By Josie turned 13 Friday. A small dinner at home — she wanted it low-key this year. Sleepover moved to Saturday with three friends. The usual chaos. I survived. She was delighted.
Drove Tuesday, short.
Book two revision at 72%.
Gayle ate cake with us. A piece of chocolate sheet cake. She said, "Thirteen." She looked at Josie. She said, "Darla's birthday is Friday." It was. Darla would have been 44 this year. I had not brought it up. Gayle brought it up. Josie did not know — she had never been told the birthdate. She said, "Really, Grandma?" Gayle said, "She loved this cake." Josie said, "Me too, Grandma." Gayle hugged her. My thirteen-year-old and my eighty-year-old at my kitchen table, my thirty-two-year-dead sister in the air between them.
Sunday: fried chicken.
I’ve been making some version of a chocolate dessert for Josie’s birthdays since she was small, and after Friday—after watching Gayle hold her hand over that plate and say Darla’s name out loud—I wanted to stay inside that feeling a little longer. This Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie is the kind of thing you make when the occasion calls for something rich and uncomplicated, something that doesn’t need to explain itself. It has the same deep chocolate pull as that sheet cake, and it comes together without much fuss, which is exactly what I need when I’m still thinking about an eighty-year-old and a thirteen-year-old finding each other across a kitchen table.
Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie
Prep Time: 20 minutes | Cook Time: 0 minutes | Total Time: 20 minutes + 4 hours chilling | Servings: 10
Ingredients
- 1 pre-made chocolate cookie crumb crust (9-inch)
- 1 cup creamy peanut butter
- 8 oz cream cheese, softened
- 1 1/4 cups powdered sugar, divided
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 1/4 cup heavy cream (for ganache)
- 2 tablespoons chopped salted peanuts, for garnish
Instructions
- Make the whipped cream. In a chilled bowl, beat 1 cup heavy whipping cream with 1/4 cup powdered sugar and vanilla extract on medium-high until stiff peaks form. Set aside in the refrigerator.
- Beat the filling base. In a large bowl, beat the softened cream cheese with an electric mixer until smooth and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add peanut butter and remaining 1 cup powdered sugar and beat until fully combined and creamy.
- Fold in whipped cream. Gently fold the whipped cream into the peanut butter mixture in two additions, using a rubber spatula. Fold just until no white streaks remain — do not overmix.
- Fill the crust. Spoon the filling into the chocolate cookie crust and smooth the top evenly with an offset spatula or the back of a spoon.
- Make the ganache. In a small saucepan over low heat (or in the microwave in 20-second bursts), warm 1/4 cup heavy cream until just steaming. Pour over the chocolate chips in a small bowl. Let sit 1 minute, then stir until completely smooth and glossy.
- Top the pie. Drizzle the ganache over the top of the pie in whatever pattern you like. Scatter chopped peanuts over the top.
- Chill. Refrigerate the pie for at least 4 hours, or overnight, until fully set before slicing and serving.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 520 | Protein: 10g | Fat: 37g | Carbs: 40g | Fiber: 2g | Sodium: 310mg