After all the pre-Valentines Day goodies I'd made, when the day actually came... I opted for something with no hearts, no sprinkles, no pink–– but made with a lot of love. This chocolate & peanut butter pie became the apple of my eye... er, the pie of my eye?

I was inspired to make this from a Twix bar that I ate without Kenneth. (Sorry, honey.) He had been waiting for it all day, and I ate it while he wasn't home. I'm the rudest. So, I made up for it by baking, let's say, a Twix pie. Drizzled in caramel and sea salt, this dense and delicious chocolate & peanut butter pie recipe is the perfect combination of salty and sweet. 

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Chocolate & Peanut Butter Pie with Salted Caramel

by Megan Breukelman of Taste & Taste March-11-2018

A dense, rich chocolate and peanut butter pie with a salty-sweet finish.

Ingredients

• 1 refrigerated Pilsbury pie crust
• 2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, softened
• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/4 cups light brown sugar, packed
• 1/4 cup roasted salted peanuts
• 3 oz semi-sweet baking chocolate
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 2 tbsp cocoa powder
• 3 eggs
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 tsp kosher salt
• sea salt, to taste

Caramel Drizzle

• 1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed
• 1/4 cup half-and-half
• 2 tbsp unsalted butter, softened
• 1/2 tbsp vanilla extract

Instructions

1. Place refrigerated pie crust into a 9-inch pie pan. 2. Use a hand mixer to mix together 1/4 cup softened butter, 1/4 cup brown sugar, 1/4 cup peanut butter and 1/2 cup flour in a medium mixing bowl until crumbly. 3. Crush up the 1/2 cup of peanuts and add to the mixture until just mixed. 4. Allow mixture to sit in freezer for 20 minutes. 5. Preheat the oven to 350ºF. 6. In a microwave-safe bowl, melt remaining butter and chocolate in 30 second intervals until fully melted. 7. Allow to cool before adding eggs, vanilla and salt. Stir until well blended. 8. Add remaining 3/4 cup of flour. 9. Pour mixture into prepared pie crust, and crumble the mixture in the freezer on top of the pie mixture. 10. Bake for 50 minutes or until the pie filling is set. 11. Remove and cool for 30 minutes. 12. Add caramel drizzle and sea salt, to taste to pie. Allow to cool completely before serving.

Drizzle Instructions

1. In a small sauce pan, heat brown sugar, half-and-half and butter on medium heat. Lower the heat if it starts to boil too fast. 2. Stir continuously for 5 minutes or until mix begins to thicken. 3. Add vanilla extract, and allow to thicken further while continuing to stir. 4. Transfer to jar or ramekin to let cool.

Details

Prep time: 30 mins Cook time: 50 mins Total time: 1 hour 20 mins Yield: 1 9" pie