Peanut Butter OREO Pie

CAUTION: This is extremely rich in peanut butter and sweetness. You can get away with tiny slivers when serving your guests. If they want seconds…GREAT! Most will enjoy a few bites and get their sweet tooth fix. If you enjoy peanut butter, cheesecake and OREO cookies, then this recipe is for you. You will feel like you’ve died and gone to heaven.
 
Ingredients for the Crust:
 
25 whole OREO cookies (just purchase one 14.3 oz. package and you will have a few left to dunk in milk later)
 
4 Tbsp. butter, melted
 
Ingredients for the Filling:
 
1 cup creamy or crunchy peanut butter (we use creamy, my Grandma used crunchy)
 
1 package (8 ounce) cream cheese, room temperature
 
1-1/4 cup Powdered Sugar
 
1 package (8 ounce) Cool Whip, thawed
 
Optional: Hot Fudge Sauce – heat up your fudge and spread some on top of the crust before adding on the filling. You can also drizzle hot fudge and crumbled OREO crumbs to each slice of pie when serving for that extra WOW factor
 
Directions for the Crust:
 
Preheat oven to 350 degrees
 
In a food processor, add in all 25 OREO cookies and blend until they are fine crumbs (about 1-2 minutes)
 
Pour melted butter over the cookies and stir with a fork to combine
 
Press the cookie mixture into a pie pan with your hands or the bottom of the measuring cup, and then bake for 6-8 minutes or until set in the oven
 
Remove the crust from the oven and place on a wire cooling rack to cool completely
 
Directions for the Pie Filling:
 
In a large bowl beat the peanut butter and cream cheese until smooth
 
Add in the powdered sugar and beat until smooth
 
Add in the thawed Cool Whip and beat the mixture until smooth
 
Scrape down the sides of the bowl and finish blending a few more seconds
 
Pour the filling into the crust and smoothing it out with a rubber spatula
 
I put a lid over my pie pan and wrapped SARAN wrap around it to keep the air out
 
Chill in the freezer or in the fridge for at least one hour. If you store in the freezer, set out for 10 minutes 
before slicing it. The freezer works great when you have to take the pie to a party away from home
 
Recipe inspired by The Pioneer Woman and my Grandma Bustle: