This is a recipe that my aunt would always make for family gatherings. It was always a treat because she was the only one who could make it… until now :).
Once she told me how to make it, it was amazing on how EASY this recipe is. There is an even easier way, but of course, I wanted to make the vanilla pudding portion from scratch…
Michigan Ingredient: Graham Crackers and Sugar
Seriously how great is it that a “generic” brand is Michigan based? Save money and it’s from Michigan…? SIGN ME UP!!
First things first, imagine me beating a whole sleeve of graham crackers in a zip-lock bag to crush them. Of course you could use a food processor… but what is the fun in that (plus.. more dishes to clean, yuck). Take your graham cracker crumbs and combine them with your sugar.
Take your melted butter and pour it into your graham cracker and sugar mixture. Use a fork (as the butter might still be hot) and combine. Press into your pie plate.
Make sure you press the crust up toward the top for sides, as with any pudding pie, it will help with keep the pie intact. Refrigerate the crust for at least an hour before pouring any filling in.
After said hour has passed, combine your sugar, corn starch, and salt in a sauce pan.
Combine your milk and two egg yolks in a separate bowl.
Pour the milk/egg yolk mixture into your sugar mixture while stirring. You want to try and avoid clumps, so please stir (whisk) constantly.
Bring mixture to a boil and boil for 1 minute. Remove the pan from the heat.
Add your vanilla and butter and stir.
NOW! Add that beautiful peanut butter. It may seem like it is difficult to get it to combine, but be patient as it will combine completely.
Doesn’t that just look amazing. It was hard to keep my husband away from just taking spoonfuls (myself included, who am I kidding). You can just eat this as pudding if you want… BUT since we already made the crust, let’s pour it in.
We like to drizzle chocolate syrup and have some whip cream on top for this pie. I would recommend having the pie chill for at least 2 hours. I noticed that sometimes 2 hours is enough… but sometimes you need to have it chill overnight so that the “shape” of the piece of pie stays intact. Of course, the first piece is always a doozy. Either way, this pie is amazing and…. as my father always says… it all eats the same 🙂
- 1½ cups of Graham Crackers, crushed (about 1 sleeve)
- ⅓ cup of Sugar
- 6 tablespoons of Melted Butter
- ⅓ cup of Sugar
- 2 tablespoons of Corn Starch
- ⅛ teaspoon of Salt
- 2 cups of Milk
- 2 Egg Yolks, slightly beaten
- 2 tablespoons of Butter, softened
- 2 teaspoons of Vanilla
- 1 cup Peanut Butter
- Crush your graham crackers and combine with sugar.
- Melt the butter and pour into the graham cracker/sugar mixture. Use a fork and stir to combine.
- Press the mixture into your pie plate. Make sure the crust goes up the sides to assist the filling.
- Combine sugar, cornstarch and salt into a 2qt. sauce pan.
- In a bowl, combine the milk and egg yolks. Pour the mixture into the sugar/corn starch mixture while whisking to avoid clumps.
- Bring mixture to a boil while whisking constantly. Boil for one minute and remove from heat.
- Add softened butter and vanilla and stir. Add peanut butter and stir until it is well incorporated into the mixture.
- Pour filling into graham cracker crust and chill for at least 2 hours.