No-Bake Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie

Name: No-Bake Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie
Prep time: 35 min
Cook time: 3 min
Total time: 38 min
Yield: 10 servings
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 20 cookies (227 g) chocolate sandwich cookies, filling included, broken into pieces; 5 tablespoons (71 g) unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled; 8 ounces (226 g) full-fat cream cheese, softened to room temperature, cut into chunks; 1 cup (258 g) creamy peanut butter (not natural style), at room temperature; 1 cup (120 g) powdered sugar, sifted if lumpy; 1 teaspoon (5 ml) pure vanilla extract; ¼ teaspoon (1½ g) fine salt; 8 ounces (227 g) frozen whipped topping (such as Cool Whip), thawed in the fridge, about 3 cups; 4 ounces (113 g) semisweet chocolate, finely chopped; ½ cup (120 ml) heavy cream; ¼ cup (35 g) roasted salted peanuts, roughly chopped

From the MyKitchenBank Kitchen

A chocolate cookie crust holds a fluffy, mousse-like peanut butter and cream cheese filling, finished with a glossy chocolate ganache and chopped peanuts. It needs no oven and slices cleanly after a long chill.

Prep: 35 min
Cook: 3 min
Wait: 5 hr 5 min
Total: 5 hr 43 min
Makes: 1 deep-dish 9-inch pie (10 slices)

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Ingredients

10 servings

For the crust
20 cookies (227 g) chocolate sandwich cookies, filling included, broken into pieces
5 tablespoons (71 g) unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
For the filling
8 ounces (226 g) full-fat cream cheese, softened to room temperature, cut into chunks
1 cup (258 g) creamy peanut butter (not natural style), at room temperature
1 cup (120 g) powdered sugar, sifted if lumpy
1 teaspoon (5 ml) pure vanilla extract
¼ teaspoon (1.5 g) fine salt
8 ounces (227 g) frozen whipped topping (such as Cool Whip), thawed in the fridge, about 3 cups
For the ganache and topping
4 ounces (113 g) semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
½ cup (120 ml) heavy cream
¼ cup (35 g) roasted salted peanuts, roughly chopped

Equipment (7)

9-inch (23 cm) deep-dish pie plate, about 1¾ inches (4.5 cm) deep
Food processor, or a zip-top bag and rolling pin
Large mixing bowl and electric hand mixer (or stand mixer with paddle)
Rubber spatula
Small saucepan
Measuring cups and spoons
Sharp knife and a tall glass of hot water for slicing

Steps

Before you start

Set the cream cheese out for 1 hour so it is fully soft. Cold cream cheese leaves lumps in the filling.
Thaw the whipped topping in the fridge overnight, or for about 4 hours. It should be soft and spreadable but still cold.
Use a regular creamy peanut butter such as Jif or Skippy. Natural peanut butter is oily and makes the filling too loose to set.
Plan for about 5½ hours in total, including 4 hours of chilling after the ganache goes on. This pie is best made the day before you serve it.

1
Crush the cookies
- Add the cookie pieces to a food processor and pulse for about 30 seconds, until you have fine, even crumbs with no pieces bigger than a pea.
- If you have no food processor, seal the cookies in a zip-top bag and crush them with a rolling pin.
- You should have about 2 cups of crumbs.
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Ready when: Fine, sandy crumbs with no large chunks.
Tip: Pulse the cookies instead of running the processor continuously. Over-processing can turn the filling to paste.
2
Press and chill crust
- Stir the melted butter into the crumbs in a bowl until they look like damp sand.
- Tip them into the 9-inch (23 cm) deep-dish pie plate.
- Press firmly across the bottom and up the sides, using the flat bottom of a measuring cup to pack it tightly and level the top edge.
- Chill for 20 minutes so the butter firms the crust.
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Ready when: Crumbs hold together when pinched, and the crust feels firm to the touch.
Tip: Pack the sides firmly. Loose sides are the main reason a crust crumbles when you cut the pie.
3
Beat cream cheese and peanut butter
- In a large bowl, beat the softened cream cheese with an electric mixer on medium speed for 1 minute, until completely smooth.
- Add the peanut butter and beat for 1 to 2 minutes more, scraping down the bowl once or twice, until the mixture is smooth, creamy, and uniform in color.
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Ready when: No visible lumps of cream cheese, and the mixture looks like a smooth, thick paste.
Tip: Beat the cream cheese on its own first. Lumps will not break up once the peanut butter is added.
4
Add sugar and flavorings
- Add the powdered sugar, vanilla, and salt.
- Start the mixer on low so the sugar does not puff out of the bowl, then increase to medium and beat for 1 minute until smooth and slightly lighter in color.
- Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl.
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Ready when: The mixture is thick, smooth, and has no streaks of sugar.
5
Fold in whipped topping
- Add about one-third of the thawed whipped topping to the peanut butter mixture and stir it in with a spatula to loosen the base.
- Add the remaining topping and fold gently, scooping from the bottom and turning over the top, until no white streaks remain.
- Stop as soon as it is uniform.
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Ready when: Light, fluffy, pale-tan filling with no streaks of whipped topping.
Tip: Fold gently. Stirring hard knocks out the air and gives a dense, heavy filling.
6
Fill and set the pie
- Scrape the filling into the chilled crust and mound it slightly in the center.
- Smooth the top with the back of a spoon or an offset spatula, leaving about ¼ inch (6 mm) of room below the rim for the ganache.
- Refrigerate uncovered for 30 minutes so the surface firms up.
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Ready when: The surface is set and no longer sticky when lightly touched.
Tip: Do not skip this short chill. Warm ganache poured on a soft filling will blend into it.
7
Make the ganache
- Put the chopped chocolate in a heatproof bowl.
- Warm the cream in a small saucepan over medium-low heat for about 3 minutes, until steaming and tiny bubbles form at the edges.
- Do not let it boil.
- Pour the hot cream over the chocolate, wait 2 minutes, then stir slowly from the center outward until glossy and smooth.
- Let it cool for about 10 minutes, stirring once or twice, until slightly thickened but still pourable.
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Ready when: Ganache is glossy and smooth, and feels barely warm to the touch when you dab a little on your wrist.
Tip: Use bar chocolate rather than chips for the smoothest, glossiest ganache.
8
Top and chill
- Pour the ganache into the center of the pie and tilt the plate gently, or spread with a spatula, so it covers the filling to the edge of the crust.
- Scatter the chopped peanuts over the top.
- Refrigerate, uncovered, for at least 4 hours or overnight, until the filling is firm all the way through.
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Ready when: The center does not jiggle when the plate is nudged, and the ganache is set and matte-glossy.
Tip: Once the ganache has set, cover loosely with plastic wrap held away from the surface by toothpicks if keeping the pie overnight.
9
Slice and serve
- Dip a sharp knife in a tall glass of hot water and wipe it dry.
- Cut the pie into 10 slices, wiping and re-dipping the knife between cuts.
- Serve straight from the fridge.
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Ready when: Slices hold their shape with clean sides and a defined ganache layer.
Tip: A hot, dry knife cuts through the ganache without cracking it.

Good to know

Tips

Use full-fat cream cheese in a block, not spreadable tub style, which has extra water and can make the filling loose.
Sift the powdered sugar if it has lumps, since lumps won't beat out once the peanut butter is added.
For neater slices, chill the pie for a full 6 hours or overnight before cutting.
Let the ganache cool until it starts to thicken before pouring. If it is too warm it will melt the top of the filling.

Make ahead

"Make the whole pie up to 2 days ahead and keep it chilled. Wait to cover it until the ganache is fully set, then tent it loosely. The crust alone can be pressed into the plate and refrigerated, covered, up to 2 days before filling."

Storage & reheating

Refrigerate, loosely covered, for up to 5 days. Do not leave at room temperature longer than 1 hour, since the filling softens quickly. To freeze, freeze the pie uncovered for 2 hours, then wrap tightly in plastic wrap and foil for up to 2 months. Thaw in the fridge for 6 to 8 hours (or overnight) before slicing. Serve chilled; no reheating needed.

Substitutions

frozen whipped topping (such as Cool Whip) → 2 cups (480 ml) cold heavy cream whipped to stiff peaks with 2 tablespoons powdered sugar. Gives a richer, less sweet filling. Fold in the same way, and expect a slightly softer set, so chill the full 4 hours or more.
chocolate sandwich cookies, filling included → 1 store-bought 9-inch (23 cm) chocolate cookie pie crust (6 ounces / 170 g). Saves time. Choose a deep-dish crust if you can find one, or expect to have a little filling left over.
semisweet chocolate → bittersweet or milk chocolate, chopped. Bittersweet balances the sweet filling; milk chocolate gives a softer, sweeter topping that may need an extra 30 minutes to set.
roasted salted peanuts → chopped peanut butter cups or mini chocolate chips. Use the same amount, about ¼ cup, for a nut-free topping. The filling itself still contains peanut butter.