The texture of this pie is creamier and smoother than the version that Mrs. Rowe’s restaurants serve, which was included in Mrs. Rowe’s Restaurant Cookbook: A Lifetime of Recipes from the Shenandoah Valley. For smooth peanut butter fans, this pie is hard to beat. The recipe comes from Susan Simmons, a baker for Mrs. Rowe’s Catering.

　　

Ingredients

makes one 9-inch pie

　　1/2 recipe Plain Pie Pastry (page 17) or Vinegar Pie Crust (page 19), prebaked

　　1/3 cup creamy peanut butter

　　3/4 cup confectioners’ sugar

　　

Filling

1/2 cup sugar

　　1/3 cup all-purpose flour

　　1/8 teaspoon salt

　　2 cups whole milk

　　2 egg yolks, slightly beaten

　　2 teaspoons unsalted butter

　　1 teaspoon vanilla extract

　　Whipped topping or Sweetened Whipped Cream (page 26), for topping

　　

Step 1

Combine the peanut butter and confectioners’ sugar and mix with a fork until crumbly. Reserve 2 tablespoons of the mixture and sprinkle the rest in the crust.

　　

Step 2

To make the filling, put the sugar, flour, and salt in a saucepan and stir to combine. Add the milk and egg yolks, then place over medium heat. Cook and stir for about 10 minutes, until bubbly and thickened. Remove from the heat and stir in the butter and vanilla.

　　

Step 3

Pour the filling into the crust, then chill in the refrigerator for 1 hour, until set.

　　

Step 4

Spread the whipped topping over the pie and sprinkle with the reserved peanut butter mixture before serving. Served chilled.

　　Mrs. Rowe's Little Book of Southern Pies