Delessio Bakery (delessiomarket.com)

Lily is our Peanut Butter Princess.  Aka the great Peanut Butter Traveling sales women in training or the Peanut Butter Whisperer.  Whatever you may call her, she just loves the stuff. I have to admit to a certain fondness for peanut butter too—peanut butter and jelly sandwiches are my go to food when there is nothing else in the house to eat. Peanut butter and chocolate is one of my all time favorite combinations.  I was hooked on Reese’s as a kid, both the cups and the pieces.  I also love Tagalogs—you know the girl scout cookies?  One of my very guilty pleasures is to stash a box of Tagalogs in the freezer.  I eat the peanut butter patty on top first, then the somewhat naked shortbread.  I have always been very specific about how to eat my sweet indulgences.  (Don’t even ask about Kitkats or Twix bars.)  Lest you are shocked by these revelations, don’t worry—I only eat mass produced treats when I am desperate. Or out of gummy worms.

But Lily’s first birthday is coming up—this Friday to be exact and I want to make her something so delicious she will not be able to resist putting her entire face into her piece of birthday extravaganza.  When Lily likes something she screams with joy and puts her entire face in it.  Sometimes I wish that I could do that too!

cakes from Delessio Bakery (delessiomarket.com)

When I first started working in the restaurant business, I worked the cold station and helped make desserts.  One of the desserts that I introduced to the The Cannery (now closed) in Yarmouth, Maine was Richard Sax’s Peanut Butter Pie with Fudge Topping.  It rocks.  It’s fast, easy and can be made with one hand on the kitchen aid and a baby on your hip.  If you wanted to speed up the process you can make this delicious pie with a purchased graham cracker crust.  I love the fudge topping.  It’s just soft enough. (Really it’s just ganache, not fudge.) The chocolate that I really like to use is Guittard—it’ a San Francisco based company.  They have exceptional chocolates and I really like supporting family owned businesses whenever I can.  To complement the pie, I ordered up a small Chocolate Retro cake from Delessio Bakery in San Francisco.  They make really great cakes and pastries among other things.  Check them out if you can.

Peanut Butter Pie with Fudge Topping

Adapted from Classic Home Desserts by Richard Sax

Graham Cracker Crust

1 cup graham cracker crumbs (about 15 individual crackers)

¼ cup sugar

½ stick unsalted butter, melted

Filling

8 oz cream cheese, softened

1 cup creamy peanut butter (do not use old fashioned or freshly ground)

1 cup confectioners sugar

2 Tbsp. butter, melted

1 Tbsp. vanilla extract

Fudge Topping

½ cup heavy cream

6 oz semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, chopped

1. Graham Cracker Crust: Preheat the oven to 350F with a rack in the lower third.  In a medium bowl, combine the graham cracker crumbs, sugar and butter until well blended.  Press evenly into a buttered 9 inch pie pan, reaching up to but not over the rim. Bake until lightly browned, about 10 minutes. Cool the crust completely on a wire rack.
2. Filling: Beat the cream cheese and peanut butter with an electric mixer or Kitchen Aid at medium speed until well blended. Add the confectioners sugar, butter and vanilla and continue beating until fluffy.  (For a more mousse like filling fold in ½ cup not-quite stiffly whipped cream at this time.)
3. Carefully spoon the filling into the cooled crust, spreading evenly. Loosely cover the pie and refrigerate until firm, about 3 hours. (At this point you may put the pie in the freezer to speed it up.  You may also freeze the pie for 2 weeks at this point.)
4. Fudge Topping: Bring the cream to a simmer in a small heavy saucepan. Add the chocolate and stir until smooth. Set aside to cool to lukewarm.  Gently spread the topping over the cooled pie.  Refrigerate until firm, about 3 hours.
5. Cut the pie into wedges and serve cold.