Happy National Pie Day! Whether it’s summer’s ripest peaches, apples spiced with cinnamon and nutmeg, or tart lemon curd piled high with pillowy meringue, everything tastes better when served in pie form. In this case, we’ve updated the beloved combination of peanut butter and chocolate with a lightly salty pretzel crust. Be sure to use creamy peanut butter (or another favorite creamy nut butter) to retain the smooth texture of the pie.
Peanut Butter Pie with Pretzel Crust
Ingredients
For the pretzel crust:
- 4 1/2 cups (6 1/2 oz./200 g) pretzels
- 1 Tbs. firmly packed light brown sugar
- 1/2 cup (4 oz./125 g) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
- Pinch of kosher salt
For the filling:
- 1 1/2 cups (12 fl. oz./375 ml) heavy cream
- 1/2 lb. (250 g) cream cheese, at room temperature
- 1/2 cup (2 oz./60 g) confectioners’ sugar
- 1/4 tsp. kosher salt
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- 1 1/4 cups (12 1/2 oz./390 g) creamy peanut butter
For the topping:
- 1 cup (8 fl. oz./250 ml) heavy cream
- 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
- 2 Tbs. confectioners’ sugar
- Melted chocolate for garnish
- Chopped peanut butter cups for garnish
Directions
1. Preheat an oven to 350°F (180°C).
2. To make the pretzel crust, in a food processor, pulse the pretzels until finely ground. Add the brown sugar, melted butter and salt and pulse until the texture resembles wet sand. Gently press the mixture evenly into the bottom and up the sides of a 9 1/2-inch (24-cm) pie dish, pressing until compact.
3. Bake until the crust is golden brown, about 10 minutes. Let cool completely on a wire rack before filling.
4. To make the filling, in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the cream on medium speed until soft peaks form, 4 to 5 minutes. Transfer to a bowl.
5. In the same mixer bowl using the paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese on medium speed until smooth and pliable, about 3 minutes. Add the confectioners’ sugar, salt and vanilla and beat until well combined, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the peanut butter and beat until smooth, 1 to 2 minutes.
6. Using a rubber spatula, fold the whipped cream into the peanut butter mixture until incorporated, 2 to 3 minutes; be careful not to overmix.
7. Pour the filling into the crust. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours or up to overnight.
8. Immediately before serving, add the toppings. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, combine the cream and vanilla. With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the sugar. Raise the speed to medium-high and beat until soft peaks form, about 2 minutes.
9. Top the pie with the whipped cream and garnish with melted chocolate and chopped peanut butter cups. Serve immediately. Serves 8 to 10.
For this and more than 35 ideas for sweet and savory pies, check out The Pie Cookbook, our all-inclusive guide to making pies by the cooks of the Williams Sonoma Test Kitchen.
3 comments
This was an incredible pie! I made it for a birthday and it was a huge hit.
Sounds (and looks) delicious! Thanks for the recipe.
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