I had a marshmallow meringue pie topping saved from a cookbook I’d borrowed a while ago that I wanted to try, and it’s 1 billion degrees so the pie needed to be no-bake… getting chocolate peanut butter seemed like a no-brainer, but I sort of didn’t remember how very chocolatey (vs peanut buttery) it was, so was pleasantly surprised, with my first bite, to realize I’d made a s’mores pie! For this we’re going to use a pre-made graham cracker crust but it’s important to get the bigger one, that says it’s got an extra 2 servings. You could fit this amount of chocolate peanut butter pie filling in a normal 9″ pan, but when you add the topping it’d be too much!

A reminder before you get started: eggs separate easier when chilled, but egg whites beat up better at room temperature, so separating them and giving them a chance to warm up helps; cream, on the other hand, beats up better when very cold, so throwing your bowl and beaters in the freezer ahead of time can’t hurt! There’s enough beating up things in this one that I sure would like the hypothetical Kitchenaid I have no room for in this kitchen!

Ingredients:

• 1 ‘extra 2 servings’ size pre-made graham cracker crust (you could probably make your own in a 10″ pan, I haven’t actually measured how big this is!)

Chocolate Filling:

• 1 cup heavy whipping cream
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 8 ounces (1 block) cream cheese, at room temperature
• 3/4 cup powdered sugar plus 2 tablespoons, divided
• 1 cup chocolate peanut butter (you can use Nutella if you’re ok with hazelnuts)

Marshmallow Meringue Topping:

• 2 egg whites
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/4 pound marshmallows, cut small (mini marshmallows would be fine)
• 1 1/2 tablespoons milk or cream

To make the chocolate filling, beat the heavy cream until thick and creamy. Add the vanilla and 2 tablespoons of the powdered sugar and continue to beat until stiff peaks form.

In a separate bowl, beat together the cream cheese, 3/4 cup powdered sugar, and chocolate peanut butter until smooth.

Fold in the whipped cream by hand.

Pour gently into the graham cracker crust, cover, and place in the freezer for 3 hours, or fridge for 6.

After the pie is fully chilled, beat the egg whites until thick and foamy. Add the sugar and vanilla and continue to beat until stiff peaks form.

In the top of a double boiler, combine the marshmallows and milk/cream over simmering water. Cook, stirring constantly, until the marshmallows have completely melted.

Remove from the heat, and give the melted marshmallow mixture a minute or two to cool while you remove the pie from the freezer and maybe chuck some of your dishes in the dishwasher. Gently fold the marshmallow mixture into the beaten egg whites, then turn the whole fluffy mess on to the pie, spreading evenly over the top.

Place in the oven and turn on the broiler, cooking until the top is lightly golden. For me, at 4 minutes there was no difference, at 5 minutes the top was pretty burnt, but luckily like with campfire marshmallows, you can just peel the burnt surface off!

Whooops. Fixable, though!

Even better, though, keep a close eye on it after 4 minutes to avoid burning in the first place. Maybe I’ll do better next time, after I’ve eaten this extra big pie myself, as well as the remains of the Outrageous Chocolate Chip Cookies still in the freezer with a bunch of pineapple buns as well…  a lot of dessert for one person to get through!

S’mores Pie

Adapted from Handle The Heat’s Peanut Butter Pie and the Marshmallow Meringue from The American Everyday Cookbook (1955).

Ingredients:

• 1 ‘extra 2 servings’ size pre-made graham cracker crust

Chocolate Filling:

• 1 cup heavy whipping cream
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 8 ounces (1 block) cream cheese, at room temperature
• 3/4 cup powdered sugar plus 2 tablespoons, divided
• 1 cup chocolate peanut butter
  

Marshmallow Meringue Topping:

• 2 egg whites
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/4 pound marshmallows, cut small
• 1 1/2 tablespoons milk or cream

To make the chocolate filling, beat the heavy cream until thick and creamy. Add the vanilla and 2 tablespoons of the powdered sugar and continue to beat until stiff peaks form. In a separate bowl, beat together the cream cheese, 3/4 cup powdered sugar, and chocolate peanut butter until smooth. Fold in the whipped cream by hand. Pour gently into the graham cracker crust, cover, and place in the freezer for 3 hours, or fridge for 6.

After the pie is fully chilled, beat the egg whites until thick and foamy. Add the sugar and vanilla and continue to beat until stiff peaks form. In the top of a double boiler, combine the marshmallows and milk/cream over simmering water. Cook, stirring constantly, until the marshmallows have completely melted. Remove from the heat, and give the melted marshmallow mixture a minute or two to cool while you remove the pie from the freezer and maybe chuck some of your dishes in the dishwasher. Gently fold the marshmallow mixture into the beaten egg whites, then turn the whole fluffy mess on to the pie, spreading evenly over the top. Place in the oven and turn on the broiler, cooking until the top is lightly golden, 4-5 minutes.