Pie #33: Groundhog Pie (Peanut Butter Chocolate Pie)

I love Groundhog's Day.  I can't explain it; I simply love finding out what weather the furry little creature will predict for the upcoming weeks!

As a child, Wandi always made groundhog cookies for our family.  The recipe for these cookies is on the back of the bag of Reese's peanut butter chips.  They are chocolate (like dirt) and have little peanut butter chunks (like groundhogs).  Since moving away, I have been making my own groundhog cookies and have shared them with my friends at school.  Unfortunately this year I was stuck in a Canadian airport and wasn't able to keep up with my tradition.  So, I decided to dedicate a pie to the little creature instead!

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Peanut Butter Chocolate Pie
Adapted from http://www.blissfullydelicious.com/2011/10/frozen-chocolate-peanut-butter-pie/, which was adapted from Martha Stewart's New Pies and Tarts

Ingredients:
1 chocolate cookie pie crust

filling:
6 oz. cream cheese (room temperature)
3/4 c. powdered sugar
1 t. salt
1 1/4 c. creamy peanut butter
1 t. vanilla
2 c. heavy cream

garnish:
1 oz. semi-sweet chocolate
2 T. creamy peanut butter

Pie Algorithm:
1. Filling: Beat cream cheese, powdered sugar, and salt until fluffy.  Beat in peanut butter and vanilla.  In separate bowl beat cream until soft peaks form.  Whisk 1/3 of whipped cream into peanut butter mixture, then fold in remaining whipped cream.  Spoon filling into crust.  Freeze uncovered for 4 hours or up to one day covered in plastic wrap.

2. Topping: Melt chocolate, then drizzle over pie with a spoon.  Next melt peanut butter and then drizzle it over the chocolate.  Let pie stand for 10 minutes before slicing.

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This week's pie was part of a double holiday celebration.  While it was made to remember Groundhog Day, it was actually shared with school friends in celebration of Chinese New Year.  The pie turned out well; it was the perfect amount of peanut butter and sweet, but was quite rich.  Overall, I think people really enjoyed it.  Being frozen, I think it would be a great summer treat.

In other news, I have a special note to my faithful readers: please be careful when searching for Groundhog Pie on the internet.  You may actually find what you have asked for!