolate in microwaveable bowl on HIGH 1-1/2 to 2 min. or until chocolate is completely melted and mixture is well blended, stirring after each minute. Cool completely.

SPREAD chocolate mixture over pudding layer in crust. Microwave remaining peanut butter in small microwaveable bowl 30 sec.; stir. Drizzle over pie. Refrigerate 4 hours or until firm.

Calories 380 Total fat 26 g Saturated fat 12 g Cholesterol 30 mg Sodium 410 mg Carbohydrate 35 g Dietary fiber 2 g Sugars 22 g Protein 7 g Vitamin A 8 %DV Vitamin C 0 %DV Calcium 6 %DV Iron 8 %DV

Hope that you're all having a Happy Father's Day!