Peanut Butter Pie

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Quick Bite

Peanut butter pie is a rich, creamy dessert built around peanut butter, whipped filling, and a crumbly crust. In Georgia, it makes perfect sense: peanut country knows how to turn a humble legume into dessert royalty.

History

Peanut butter pie does not have one clear inventor. It grew out of Southern peanut desserts, cream pies, icebox pies, and the rise of peanut butter as a pantry staple in the 20th century. Once peanut butter became common in home kitchens, turning it into pie was only a matter of time.

Georgia’s connection is obvious: peanuts are one of the state’s signature crops. Georgia has long been the country’s leading peanut-producing state, and peanut desserts show up everywhere from family tables to roadside markets to restaurant dessert cases.

There are two main personalities of peanut butter pie. Some versions are baked, gooey, and closer to peanut pie, with roasted peanuts and a filling similar to pecan pie. Others are chilled and creamy, made with peanut butter, cream cheese, whipped cream, or pudding in a cookie or graham cracker crust.

The chilled version is the one many people crave today. It is cool, sweet, salty, fluffy, and rich enough that a small slice feels like a full event. Add chocolate and it becomes dangerously close to a peanut butter cup in pie form.

Fun Facts

• Peanut butter pie can be baked or no-bake, depending on the recipe style.
• Chocolate cookie crust is a popular move because peanut butter and chocolate are basically best friends.
• A good peanut butter pie should taste salty enough to keep the sweetness in check.

Where to Try

Mary Mac’s Tea Room Atlanta, Georgia
A classic Atlanta Southern restaurant known for comfort food and a famous peanut butter pie.

Hunter’s Pub & Steakhouse Hamilton, Georgia
A small-town steakhouse with a loyal following and a much-loved peanut butter pie.

Pie Bar Woodstock and Marietta, Georgia
Their Peanut Butter Cream Pie leans into the modern chilled style with a chocolate cookie crust and whipped topping.

Recipe

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Peanut Butter Pie Makes: 1 9-inch pie Servings: 8 Prep: 20 minutes Chill: At least 4 hours Difficulty: Easy Style: Southern Peanut Dessert

Ingredients

For the pie

• 1 prepared chocolate cookie crust or graham cracker crust
• 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 1 cup creamy peanut butter
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 ½ cups heavy cream, cold
• 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
• ⅓ cup chopped roasted salted peanuts
• Chocolate syrup or melted chocolate, optional

Instructions

1. Beat the cream cheese: In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese until smooth.
2. Make the peanut butter base: Add the peanut butter, powdered sugar, vanilla, and salt.
3. Beat until creamy.
4. Whip the cream: In a separate bowl, whip the heavy cream with the granulated sugar until stiff peaks form.
5. Fold together: Fold the whipped cream into the peanut butter mixture in two additions.
6. Keep the filling light and fluffy.
7. Fill the crust: Spoon the filling into the crust and smooth the top.
8. Chill: Chill for at least 4 hours, or overnight for cleaner slices.
9. Finish and serve: Top with chopped peanuts and a drizzle of chocolate before serving.

Traditional note: To make it more traditional, use Georgia peanuts, add chopped roasted salted peanuts to the filling, or try a baked peanut pie style with eggs, brown sugar, corn syrup, and peanuts if you want something closer to an old-fashioned Southern nut pie.

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