Peanut Butter Cream Pie

152. Ahhhh...peanut butter!!! If you live anywhere near the Amish, you know their specialties are wonderful baked goods including Peanut Butter Cream Pie. I haven't been in Amish Country in a while and I was craving this pie. So for Easter, Peanut Butter Cream Pie was part of our dessert menu.

Cream pies are very simple to construct...just a matter of a pie crust, pudding filling and whipped cream. You just need a variety of variations such as bananas, coconut, chocolate, peppermint, or lemon, to name a few.

My daughter made her fabulous pie crust, recipe here, and because I used just one crust it was necessary to weigh down the crust. I use beans which work perfectly. Although pouring them out of the bag was easier than putting them back in the bag. Let's just say, it was necessary for me to use a vacuum to pick up half of the beans. Yes, while pouring them back into the bag...it slipped and poured all over the floor...the dog got scared and ran for his life. Baking is always an adventure!

Peanut Butter Cream Pie

1 pie crust, prepare and bake in a deep pie dish, set aside and cool

1 recipe vanilla pudding, cooked box mix or homemade

1/4 cup peanut butter

1 cup powder sugar, extra if needed

4 cups whipped cream sweetened with powder sugar and vanilla extract, or cool whip

Bake pie crust in a deep pie dish and set aside to cool.

In a mixer place peanut butter and powder sugar. Using the whisk attachment, blend together to create a crumbly mixture. If the mixture is not crumbly, add more powder sugar till it is crumbly.

Sprinkle half of the crumbly mixture on the bottom and mound up the sides of the pie crust.

Prepare the pudding mix or make a homemade pudding. As soon as the pudding begins to boil, remove from the heat and pour gently over the peanut butter crumbs. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate up to 5 hours or over night.

Whip your heavy cream or open the cool whip containers. Spread the whipped cream over the chilled pudding layer,

mounding the cream higher in the center.

With the remaining peanut butter crumbs, sprinkle them over the top of the pie for garnish.

Then, make a pot of coffee or espresso, slice the pie and enjoy the decadent wonderfulness of peanut butter, sweet cream and the salty crust of the pie...you just have to taste this! You'll understand after your first bite.

"Man can not live by bread alone;

he must have peanut butter."

~ James A. Garfield