Peanut Butter Pie (Gene Autry's)

This no-bake peanut butter pie gets its impossibly silky texture from a combination of cream cheese and whipped cream folded into a thick peanut butter base. A splash of vanilla and a bit of melted butter round out the filling, which sets up firm in the fridge without ever seeing the inside of an oven.

The real star here is the hot fudge finish. Once the pie has chilled and set, you warm and thin some hot fudge sauce and pour it right over the top. It firms up into a glossy chocolate shell that cracks when you cut into it.

Cream the peanut butter and cream cheese together first until completely smooth before adding sugar. Any lumps at this stage will stay lumps forever. The filling should be thick but pourable when it goes into the crust.

Chef Tips

• Chill for the full 4 to 5 hours. Cutting corners here means a soupy slice that won’t hold its shape.
• Use full-fat cream cheese, not the whipped or light kind. You need that density for the filling to set properly.
• Warm the fudge sauce gently and thin it just enough to pour. Too thick and it won’t spread; too thin and it slides off.

Variations

• Swap the graham cracker crust for an Oreo cookie crust for a double chocolate-peanut butter combo.
• Fold in chopped peanut butter cups before chilling for crunchy bites throughout.
• Use crunchy peanut butter instead of smooth for added texture in every slice.