Happy National Pie Day ~ Reese's Pie

Remember that crazy list of "holidays" I posted awhile back?  The one that led to the Fig Newton catastrophe??  Well, in case you haven't checking in with your calendar, let me remind you that today is National Pie Day!!  (According to whatever.)

So in honor of this special day, I played around last night with a new pie.  I combine a couple recipes to make this, and I have to pat myself on the back.  This is a most spectacular pie.  So.  Good.  Very, very rich, even for me.  But still...so good.  If you are a fan of the Reese's Peanut Butter Cup, you must try this pie.  A little piece goes a long way since it's so rich, so you can eat less and practically be healthy about it.  So it's almost like this is good for you.  So I'm almost giving you a health food for National Pie Day.  You're welcome.

Reese's Pie

Chocolate cookie crust (either store bought or homemade will work)

for peanut butter filling:
1 (8 oz.) package cream cheese, softened
1 cup peanut butter (use something good like Jiff, not the organic "I need to be stirred" kind.)
1 cup powdered sugar
1 (8 oz.) carton Cool Whip

for chocolate ganache topping:
1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup heavy cream

Prepare peanut butter filling:
Beat together softened cream cheese and peanut butter until smooth.  Beat in powdered sugar (no need to sift) until smooth.  Add Cool Whip and beat again until well-combined.

Scoop into prepared chocolate crust, smooth to an even layer with a spatula or knife.  Refrigerate pie for at least 1 hour.

here's what it looks like at this step

For chocolate ganache:
In a small microwave-safe bowl, combine chocolate chips and cream.  Microwave for 30 seconds and stir well.  Continue microwaving in 15 second intervals until the chocolate is well melted and warm.  Set aside to let cool, stirring occasionally.

When cool to the touch, pour over the top of peanut butter filling.  Sprinkle the top with chopped peanuts, if desired.  Refrigerate until chocolate is set, about 30 minutes.

the final, delicious product.  notice how over-flowing it was?  all the more yum...

If you use a store-bought chocolate crust, this pie will be very full and you may not be able to use all the chocolate without it running over.  A homemade crust will make a slightly bigger pie and hold it better.

This is a super fast pie to make, and very, very rich.  Serve in small slices.  Mmmm....