As you might expect from the name, peanut butter pie is a pie made with peanut butter as the main ingredient. This pie is thought to have originated in the American South, where both pies and peanuts are plentiful, and there are numerous variations on the basic peanut butter pie, many of which are simple to make. Peanut butter pie is typically a home-cooking project, though it is available in some bakeries and specialty stores, and it can also be custom-made as a special order dessert.
A no-bake version of the peanut butter pie is made by blending the ingredients together, pouring them into a cooked pie crust, and chilling the pie. Peanut butter, cream cheese, sugar, and milk are commonly used in no-bake peanut butter pies to balance out the richness of the peanut butter and cream cheese. It’s still an extremely thick, rich pie, even with milk, and it’s usually served in a graham cracker crust. For added flavor, some cooks like to top the pie with a layer of chocolate or fudge.
It’s also possible to find baked versions with a more custard-like consistency. Condensed milk and eggs, as well as peanut butter, are used in baked peanut butter pies, which are typically served chilled. Because of the eggs, the baked pie is less rich, with a lighter flavor and lower intensity, allowing people to eat larger slices. For those who want it, baked pies can also be paired with chocolate or fudge.
This pie is delicious plain or with whipped cream or another whipped topping on top. To make the pie even more flavorful and visually appealing, swirls of chocolate or caramel can be added to the top. A scoop of vanilla ice cream on the side goes well with peanut butter pie, though some people may find the combination too rich.
This Southern pie is also known as peanut butter silk pie, a reference to the larger silk pie family. Silk pies are open-faced and have a very smooth, creamy texture, and they’re usually served chilled rather than warm or at room temperature. In the hot and humid summer weather of the American South, these cold pies can be quite refreshing.