9 Months Pregnant Means Chocolate Covered Peanut Butter Pie

9 months pregnant + dinner party = sore feet the next day!  But with a little planning, it felt so nice to be able to entertain and stay up way past my bed time.  Last night we had our good friends over for what seemed like a "farewell/wish us luck/we will see you when we come up for air after baby" party.  I wanted to make a dessert that was a crowd pleaser.  Who doesn't love chocolate and peanut butter?  I cannot take credit for this one.  This is an Emeril Lagasse recipe that I have made many times before.  Each time it is a hit.  There are a few steps, but each step is incredibly easy and the end result is always delish. In true cooking girl fashion, I tweaked the recipe a bit to simplify and make my life easier and a "tad" bit healthier with some reduced fat options.  

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups crushed Oreos (I used reduced fat Oreos and you would never know the difference.)
• 1 cup chunky peanut butter, in all
• 1/4 pound cream cheese (I used reduced fat cream-cheese)
• 3/4 cup powdered sugar
• 2 tablespoons milk (whatever you have on hand)
• 2 3/4 cups heavy cream, in all
• 6 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, chopped

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a mixing bowl, mix the crushed oreos with 1/4 cup of the peanut butter. Combine the mixture thoroughly and press into a 9-inch springform pan or pie dish. Bake the crust for 8 to 10 minutes. 

In an electric mixer with a whip attachment, whip the cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Add the remaining peanut butter and milk and whip for 1 minute. Turn the peanut butter mixture into a mixing bowl. Whip 2 cups of the heavy creamand fold into the peanut butter mixture until stiff peaks. Pour the filling into the prepared crust and refrigerate for 2 hours or until the pie is set. 

In a sauce pan, over medium heat, melt the chocolate with the remaining cream, stirring constantly, until the chocolate is completely melted. Remove from the heat and cool for 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove the pie from the springform pan and place on a wire rack over a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or foil for easy clean-up.  Now if it is too tricky to remove the entire pie from the pan, simply remove the outer edge of the springform pan and cover the rest with chocolate OR if using a pie dish you can just cover with chocolate as well.  However, don't be afraid to try to release the shell from whatever vessel you are using.  It is quite the crowd pleaser if you can remove it from the pan. Pour the chocolate topping over the pie, covering the top and sides completely. Refrigerate the pie for 2 hours or until the chocolate coating is set.  I like to make the crust and filling the day before.  Then the next day you can simply add the chocolate topping and your dessert is ready to go!