You don’t have to be a Peanut Butter Lover to love this pie…but if you are, you’ll be in heaven.
You either love peanut butter or not. Our friend Michael is a devotee of the stuff in any form. Recently he prevailed upon Andrew to cook this version of a Peanut Butter pie. And we were so glad he did. This is an ethereal pie—it’s both light and airy and rich and creamy. And then to top it off, Andrew made a sublime Salted Caramel sauce. The leftover sauce had Michael raving about it served on Vanilla Ice Cream. Back to the pie…it starts with an Oreo Crust–filling intact. That is topped with Chocolate Caramel Mousse filling. On goes the peanut butter whipped cream and finally the Salted Caramel is drizzled over the finished pie. It’s the invention of Tessa Arias, whose Baking blog is called “Handle the Heat”, in part because she lives in Arizona. That’s likely why she serves this fantastic pie after refrigerating it for at least 6 hours. We discovered that’s the way it’s best. So please bake those hours into your pie baking schedule.
You’ll never guess where Peanut Butter was invented.
My mother was the world’s greatest fan of Peanut Butter. She devoured it at any hour of the day. It went from breakfast toast to afternoon tea. It was consumed in the form of cookies and eaten, stealthily, straight from the jar. Little did I know that may have been because she was a hometown booster. In 1884, Marcellus Gillmore Edson, of Montreal, Quebec, Canada was granted a U.S. patent for producing peanut butter from roasted peanuts. According to his patent application, when cooled, his peanut butter had “a consistency like that of butter, lard or ointment”. He produced it by milling roasted peanuts until they reached “a fluid or semi-fluid state”. Edson added sugar to the paste to harden it. The finished product took off like a rocket. Peanut butter was immensely popular, especially once it went south of the border. The United States is now its leading exporter. Here at home we consume $800 million worth of peanut butter a year. Here’s the fantastic recipe and after it, Andrew’s recipe for Salted Caramel Sauce.
Chocolate Peanut Butter Salted Caramel Mousse Pie
A Peanut Butter lovers delight in a pie that will please everyone who loves a great dessert.
Ingredients
- For the crust:
- 20 Oreo cookies (regular-stuffed, filling intact)
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- For the filling:
- 8 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1/2 cup salted caramel sauce, store-bought or homemade
- For the peanut butter whipped cream:
- 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
- 1/2 cup smooth peanut butter
- 2 tablespoons confectioners' sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Additional caramel sauce, for drizzling
- Additional peanut butter, melted, for drizzling (optional)
- Additional semisweet chocolate, melted, for drizzling (optional)
Directions
- Step 1 Make the crust:
- Step 2 Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray a 9-inch pie dish with cooking spray.
- Step 3 Place the Oreo cookies in the bowl of a food processor and pulse until finely ground. Add in the melted butter and pulse until moistened. Press the mixture into the bottom and up the sides of the prepared pie dish. Bake for 10 minutes, or until fragrant and set. Let cool completely on a wire rack.
- Step 4 Make the filling:
- Step 5 In a microwave-safe bowl, heat the chocolate on high in 30-second intervals, stirring between each interval, until melted and smooth. Let cool.
- Step 6 In a large bowl, use an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment to beat the cream until soft peaks form. On medium speed, gradually add the caramel and continue whipping until medium-stiff peaks form. Gently fold in the cooled melted chocolate until combined. Pour into cookie crust and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 6 hours.
- Step 7 Make the topping:
- Step 8 In a large bowl, use an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment to beat the cream until thickened. Add the peanut butter, sugar, and vanilla and beat on high speed until soft peaks form. Be careful not to overbeat.
- Step 9 Spread the cream evenly over the mousse layer.
- Step 10 Refrigerate a minimum of 6 hours for optimum results
- Step 11 Just before serving, drizzle with caramel sauce (recipe follows)
Salted Caramel Sauce
An incredible sauce that you'll want to have on hand from now on. Try it over Vanilla Ice Cream, waffles and pancakes.
Ingredients
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup water
- ½ cup heavy cream
- ¼ cup unsalted butter
- 1 tsp. Vanilla
- ¾ teaspoon kosher salt, or to taste
Directions
- Step 1 In a medium saucepan set over medium-high heat, combine the sugar with 1/2 cup cold water and stir to combine. Cook, without stirring, until the sugar has turned a deep amber hue, approximately 10 to 12 minutes.
- Step 2 Meanwhile, warm the cream in a small saucepan. When the caramel is ready, slowly whisk in the warm cream and continue simmering the mixture until it is smooth another 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from heat, then whisk in the vanilla, the butter, and then the salt, to taste. Serve warm.
