While on my recent trip out west, I had the opportunity to make desert for myself and 5 other people. Baking isn’t my forte, but I have a go-to desert that doesn’t require anything in the oven: chocolate peanut butter pudding pie.
This pie, taught to me by a truly talented culinary friend (Josh) many years ago, originated as a vanilla pudding pie. It was very good, but I’m much more of a chocolate guy myself.
The pie takes around 20 minutes to make (plus some time to sit in the fridge), and it costs about $10.
- 1 graham cracker crust
- 1 box of cook-and-serve chocolate pudding (not instant, and not fake sugar; I typically get the bigger box if there’s an option)
- powdered sugar
- creamy peanut butter
- Cool Whip (or make whipped cream from scratch)
- whole milk (for the pudding)
Mix a few hearty spoonfuls of peanut butter with powdered sugar by hand until you have a bunch of crumbly bits (it should no longer be sticky). There should be enough to form a layer at the base of the graham cracker crust. Then make the pudding, which you need to stir constantly for around 10 minutes per the instructions on the box. Pour the pudding on top of the peanut butter crumble in the pie shell, then let it cool in the fridge for an hour or longer. When you’re ready to eat it, slather the top with Cool Whip or homemade whipped cream. Then eat!
Please note that there are many fancier ways to make this pie. You could make the crust from scratch, and you could make chocolate mousse instead of pudding. But I think it works pretty darn well as a quick pie. Just make sure not to buy instant pudding. Cook & serve pudding does take extra time, but the consistency is much better than the instant version.
What’s your desert of choice to make when you have the opportunity?
Because my husband, the pod person, doesn’t like pumpkin… I make an apple pie at Thanksgiving, and a chocolate silk pie for Christmas. All other occasions, I will usually make a white chocolate cheesecake.
I love the simplicity of your pie. It’s very similar to the chocolate silk pie (graham cracker crust, chocolate custard, and whipped cream on top). I haven’t ever made the cooked pudding from a box, but I will say that 10 mins of constant stirring sounds way too long. I make my chocolate pie from scratch and only have to stir/whisk the custard constantly for around 3 minutes. Interesting that you don’t like the consistency of instant pudding – I grew up with it and will still make it occasionally if I’m looking for a quick and comforting chocolate fix. If you’re supposed to stir constantly for that long because you’re starting with cold milk, I would suggest that you microwave the milk first to heat it. It saves all that stirring, and you can get the top skin off it before you add to the pan on the stovetop.
Now you’ve got me wanting to try that PB layer under this year’s chocolate pie. I LOVE chocolate/PB combo!
White chocolate cheesecake sounds delicious! That’s good to know about microwaving the milk first–I’ll try that next time. 🙂
Methinks Jamey is being a hair modest in leaving out that this is in fact an AWARD WINNING pie recipe. Picture this, the year is two-thousand something and I’m a young, wet-behind-the-ears baker. A dessert contest is announced in my office. I scramble for a recipe but cannot come up with a surefire winner, after years of losing to “somebody’s Grandma”. Valiantly, Jamey saves the day. He shares this heretofore secret recipe. I enter the pie (sprinkled with crushed Heath bar bits on top for visual appeal). There were a hundred entries if there were three. Tension mounted as the desserts were poked and prodded, tested for illicit substances, and whatever else dessert judges are trained to do. And then…the moment we’d all awaited for seemingly tens of minutes. The pie was announced as second place! Vindicated, I wept. Jamey patted my shoulder and calmly stated, “That’ll do, Trev. That’ll do.” and we faded into the sunset.
Also, the “dressed up” version of this pie (with candy topping added) is my son Will’s favorite dessert. He asks for it nearly every holiday!
Thanks Trev! I appreciate the reminder to add chocolate peanut butter candy to the top of the pie–that does make it extra special.
Also, excellent Babe reference!