Happy Birthday to My Husband ~ Peanut Butter Pie

     Today is my husband's birthday.  This is a special birthday for us, because this will be the first birthday we have celebrated as husband and wife.  J.T. doesn't get quite as excited about birthdays as I do.  I grew up in a family that likes to make a BIG deal out of birthdays.  My mom would place an embroidered "You Are Special" placemat at the birthday person's seat around the dinner table.  She would also bake a fabulous birthday cake, which looked similar to the ones that come from a professional bakery.  Some of my cakes as a child included Barbie, The Little Mermaid, Lion King, and Winnie the Pooh.  I have followed in my mother's tradition of baking for someone on his or her birthday.  In my opinion, a birthday does not necessarily have to include a cake.  It must include a dessert, but this dessert can be anything the birthday person requests.  J.T. requested a Peanut Butter pie, his favorite dessert.  I LOVE peanut butter pie, but have not had a slice since going gluten and lactose free in 2009.  J.T. also requested that I make a dessert that both of us could enjoy.  After a little research, I combined two recipes to make an Old Fashioned Peanut Butter Pie.  This pie is made using a peanut butter cookie crumb crust, a custard based filling, and a meringue topping.  All gluten and lactose free!

 
     Moving on to the sappy part of this blog post…a note about my husband.  Before meeting J.T. in 2010, I never wanted to get married. I had decided I was going to be a single, career focused, woman who spent all of her time at the office.  God had different plans.  J.T. is the most unselfish and patient individual I have ever met.  Most importantly though, he is the most Christ-like individual I have ever met.  I may be slightly biased because I am his wife, but what I write is the truth.  J.T. is not the average man.  He always puts others before himself and never looks to receive personal acknowledgment or gain.  He is the best listener, comedian, husband, and friend.  I thank God everyday for placing him in my life.

Happy Birthday J.T.

I am blessed to be your wife.

I love you boo!

Love,

Ellen

 

Recipe adapted from Southern Plate & Gluten Free Girl

 

Ingredients

For the pie crust:
Make the peanut butter cookies:

• 1 cup creamy peanut butter
• 1 cup sugar, plus extra for rolling the dough balls
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 large egg

Make the pie crust:

• 1 ½ cups peanut butter cookie crumbs
• 3 tablespoons grapeseed oil

For the pie:

• 1 (9-inch) peanut butter pie crust, above
• 1 cup confectioners' sugar
• ½ cup creamy peanut butter
• 2 cups almond milk
• 2/3 cup sugar
• dash of salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 3 large eggs, separated
• 4 tablespoons cornstarch
• ¼ cup sugar, for meringue topping

 
Directions

1. For the peanut butter cookies: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Beating by hand, cream together the peanut butter and sugar. Stir in the baking powder and then beat in the egg. Roll the cookie dough into little balls. You should be able to get about 20 cookies from the dough. Roll each cookie dough ball in sugar. Place on an ungreased baking sheet. Bake the cookies for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and leave on the baking sheet for 8 minutes. Very carefully, move the cookies to a wire rack to cool, for at least 10 minutes.
2. For the pie crust: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Make 1 ½ cups cookie crumbs from the peanut butter cookies (I used about 9 cookies). Stir in the grapeseed oil. Press the crumb mixture into the bottom and up the sides of a greased 9-inch pie plate. Bake for 10 minutes. Set aside to cool.
3. For the pie filling: Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Place the confectioners' sugar in a medium sized bowl. Using a fork, cut in the peanut butter until the mixture is crumbly. Sprinkle half of this mixture into the bottom of the prepared pie crust. Reserve the other half and set aside. Separate the egg whites from the yolks, placing the yolks in a medium sized saucepan. Add to the saucepan, the almond milk, sugar, salt, vanilla, and cornstarch. Whisk together until smooth. Place the saucepan over medium heat. Stir constantly until the mixture thickens to the consistency of pudding (be patient, because this can take some time). Pour the thickened mixture into the prepared pie crust. To make the meringue, beat the egg whites with an electric mixture until foamy. Add the sugar and continue beating until soft peaks form. Spread the meringue on top of the pie filling. Sprinkle the remaining peanut butter/confectioners' sugar mixture on top. Bake for 30 minutes. Refrigerate overnight before serving. Yields 1 (9-inch) pie.

 

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