Peanut Butter & Chocolate Mousse Pie

Tis the season of holiday gatherings filled with reminiscing of the past year, well wishing for the year to come, good food, and of course a little drinking.  Last night the city of Chicago was buzzing with holiday cheer which made navigating out of the city a little challenging as we made our way to Naperville to our previous fearless leader’s house for our holiday party “Quaker Shopper Team Style.”  We all brought some appetizers and desserts to share which turned into a little bit of a contest – each person slyly pushing there dish (my favorite one, outside of my own, were Mary’s pumpkin and cream cheese frosting whoopie pies).  I joined in the fun and decided to make this peanut butter & chocolate mousse pie.  It is a recipe I stumbled across a few years back when I lived in Cincinnati.  Nielsen was having a pie contest, so I searched through pie recipes looking for something that plays to the taste buds of the masses…who doesn’t love peanut butter and chocolate together?!?!  I ended up winning the Nielsen pie contest and have been making this recipe ever since.  I thought it would be a great recipe to share as it is a great option to make for a holiday party.

Ingredients

1 9-inch pie crust, baked and cooled

1-2/3 cups (10 oz. pkg.) REESE'S Peanut Butter Chips, divided

1 package (3 oz.) cream cheese, softened

1/4 cup powdered sugar

1/3 cup plus 2 tablespoon milk

1 teaspoon unflavored gelatin

1 tablespoon cold water

2 tablespoons boiling water

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/3 cup HERSHEY'S Cocoa

1 cup (1/2 pint) cold whipping cream

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

Melt 1-1/2 cups peanut butter chips. Beat cream cheese, powdered sugar and 1/3 cup milk in medium bowl until smooth. Add melted chips; beat well. Beat in remaining 2 tablespoons milk. Spread into cooled crust. 

Sprinkle gelatin over cold water in small bowl; let stand 1 minute to soften. Add boiling water; stir until gelatin is completely dissolved. Cool slightly. Combine granulated sugar and cocoa in medium bowl; add whipping cream and vanilla. Beat at medium speed until stiff; pour in gelatin mixture, beating until well blended. Spoon into crust over peanut butter layer. Refrigerate several hours. Garnish with remaining chips. Cover; store leftover pie in refrigerator. 6 to 8 servings.

Recipe Source: Hershey’s

Picture Source: Hershey’s.com