Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie

Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie

(Adapted from a recipe found in the Hy-Vee Seasons magazine)

Ingredients:

• 2 cups Oreo Cookies*
• 4 tablespoons Earth Balance margarine
• 8 oz. Vegan cream cheese, softened
• ¾ cup peanut butter
• ½ cup sugar
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 1 can coconut milk, refrigerated overnight
• 1 cup chocolate chips, (dairy free)

* You can make this crust gluten-free by using the crust in this twisted Pumpkin Pie recipe.

Directions:

Heat your oven to 350F. In your food processor place approximately 20 – 25 Oreos and pulse for several seconds until the cookies are finely crushed. Add the margarine and pulse until well-combined. Press the cookie crumb crust into the bottom of a 9″ spring form pan (a pie pan will work well here too). Bake the crust for 5 – 7 minutes to set. Remove from oven and cool completely.

Meanwhile, back at the farm, you can prepare the peanut butter filling. Begin this by combining the cream cheese, peanut butter, sugar and vanilla in a medium bowl. Use your mixer to beat these ingredients together until they’re on the fluffy side. Set aside the bowl, but not that mixer!

Next you want to get out that can of coconut milk that’s been sitting in the fridge overnight. The reason you took that step was to help separate the fat part of the milk from the runny stuff at the bottom. So in a separate bowl spoon out the thick, fatty part of the coconut milk, leaving behind the runny stuff at the bottom of the can. (Don’t throw out that can…we’ll need that for the Chocolate Topping). Get out your mixer again (don’t even worry about cleaning the beaters…it’s all going to be combined in the end) and whip the coconut milk on high for several minutes until you’ve got a nice whipped consistency. The stiffer the peaks the better. Fold your coconut whipped goodness into the peanut butter mixture and stir them all together.

Pour the peanut butter filling on top of the cooled cookie crust and place in the refrigerator until set, about two hours.

Next, in a small bowl combine the chocolate chips and the thin, runny coconut milk at the bottom of the can. (See? Aren’t you glad you didn’t toss it!) Microwave this for 33 seconds. I’m not being exact here, just lazy. It’s easier to hit the “3″ button twice (a trick from my hubby). Carefully remove the bowl from the oven (so you don’t burn yourself) and stir until blended. If it’s all melted, great. If not, return it to the microwave for 22 seconds (yes, same theory of laziness here works fine). By this point the chocolate should be all melted. Stir it a little more and then let it set to cool for a few minutes so that it’s still warm, but not hot. Spread the chocolate topping over the chilled peanut butter filling. Top with chopped peanuts (optional).

Cover and store in the fridge. Depending on the size of slices you cut, this pie could serve as many as 16. I happen to like smaller slices like that so I don’t feel so guilty about going back for seconds.