Recently, the thought occurred to me that it might be high time for some pie.

What began as a fleeting whim became an urgent need after catching The Pioneer Woman (Ree Drummond) whipping up a peanut butter pie on her Food Network show…

One of the talented, funny, and overall amazing ladies who first made me want to start baking with a whisk in one hand and a camera in the other – Ree’s humble food-blogging beginnings have transformed into a well-loved blog, another blog that features the tasty creations of other cool & quirky food-bloggers, fantastic cookbooks, a television show, and even some spiffy stories featuring a rather cute basset hound.

Wow.

Hmm…I wonder if her pup likes peanut butter as much as this goof.

Probably.

Anyway, while watching this pie being put together by the Pioneer Woman herself, I was inhaling sipping coffee in shorts and a tank top, knowing full-well that as the morning sun shone on, the temperature was already climbing towards the low nineties.  Needless to say, one of the major selling points of this pie as a summertime dessert was the fact that it wouldn’t require having my oven on all afternoon in June’s sweltering heat.  Getting the crust set in the oven only takes about five minutes time, and while this no-bake pie sets up in the refrigerator, you can cool your heels in the air conditioning or perhaps by a pool.

The overall simplicity of this recipe adds to its appeal too.

Although, I think what really had me swooning was the pie’s crust composition…

Twenty-five Oreos in a blender.  This is serious business.

Not so serious that you can’t have a cookie while pie-making.

Remember, this is a judgement-free zone.

Judgment-free and full of chocolate cookie crumbs and peanut butter…

I like this place, I may stick around for a while.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie

recipe courtesy The Pioneer Woman

for the crust:

• 25 whole chocolate sandwich cookies (Oreos, of course)
• 4 tablespoons butter, melted

for the filling:

• 1 cup creamy peanut butter
• one 8 oz. package cream cheese, softened
• 1 ¼ cups powdered sugar
• one 8 oz. package of whipped topping, like Cool Whip

Preheat the oven for 350 degrees F.  Crush 25 cookies in a blender or food processor.  Melt butter and once cooled, mix melted butter with finely crushed cookies with a fork or in a food processor.  Pour crumb mixture into pie pan and press to form the crust.  Put crust in the oven for about 5 minutes, until crust is set.  Set aside to cool completely.

In a large bowl, whip peanut butter and cream cheese until well-combined (using a hand mixer or using a stand mixer makes this quite easy, indeed).   Gradually add powdered sugar with mixing to combine completely.  Add and mix in Cool Whip.  Once filling is fully-incorporated, pour into the pie crust and smooth the surface with a spatula.  Allow the pie to chill for at least an hour to set before serving.

This pie is very rich, so I suggest a small sliver…maybe with a little ice cream too…

Mmm…pie.