Desserts, Pies, Recipes

Fantastical Food Fight: Baked PB + J Pie

Sarah

Your favorite childhood sandwich… in PIE form! Enjoy PB&J in a whole new way. It’s not Pi Day anymore but that doesn’t mean we still can’t enjoy some pie. 🙂

Your favorite childhood sandwich... in PIE form! Enjoy PB&J in a whole new way. :)

Hey hey! It’s PB&J… not on bread… but in a PIE. Yes, you read that right. Peanut butter and jelly… in pie. Whaaaaat? I made this delicious pie for the PB&J themed Fantastical Food Fight this month. (New to Fantastical Food Fight? Check out all the details here–this is my first time joining in and I’m sure it won’t be my last.) This pie combines the best of the sweet childhood sandwich with a little bit of adult sophistication.

Your favorite childhood sandwich... in PIE form! Enjoy PB&J in a whole new way. :)

When tasked with making a peanut butter and jelly themed recipe for Fantastical Food Fight this month, I had so many ideas… cookies, cake, muffins, candy… the sweet treats go on and on! I even considered some kind of savory peanut butter pasta that incorporated berries somehow… or even a peanut butter-dressed kale salad with fruit. But then… somehow, someway… peanut butter and jelly PIE started sounding awfully appealing. I think it was the leftover cubed butter I had in the freezer from Thanksgiving that started it. See, my go-to pie crust requires cubing butter and chilling it in the freezer, so there you have it. To make the crust a little more interesting, I substituted some of the flour for crushed graham crackers to mimic some of the super-sweetness of the childhood version of the PB&J.

Your favorite childhood sandwich... in PIE form! Enjoy PB&J in a whole new way. :)

Most Peanut Butter Pies are no-bake concoctions, featuring lots of whipped cream, powdered sugar, and fluffy sweetness. But for some reason, I wasn’t feeling that lightness–I wanted something creamy and thick, more like the peanut butter and jelly sandwich that I still have for lunch on occasion. So I consulted my friend Google and found a few baked peanut butter pies and decided to give it a whirl! Turns out baked peanut butter pie is AWESOME, my friends! The texture is similar to pumpkin pie or even a homemade pudding/custard pie… it is rich and delicious. When you add a layer of jam between the graham cracker-laced crust and the creamy peanut butter pie filling, you’ll be in heaven. Each bite is better than the last. I used cherry preserves in this layer and the tartness pairs so well with the sweet peanut butter filling… but any kind of jam/jelly/preserves would go well I do believe. 🙂

Your favorite childhood sandwich... in PIE form! Enjoy PB&J in a whole new way. :)

I would say one slice is enough… but it really isn’t! Haha. We couldn’t get enough of this pie and hope you feel the same way. 🙂

one year ago: Coffee Chocolate Chip Streusel Muffins
two years ago: Mujaddara: Mediterranean Lentils and Rice with Carrot Slaw
three years ago: Apple Rubies in Coconut Milk
four years ago: Double Blueberry Walnut Muffins
five years ago: Quinoa Pancakes
six years ago: Lemon Blueberry Bread

P.S. Are you loving my custom stamped fork? Check out my college friend Nicole’s awesome Etsy shop, Tattooed Silver. #GiftIdea

Find more PB&J deliciousness at the link below!

Baked PB + J Pie

crust adapted from Simply Recipes, pie from Magnola Days

Ingredients:

for crust:

  • 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup graham cracker crumbs
  • pinch of salt
  • pinch of sugar
  • 8 tablespoons chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1/2 inch cubes (I like storing mine in the freezer for at least 1 hour)
  • 3-4 tablespoons ice water, very cold

for pie:

  • 2 eggs, at room temperature and separated
  • 1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed
  • 3/4 cup creamy peanut butter
  • 1/4 cup corn syrup
  • 5 ounces evaporated milk
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/2 cup jam or preserves of choice (I used cherry preserves)

Directions:

Begin by making your pie crust. If desired you can just use storebought or use your favorite recipe.

Pulse flour, graham cracker crumbs, salt, and sugar in a food processor. Add about half of the butter cubes and pulse 6-8 times, then add the rest and do the same. The butter should be pea-sized at this point. Add water (minus the ice cubes) one tablespoon at a time, pulsing between additions, until the mixture starts to clump together. The dough is ready when you pinch it and it holds together. I usually use about 4 tablespoons water–don’t add too much or crust will be tough.

Turn dough out onto a clean countertop and shape into a disk. Dust with flour on all sides, then cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least an hour or up to a couple days. When ready to use, bring to room temperature for about 10-15 minutes, then unwrap. Sprinkle some flour on the dough and countertop so the dough doesn’t stick. Use a rolling pin to roll out dough to a 12 inch circle. Gently fold in half before transferring to a pie pan, then press dough into pan. Alternatively, you can skip the rolling out process and just press this dough into the pan–sometimes that is easier, though it won’t be as pretty. Keep handling to a minimum for ultimate dough flakiness.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Then, make your pie filling. Beat egg whites in a large bowl until stiff peaks form–I used my stand mixer for this, but a hand mixer would be fine too. In another large bowl, whisk egg yolks and brown sugar together. Mixture should be thick and light brown in color. Add peanut butter and corn syrup, then stir to combine. Mix in milk and vanilla, then gently fold in egg whites.

Spread jam or preserves directly on pie crust, then pour peanut butter mixture on top.

Bake for 30-35 minutes until filling is set. Allow to cool for at least 30 minutes before cutting. Store leftovers in the refrigerator.

Published by Sarah

Librarian. Runner. Wife. Jesus follower. Loves reading, Indiana basketball, trying new recipes, coffee, cuddling with my kitties, cozy scarves, and cardigans.

19 thoughts on “Fantastical Food Fight: Baked PB + J Pie”

Thanks for visiting... I would love to hear from you!

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.