Peanut Butter Pie

by Adam King

HR Director and Senior Vice Admiral of Dad Jokes

My family celebrated a lot of great traditions together, but birthdays weren’t one of them. We didn’t do birthday parties at all. The one time I had a “birthday cake” was actually two weeks after my birthday, and the cake was just something my cousin had made for 4H. To her credit, my mom still sends birthday cards to me and my brothers, although they usually arrive several months late. My family just never felt the need to make a big deal out of someone’s birthday.

So, it was a total surprise to me when I got married and discovered that, in my wife’s family, birthdays are huge! Amber LOVES to celebrate other people. It’s a good thing that she’s an Event Planner because she will take any special occasion—a birthday party, wedding, baby shower, or simple personal accomplishment—and turn it into a once-in-a-lifetime event.

The first year we were married, she asked me what kind of cake I wanted for my birthday. When I said, “I didn’t know I had a choice,” her head slid slowly to the side, and she stared at me like I’d confessed to murder.

“Just kidding,” I said, scrambling to come up with a better answer. I had a vague memory of a pie I had tasted once at a county fair and really liked. It was a velvety mix of peanut butter, cream cheese, and homemade whipped cream. I blurted out, “Peanut butter pie!”

I don’t know what Amber thought of my weird request, but she made me a pie that was so incredibly delicious that I’ve asked for it every birthday since. I’ll warn you that it’s very rich, so don’t eat more than one slice at a time. I just leave it in the fridge and enjoy a little every day for a week. It’s like multiple days of celebration every year! I love it. It makes up for all those birthdays I missed when I was a kid.

PEANUT BUTTER PIE

Ingredients

• 24 Oreos, crushed
• 4 Tbsp butter, melted
• 8 oz cream cheese
• 1 cup creamy peanut butter
• 8 oz whipped cream
• 1¼ cup powdered sugar
• cookie crumbs and/or Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups for topping

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. In a bowl, mix the crushed Oreos with melted butter.
3. Pour crumbs into a pie dish and pat down to form crust.
4. Bake crust for 5 minutes or until set.
5. In a bowl, mix the cream cheese and peanut butter until smooth.
6. Add in the whipped cream and powdered sugar. Mix again until smooth.
7. Pour mixture over crust and smooth out the top.
8. Refrigerate or freeze until set, about an hour.
9. Sprinkle the top with cookie crumbs and/or Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups.
10. Eat with a small fork and plenty of milk!