A cookbook was on the kitchen counter. It had been there for a few weeks. I marked a page with a recipe for a gooey cake. I opened the book to see what ingredients I needed. It was Sunday, the day I usually do my big grocery shopping. Anyway, as I looked over the recipe once again I was uninspired. Whatever had drawn my attention was gone. I started flipping pages and ran across a Baked Peanut Butter Pie. I immediately added a few things to my shopping list.
What made me want to bake the pie? It's a simple reason. Well, two simple reasons. First it is peanut butter. Need I say the other? Okay, I'll go ahead. My husband's birthday was the next day. He loves peanut butter treats possibly more than me. Possibly. I knew I could bake this pie, get it photographed, and ready for him to enjoy on his birthday.
No one call the pie crust police. (That's for my fellow foodie friends). I admit I used store-bought refrigerated pie crust. It was a matter of not enough time to make a homemade one. Oh, and I'm pie crust shaping challenged. I lovingly describe my edges as rustic. Thank goodness for the fork technique. I admire those who can make magazine cover worthy edges.
How is the Baked Peanut Butter Pie? The filling has a texture similar to baked custard yet denser. Think of the texture of a sweet potato or pumpkin pie. The pie is also rich and decadent. The original recipe suggests to serve it with chocolate syrup and crushed peanuts. I knew my husband would prefer it without chocolate so I left it off. Yes, even for photos. This was his pie and I wanted every bit of it to be to his liking.
Do you enjoy peanut butter? I do, absolutely, positively. Some days I find myself having a spoonful right from the jar as a mid-afternoon pick-me-up. A few of my favorite treats are Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Ice Cream, Peanut Butter Buns, and Honey Roasted Peanut Butter Pound Cake. I think next up will be muffins or perhaps an ice cream topping. Stay tuned…
Baked Peanut Butter Pie
Ingredients
- Store-bought or homemade pie crust for a 9-inch pie refrigerated
- 2 eggs at room temperature and separated
- ½ cup firmly packed light brown sugar
- ¾ cup creamy peanut butter
- ¼ cup dark corn syrup
- 5 ounces evaporated milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Place pie crust in a 9-inch pie pan. Press crust against sides of pan. Fold edges under and press to shape edge as desired (I used a fork).
- Beat egg whites in a medium bowl until stiff peaks form.
- Beat egg yolks and brown sugar in a large bowl until mixture is light brown in color and thickened.
- Add peanut butter and corn syrup and beat to combine.
- Gradually beat in milk and vanilla.
- Fold in egg whites. Pour mixture into pie crust lined pan.
- Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until filling is set.
- Cool for 15 minutes or completely on a wire rack (pie can be served warm or at room temperature).
Notes
Recipe adapted from one in Pillsbury's The Complete Book of Baking cookbook published in 1993.
I want to make this today but just have chunky not smooth peanut butter. Do you think it will work? Maybe use 1 cup instead of the 3/4 cup
It should work however the texture will not be smooth because of the chunks of peanuts in the chunky peanut butter. Oh, and don't increase the amount of peanut butter if you use chunky.
I am sooo intrigued by the notion of a baked peanut butter pie! and it looks incredible!
Do I need to bake the pie shell first?
You do not need to bake the pie shell first.
Should this pie be refrigerated after it cool?
Yes, if you're not going to eat it within a couple of hours of it cooling.
Can it be made with out separating and whipping the eggs?
The whipped egg whites add lightness to the texture of the pie filling; if you just use whole eggs without whipping the egg whites, the pie will be denser. I'd recommend sticking with the instructions if possible (especially if you're baking for Thanksgiving!). Hope this helps!
@Peter king, you must whip the whites to stiff peaks before folding into peanut butter mixture as described. It lightens the pie, lets air in and allows it to rise a bit.
Would you be able to tell me how to convert this to a deep dish 9" pie plate? Amount of ingredients needed?
Thank You
RB
I would increase the filling ingredients by 1/2 over, then use your judgment to determine how high to fill the pie pan; you might end up with more filling than you need.
For example, you'll use 3 eggs instead of 2, 3/4 cup of firmly packed brown sugar instead of 1/2 cup, and so on.
Baking time will probably increase a bit, just watch for when the filling is set.
Can I use light corn syrup? I could not find dark at the store.
Yes, absolutely. It will have a lighter flavor and color, but otherwise should work the same.
I like this recipe, but rather than using corn syrup, I used bkackstrap molasses. I find the more complex flavor of the molasses adds to the finished product.
Do you serve this warm like Pumpkin Pie?
You can serve it warm or cool, whichever you prefer.
Absolutely delicious! My family prefers this to pumpkin pie hands down. We love it slightly warmed ala mode with a good vanilla ice cream.
This was my first peanut butter pie. I made two, one for my family and one for a friend. It is absolutely delicious. Thank you for such a good and sensible recipe.
I also used molasses instead of corn syrup. I will cut back next time since the filling was sweeter than it needed to be. I think this would be delicious with a chocolate pie shell like https://www.kingarthurbaking.com/recipes/chocolate-pie-crust-recipe and will try that next time. Served with whipped cream, chopped peanuts, and dark chocolate chips.