Peanut Butter Pie Obsession: Test 1, Test 2, Test 3 ...

Sometime ago, I learned I love peanut butter pie. Adore it like a mother adores a child. Cherish it and try to hold the pie, in all its sweetness, close to my bosom. Dream and plan for it. Coo over it. Sing it lullabies!

And who wouldn't, really? Cookie crust, cream cheese, milk, peanut butter, powdered sugar, and whipped cream. Mmmmm.

Yeah ... well, I might adore peanut butter pie. But I'd prefer to be able to adore this special treat with less worry (about heart valves, build up, arteries, eeks!).

So, the problem is ... How to Make a Healthier Peanut Butter Pie?

Peanut-Butter Pie: An Understandable Obsession

This is my process so far:
Attempt #1: Traditional Recipe
A couple years ago I made my first peanut butter pie, using a very traditional recipe. I used Emeril Lagasse's 5-star Peanut Butter Pie recipe from the Food Network. And a standard graham-cracker pie crust (1.5 c. crushed graham crackers, 8 T. melted butter, 2-3 T. sugar, baked, etc.). It produces an awesome, traditional peanut butter pie. But sadly, one filled to the rim with dairy-based cholesterol.

Attempt #2: Homemade Yogurt Cream Cheese Substitution and Less Butter
Recently, I decided to play with the pie and the crust. For the crust, I wondered if I could make the graham-cracker pie crust with less butter and less sugar. I used 1.5 c crushed graham crackers, 5 T. butter, and no sugar. Bad move! It crumbled and cut very poorly!

For the pie filling, I substituted the cream cheese with homemade yogurt cream cheese. I put the plain unsweetened yogurt in a cheese cloth in the frig overnight to thicken into something more of a cream-cheese consistency. To compensate for the slight added tartness of yogurt (in comparison to the flavor of cream cheese), I also added 1 tsp. of vanilla extract. This worked! But it was a tad labor intensive. Also, I felt this pie lacked a certain zing.

Attempt #3: Homemade Yogurt Cream Cheese, Extra Layer for Flavor, Medium Amount of Butter
Just last week, I tried again. This worked great! For the crust, I used 1.5 c. crushed chocolate cookies, 6 T. butter, and 1 T. sugar. Still a little crumbly, but delicious! I prefer the chocolate, too.

For the filling, I tried again with the homemade yogurt cream-cheese substituting for cream cheese in the traditional recipe. But before adding the whipped cream, I took some of that initial filling (peanut butter, cream cheese, sugar, milk) and spread it as a thin layer in the bottom of the cooled pie crust. Then, I added whipped cream to the remainder of the filling and added this as the main filling. This did two things: (1) created a very peanut buttery layer in the pie and spiked the overall peanut butter flavor, (2) required much less whipped cream, a healthy bonus!

But still, overall, I wonder about the need to strain the yogurt to make a yogurt cream cheese substitute, and I'm still aware of all that cholesterol in the heavy cream for the whipped cream.

***

So, for now, my cravings for peanut butter pie have been sated. But next time ... and there will be a next time ... I have a few other possible plans.

Plan for Attempt #4:
I'd like to keep with the chocolate crust from trial #3. I'd also like to keep the peanut-butter punch of the intense extra layer. But I'd like to try to just use yogurt as a straight substitution for the cream cheese and nix the milk from the traditional recipe. This would mean I wouldn't have to worry about straining the yogurt with a cheese cloth.

Plan for Attempt #5:
I wonder if anyone has ever tried to basically make a thick peanut-butter pudding filling, the way one might when making a chocolate cream pie, for example. This would mean milk, cornstarch, peanut butter, and sugar. This sort of recipe would mean no cream cheese and whipped cream only for a little topping. So, I think this recipe could mean far lower cholesterol and fat levels in the pie.

Plan for Attempt #6:
I am unsure about this idea. I think I'll try a very small batch first. I once made an amazing dark chocolate mousse using tofu and melted dark chocolate. Same premise. This would have to be tofu, peanut butter, and perhaps melted white chocolate. A far lower fat and cholesterol content, and added soy protein to boot! Healthy, for sure! Would it satisfy a peanut butter pie craving? That is the question.

To be determined ...

Excelsior! Onward and upward! From fork to plate to mouth!

Attempt #3--Delicioso!