This pie isn’t particularly delicate, but it delivers a hefty shot of chocolate and peanut butter. Make it for pure enjoyment and indulgence. Once the crust is done, the rest of it goes together in a flash.
Makes one 9-inch pie
Crumb Crust for a 9-inch pie shell, made with chocolate wafer cookies (page 32)
12 ounces (1½ cups) cream cheese, at room temperature
1 cup smooth peanut butter
1 cup confectioners’ sugar
⅓ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 can (14 ounces) sweetened condensed milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
¾ cup heavy (whipping) cream
Form and bake the crumb crust as directed in the recipe. Cool completely before filling.
Put the cream cheese and peanut butter in a large bowl and beat vigorously, using a hand-held electric mixer or a big wooden spoon, until blended and smooth. Combine and stir together the confectioners’ sugar and cocoa powder, then sift them together, or shake them through a strainer, over the cream cheese mixture. Beat vigorously until smooth and evenly mixed. Beat in the sweetened condensed milk and vanilla.
Pour the cream into a medium bowl and whip with an electric mixer or rotary beater until it stands in soft peaks. Scoop the cream on top of the peanut butter mixture and, using a rubber spatula or a big wooden spoon, fold in the cream just until you see no drifts of unblended cream. Scoop the filling into the prepared crust, mounding it in the center, then make decorative swirls with the back of a spoon. Refrigerate for 4 to 6 hours or overnight before serving.