Mmmm Pie.

I do not like pie. I have nothing against pie, but in the struggles of day to day life, if someone asks 'would you like some pie?' I would probably say no thank you.

Pie is a dessert that I can defiantly say no to. There is good pie, better pie, and bad pie. Most pie is in the latter two categories, and if I were to eat pie, it would have to be good pie. I also prefer cream pies, or just pie filling to actual pie. In the world of pie, there are things that say they are pie and aren't pie. We normally call these cream pies. They aren't really pie, it's pudding in a shell. We go to a restaurant and they have this thing they call peanut butter pie. It isn't pie, it's a creamy dessert in a shell, it should probably be severed in little cups, it doesn't need a crust. I've seen the health cook books talk about crust-less pie, there really isn't such a thing, now you just have custard. Or fruit, I like fruit.

I guess what I don't like about pie is the crust. I like pumpkin pie filling, that's ok, not enough to actually make it as a dessert, but it's not bad. However the crust is not my thing, I just don't like it. I feel like this about most pie fillings, starting with blueberry being my fav, and going down from there.

So in the efforts to make a non pie, pie, I have come up with what could probably be termed peanut butter bars. I call it peanut butter pie, only because I made it in a pie pan. I got the idea from Dilettante. This is a good confectioner that has some shops in the area. They make some things well that I cannot do. They also make peanut butter bars that are a huge disappointment. I get one every time I go too, and the crushing disappointment gets me every time. The main reason they're not any good is because they are made of crust. The crust is twice as thick as the filling, flavorless and dry. Horrible way to ruin a good idea. Anyhow I've been working on it and the secret is sweetened condensed milk. And thin crust. You have to have thin crust.

I have never measured this with cups or silly things like that, so you might need to adjust a bit.

Note: it is Christmas time, and there is nothing healthy about it.

Peanut Butter Pie

Ingredients:

7 oz. peanut butter
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1 C. semi sweet chocolate chips
1/2 C. butter
2 C. flour
4 oz. cream cheese
4 oz. butter
1/4 C. sugar

Method:

Butter a springform pan. Cut the cream cheese and butter into the flour and sugar. Add a touch of water and press enough of the dough into the bottom of the pan to cover it, you may have leftover dough.

Bake the crust at 350 for about 10-15 minutes. Mix the condensed milk and peanut butter together. Spread onto the crust and bake at 350 for about thirty minutes. When the peanut butter is slightly more brown on the edges it is done. Remove and set to cool. While the pie is cooling heat the chocolate chips and butter together over low heat until melted, pour over the pie and allow to cool completely. Cut into wedges and serve.