Chocolate and Peanut Butter and Crust Crumbs All Over the Place!

Three days of pretending I know what I'm doing deserves an extra glass of wine tonight.

I must remind readers that I am not anywhere near a competent recipe writer. I’m great at throwing things together on a whim and a prayer and have it come out surprisingly well but I probably wouldn’t be able to tell you how or what I did. That’s what a really good but slipshod cook I am.

Unfortuately, baking is unforgiving of slipshod cooking so it was particularly cheeky of me to have promised a recipe for a Route 6 peanut butter and chocolate pie. I couldn’t even find a recipe that came close to replicating it in any of the hundreds of cookbooks in my house. The crust had to support but not overwhelm the filling. The chocolate should be firm but pliable, just thick enough to carry the peanut butter, And the peanut butter? Tawny brown, firm but velvety, rich, but not cloying. These were the hallmarks of a true Route 6 pie.

The six I made between Wednesday until an hour ago were a disgrace. The fine Belgium chocolate I used on the first hardened so much that the whole pie lifted out of the pan while attempting to cut it. The lard crust tasted too meaty. The butter crust was too flaky. There wasn’t enough peanut butter taste, or it was too oily, or simply blah.

As my husband said last night, upon surveying the chocolate smeared, peanut butter slathered, crumb laden state of the kitchen, “maybe you should hang it up.”

Also, he couldn’t bring himself to stand trying another experiment.

Then, early this morning, I called my great friend Ellen, who made up recipes and menu for a living. I told her my problem. I could hear her brain sifting through a ton of of her mental recipe drawers. We debated the merits of cream cheese, using dark chocolate and natural peanut butter. Make sure the bottom crust was thick. How about a ganache instead of just melting chocolate?

Couldn’t she drop everything at her home in Florida and fly up to Brooklyn to make the pie, herself?

“Wish I could,” she said. But, of course, she couldn’t.

A couple of hours later my sister called and she made the mistake of asking what I was up to. I spilled out the peanut butter and chocolate pie saga.

“You’re over thinking it,” she said. “It’s a diner pie. They probably use pudding.”

What a shocking suggestion! “No they don’t!”

“Good luck then.”

And I was back to being alone.

One more try…..and here it is, culled from a couple of recipes on-line and one in my battered copy of the 1965 edition of The Farms Journey’s Complete Pie Cookbook. It’s actually quite nice but not quite right. It’s a little two peanut buttery, not tawny enough nor dense. The chocolate is getting there.

Maybe my sister is right. Maybe I am over thinking it. Maybe I’m merely sick of the sight of peanut butter and chocolate.

Please help out! What would make a difference? All suggestions are greatly appreciated!!!

Peanut Butter and Chocolate Pie
(Pat's Version)

9" inch pie pan
2 1/2 packets of graham crackers
1 stick and two tablespoons of softened butter 
1 cup bittersweet chocolate chips
1 3/4 cups peanut butter--one of the brands that are not so creamy 
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
2/3 cup powdered sugar

Crush the graham crackers in a food processors until they are fine crumbs. Pour into a bowl.

Melt one stick of butter and add to the crumbs, mixing until well combined. Press into a 9" inch shallow pie pan. Rest the crust in the freezer while you make the filling.

Place the chocolate chips in a bowl and add 2 tablespoons of peanut butter. Heat the heavy cream in a small saucepan just until it begins to boil. Pour the cream over the chocolate, let sit for a few minutes, then vigorously whisk until it's completely smooth. Take the crust out of the freezer and pour in the chocolate. Shake once or twice to evenly distribute it across the bottom. Refrigerate the crust for at least 30 minutes or until firm.

In a large mixing bowl, add the remaining softened butter, the peanut butter, and powdered sugar. Beat on low speed until smooth. Watch that you don't over mix and make it too fluffy.  

Take out the pie crust. Test the chocolate layer to make sure it is firm. Spoon the peanut butter filling across the chocolate, making peaks with the back of your spoon.

Serve plain or, if you desire, sprinkle chopped nuts and/or chocolate pieces across the top. 

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