Pie for the 4th of July and an Introduction

In America, the 4th of July is a day filled with family, fireworks and food.  In addition to celebrating our nation's independence, it's also a day I get some freedom from the kitchen.  My husband fixes our meal that day and I fix dessert.

Although nothing is more American than apple pie, this year I decided to make something cold:  Peanut Butter Pie.  A friend shared the recipe with me last year.  It doesn't require any cooking which is a big plus in the summer.  It's quick and easy to make, but you do need to allow time for it to firm up in the refrigerator overnight.

The recipe calls for 1 cup whipping cream.  If you don't have a stand mixer and don't want to beat whipping cream for 20 to 30 minutes, you can substitute 1 cup Cool Whip.  If you use whipping cream, it needs to be whipped to this consistency:

You can also use different pie crusts.  The original recipe called for a regular size graham cracker pie crust.  I think the filling gets firmer in a deep-dish pie crust, but you can use either one.  If you like the combination of peanut butter and chocolate, you might try substituting a chocolate pie crust.  An idea I've had, but never tried, is making a pie crust using crushed Nutter Butter cookies and melted butter.  I think that would add an extra burst of peanut butter.  If you try making the crust, let me know how it turns out.

The first time I made the pie, my son wanted to know if I could put chocolate on top.  He had several ideas on how to do this, but we decided to use a bottle of Magic Shell ice cream topping.  The Magic Shell topping gets hard quickly so I put it on the pie one hour before serving and put the pie back in the refrigerator.  It takes a full bottle of Magic Shell to cover a deep-dish crust.

Without the Magic Shell topping.

With the Magic Shell topping.

If you don't want to use the Magic Shell topping, the recipe includes directions for garnishing the pie.  This pie is delicious, with or without the topping.  It's a great recipe to make on a hot summer day -- or any day -- when you want something sweet, but don't want to heat up the kitchen.

Easy Peanut Butter Chip Pie

6 to 8 Servings

1 (3 oz.) pkg. cream cheese, softened

1 tsp. lemon juice

1 (10 oz.) pkg. peanut butter chips, divided

2/3 cup sweetened condensed milk

1 cup cold whipping cream, divided

1 graham cracker pie crust
1 Tbsp. powdered sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract

Beat cream cheese and lemon juice in medium bowl until fluffy, about 2 minutes; set aside.  Place 1 cup peanut butter chips and sweetened condensed milk in a small microwave-safe bowl.  Microwave on High 45 seconds; stir.  If necessary, microwave on High an additional 15 seconds at a time, stirring after each heating, until chips are melted and the mixture is smooth when stirred.  Add warm peanut butter mixture to cream cheese mixture.  Beat on medium speed of mixer until blended, about 1 minute. Beat 1/2 cup whipping cream in another small bowl until stiff; fold into peanut butter mixture.  Pour into pie crust; cover.  Refrigerate overnight until firm.  If desired, just before serving, combine remaining 1/2 cup whipping cream, powdered sugar and vanilla in small bowl.  Beat until stiff; spread over filling.  Garnish with remaining 2/3 cup peanut butter chips. Refrigerate leftovers.

Welcome to margaretsmorsels!  For years, I wanted to write a newspaper food column.  I never had the time to pursue that dream so I decided to do the next best thing:  write a food and cooking blog.  Rather than write a long detailed blog, I'm going to write morsels:  a bite; a fragment; a tasty dish.  These morsels will, I hope, be informative and inspire your culinary creativity.  Thanks for reading and please check back soon for the latest morsel.  Bon Appetit!

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