Peanut Butter Candy Pie

I love it when someone's birthday comes around because I get to make a decadant and over-the-top dessert, which I love doing! Last week was my cousin's 22nd birthday and we celebrated with dinner and this Peanut Butter Candy Pie that I made. One of his favorite candy bars are reese's peant butter cups, so, I chose a dessert that incorporated them in it!

This pie starts off with a chocolate oreo cookie crust that gets sprinkled with chopped up peanut butter cups and then on top of that is a peanut butter filling, which is a mixture of cream cheese, peanut butter, powdered sugar, and freshly whipped cream. To top it off, I sprinkled colorful peanut M&M's on top! It is layerd with many textures; crunchy, smooth, creamy and it is rich, peanut buttery and nutty. It tastes kind of like a peanut butter cheesecake, but, it is much lighter due to the whipped cream that gets folded into it. There are a few steps in making this pie, but, it is really so simple to make, it looks impressive, and it is delicious! Everyone loved it!

Peanut Butter Candy Pie:

Ingredients:

For the crust:

-20 Oreo cookies, finely crushed or ground in a food processor

-4 tablespoons butter, melted

For the Pie:

-1 1/2 cups miniature peanut butter cup candies, roughly chopped

-8 ounces cream cheese, softened

-3/4 cup powdered sugar, plus 2 tablespoons, divided

3/4 cup creamy peanut butter

-1 cup heavy whipping cream

-1 teaspoon vanilla extract

-Peanut M&M's, chopped, for garnish

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line the bottom of a 9-inch springform pan with parchment paper and spray with non-stick cooking spray. 

2. To make the crust, stir Oreo cookie crumbs and butter in a small bowl until moistened. Press the crumbs evenly into the bottom of the springform pan. Bake for 8-10 minutes, then transfer to a rack to cool completely.

3. When the crust is completely cooled, sprinkle with chopped peanut butter cups.

4. To make the pie, combine the cream cheese, 3/4 cups powdered sugar and the peanut butter in a large bowl until the mixture is light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.

5. In a seperate bowl, whip the heavy cream until light and thick. Add the 2 tablespoons of powdered sugar and the vanilla extract. Continue to whip until stiff peaks form.

6. Carefully fold the whipped cream into the peanut butter mixture. Pour batter into the springform pan and refrigerate for at least 4 hours.

7. When ready to serve, sprinkle the top with chopped peanut M&M's.