Peanut Butter Pie With Chocolate Ganache

Rich and delicious; a real favourite for those who like a peanut butter/chocolate flavour combination.

• Ready In: 5 hrs 38 mins
• Serves: 12

Ingredients

• Crust

• 1 1⁄2 cups  chocolate wafer crumbs
• 1⁄3 cup butter or 1⁄3 cup margarine, melted

• Filling

• 1⁄2 cup  whipping cream
• 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese
• 1  cup  smooth peanut butter
• 2  tablespoons  soft butter
• 1  tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1  cup icing sugar (no lumps)

• Topping

• 6  ounces bittersweet chocolate (usually imported)
• 1⁄2 cup  whipping cream

• Garnish

• 6  miniature peanut butter cups, halved

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Make crust first.
3. In a small bowl, combine crumbs and melted butter and then pat into a 9" pie plate.
4. Bake until firm and solid; 8 minutes.
5. Let cool.
6. Now make filling.
7. In medium-sized bowl, whip cream.
8. Place in fridge until you need it.
9. Now, in a large bowl, beat softened cream cheese until fluffy.
10. Next, beat in peanut butter, then butter and vanilla.
11. Beat in icing sugar until nice and fluffy.
12. Retrieve whipping cream from fridge.
13. Fold about one-quarter of the cream into mixture to lighten it up, then fold in remainder of cream.
14. Use a light hand-- but you don't want any streaks of cream to show either.
15. Fill baked crust with peanut butter mixture.
16. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until it firms up, about 3 hours.
17. To make chocolate ganache topping, finely chop chocolate bar (you can substitute 6 squares of semisweet bakers chocolate) and place in a small bowl.
18. In a small pot, heat cream just until bubbles form.
19. Pour over chocolate and stir until chocolate melts.
20. Let cool, then spread over pie.
21. Take the 12 miniature-peanut-butter-cup halves and arrange them evenly around the edge of the pie.
22. I tilt them so the inside shows.
23. Cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours before serving; I always make this a day ahead.