Cousin Christine's Peanut Butter Pie

When I lived in Connecticut, I spent lots of time with my family, especially  my cousins. My Wadsworth cousins are: Pam, Eddie, Kelly, Christine and Dallas. Their Mother Patricia and my Mother Marguerite are sisters. When I think back on memories with the family, I remember me and Dawn getting to spend several days with our girl cousins in the summer. We loved playing and swimming and rambling around. Out of everyone and everything that has stuck with me all these years, it has to be my cousin Chrissie's (that's what we called her then) smile. I notice even now her face still lights up when she smiles. Christine has prepared several of the desserts included in the blog and is so sweet to send me a few pictures. I especially love how she made both of her twin boys happy when she fixed the Snicker Cheesecake Squares for them. One had the chocolate Oreos and on the other she used the vanilla for the crust. That brought up a whole new conversation on using Nutter Butters or any other sandwich cookie to give it a twist.

Last week my sweet cousin Christine Jessen shared her Peanut Butter Pie recipe with me. This just looked too good to pass up sharing with you all. I asked her if she would mind sharing it in a Guest Post. She was kind enough to do so. Thanksgiving will be here before you know it, so I thought this was perfect timing!

INGREDIENTS:

Crust

• 25 Oreos
• 4 tablespoons melted butter

Filling

• 1 cup smooth peanut butter
• 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese- softened
• ½ cup sugar
• 1 (8 ounce) container of Cool Whip, thawed

Topping

• 1 (11.75 ounce) Jar of hot fudge topping
• 15 Mini Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups (frozen, unwrapped)
• 1 (8 ounce) container of Cool Whip, thawed

Directions

Preheat oven 350. Crush Oreos in food processer until crumbs and you no longer can see the whites of the cookies. Mix in melted butter. Press the crumbs into the bottom and sides of a 9 inch pie pan. Bake for 5 to 7 minutes. Remove from oven and let it cool completely!

With a mixer beat together peanut butter, cream cheese and sugar. Slowly beat in Cool Whip until well combined. Reserve 2 tablespoons of the filling, spoon remaining mixture into cooled pie shell. With an off center spatula, smooth filling to the edges of the pie.
Reserve 2 tablespoons of the hot fudge topping. Using a microwave, heat the hot fudge topping for 30 seconds, stir and heat for additional time no more than 30 more seconds. Topping should be thick and pourable but not to runny. Start in the center of the pie and pour the hot fudge topping over the filling. With your off center spatula, smooth topping to edge of pie. Refrigerate until set up.

Take 10 of the frozen, unwrapped Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups and chop them into small pieces. Sprinkle chopped candy over pie, lightly pressing into the fudge topping. Reserve 4 tablespoons of Cool Whip.

With an off center spatula, spread the remaining Cool Whip over the entire pie. Smooth to edge of pie.

With the reserved Hot Fudge Topping, place in plastic baggy, cut a small corner from the bag and drizzle over pie. With the reserve filling, place in plastic baggy, cut a small corner from the bag and drizzle over pie going in the opposite direction then the Hot Fudge Topping. With the reserved Cool Whip, place in a plastic baggy, cut a small corner from the bag and pipe a boarder around the edge of the pie. Quarter the remaining five peanut butter cups and place around the piped boarder along the edge of the pie. Refrigerate until ready to eat.