Peanut Butter Pie Made the Old-Fashioned Way
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With sweet custard, meringue, and crumbly peanut butter layers, this old-fashioned peanut butter pie recipe is a totally tasty show-stopper!
Are you a ? Well, do I have a dessert for you today! This old-fashioned peanut butter pie recipe is the kind of dessert that’s guaranteed to melt in your mouth. Now, there are several different types of peanut butter pies, including no-bake peanut butter pies with a cream cheese filling and chocolate peanut butter pies. But my version is a Southern classic – a peanut butter meringue pie.
While there are several layers to this old-fashioned peanut butter pie, rest assured it doesn’t take too long to make them all. Plus, I promise they’re not too complicated! In the end, you’ll love biting into the pie’s multiple layers! Rich and creamy vanilla custard, light and fluffy meringue, and a crumbly streusel-like peanut butter top. Is anyone else’s mouth watering right now?
If you’re keen to try a different pie recipe after you nail this peanut butter pie recipe, check these out: easy pumpkin pie, mint Oreo ice cream pie, triple chocolate brownie pie, and fresh strawberry pie.
Recipe Ingredients
- Confectioner’s sugar
- Creamy peanut butter
- Milk
- White sugar
- A little salt
- Vanilla
- Cornstarch
- Eggs
- Deep dish pie shell (now go ahead and bake that)
How To Make A Delicious Peanut Butter Pie
Place your peanut butter and confectioner’s sugar in a small bowl.
Now moosh it together with a fork. Moosh, moosh, moosh.
You’re just kinda mixing it all up here, cutting the sugar into the peanut butter.
After a few minutes, it is gonna look like this.
Now taste a pinch of it because that stuff is Goo-ooo-ood!
Sprinkle about half of that into the bottom of your baked pie crust.
Making the Custard
Place your milk into a saucepot and add your sugar.
Add a dash of salt.
Then add the vanilla.
Add in your corn starch.
Now we’re gonna separate our eggs. Put the egg whites in a bowl and put the egg yolks straight into your custard mixture.
Make sure you don’t get any yolk in your egg whites!
If you get yolk in your egg whites when we go to make a meringue for the peanut butter pie out of that in just a few minutes here and it won’t work if there is any yolk in it.
Put your yolks into the pot as well.
Give that a good stir with a whisk.
Put this over medium heat and stir with a whisk until thickened, about 10 minutes or so.
STAY WITH IT as it will scorch and it will thicken up REALLY quick.
How to Tell When the Custard Is Done
When it gets thicker, you can tell it’s done by dipping a spoon in it and seeing if it coats the back.
Imagine a smooth and creamy coating on the back of this spoon. If you have a hard time imagining that, squint your eyes a bit as you look at the photo and that should help.
Now we’re going to pour our yummy homemade pudding/custard mixture over the peanut butter in the pie shell.
Time to Make the Meringue
Place your egg whites in a mixing bowl.
Beat until gooooood and foamy, then add your additional sugar and mix.
Then beat until soft peaks form.
How Do I Know If It’s A Soft Peak?
You can tell it is a soft peak when you pull the mixer up and it forms a point that falls slightly back a bit, like the loop on the top of a Dairy Queen ice cream cone. See that loop up there in the image? Just like that!
Your goal is to spread the meringue over the entire pie, being sure to seal at the edges (make sure it touches the pie crust all around).
Now sprinkle the rest of your peanut butter crumble over the top of the pie.
Bake in a 325-degree oven for about 30 minutes.
The only thing that would make this pie any prettier is a sweet granny holding it and smiling with twinkles in her eyes.
Refrigerate for several hours before serving.
DIG IN!
Don’t mind if I do…
Storage
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Because of the meringue and custard layers, I don’t recommend freezing as your pie will turn into mush.
Recipe Notes
- While I’m all for a store-bought pie crust, you can definitely opt for a homemade pie crust. You could also use a graham cracker pie crust.
- Add a layer of strawberry jam on the bottom of your flaky pie crust before you add the peanut butter layer to make a peanut butter and jelly pie!
- If all these layers aren’t enough, you can definitely serve your with and a sprinkle of . For more , you could also add a chopped on top for a delicious decorative touch.
You may also like these peanut butter recipes:
Peanut Butter Cheesecake Cookie Bars
Peanut Butter Brownies with Peanut Butter Fudge Icing
Homemade Peanut Butter Cup Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 deep dish pie shell 9-inch
- 1 cup confectioner's sugar
- 1/2 cup peanut butter
- 2 cups milk
- 2/3 cup sugar
- dash salt
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 3 eggs separated
- 4 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1/4 cup sugar for meringue
Instructions
- Bake the empty pie shell according to directions.1 deep dish pie shell
- In a small bowl, place the confectioner's sugar and peanut butter. Cut sugar into peanut butter with a fork until the mixture is crumbly. Place half of the peanut butter mixture in the bottom of the baked pie shell and reserve the remainder.1 cup confectioner's sugar, 1/2 cup peanut butter
- In a large saucepot, place the egg yolks, milk, 2/3 cup sugar, vanilla, salt, and cornstarch. Cook over medium to medium-low heat until thick, stirring constantly. Pour over peanut butter in pie crust.2 cups milk, 2/3 cup sugar, dash salt, 1 tsp vanilla extract, 3 eggs, 4 tablespoons cornstarch
- Beat egg whites until foamy and then add sugar. Continue beating until soft peaks form. Spread over the top of the pie, being careful to seal it at the edges. Sprinkle the remainder of the peanut butter crumble over the top of the pie.3 eggs, 1/4 cup sugar
- Bake peanut butter pie at 325 for 30 minutes. Refrigerate for several hours before serving.
Nutrition
If you don’t see light at then end of the tunnel,
march down there and turn it on yourself!
Submitted by my friend Tookie. Submit yours by clicking here.
Can you leave the meringue out? Do you still cook it in the oven if you leave the meringue off? Thank you.
You sure can, and no need to cook it.
A great recipe, and a beautiful story about daddy. I’m sure he would be proud to know how much his struggle meant to you.
In the list of instructions #2 says “Cover over medium to medium low heat until thick, stirring constantly”. How do you cover and stir? No criticizing this just gave me a little chuckle.
No worries! That was supposed to be “cook”. Thanks for pointing it out, I fixed it now 🙂 Have a great week!
Can this pie be frozen?
Can hardly wait to make this for our church senior meeting on Tuesday. Have made it before, but am ready to try it again. It turned out so good. Am also anxiously awaiting your next cookbook, Christy. Have copies of the other two. Don’t cook as much as I did when I still had my family, but it is fun to take a dish to a covered dish luncheon and I can always count on your dishes turning out well. We certainly do appreciate folks like you and your Mamma.
Thank you so much!!! I hope everyone enjoys the pie Doris!!!
A friend from Indiana and her mother came down to a sew-in we were hosting bearing the best peanut butter pies. I’ve got the recipe but have never tried Ms. Esther’s version. I’m going to pull it out and see if it is the same as yours. Just reading through I think it might be! The pictures help when a recipe is not as complete in its instructions as it could be for some bakers.
What a wonderful story of your dear grandfather and a testament to the power of the human spirit.
I have been making this pie for years. It is the only one my kids ever want me to make….holiday but any time of year for them. It is soooo gooood.
It is one of our favorites too Maxine!!! I hope you have a wonderful day!!