Peanut Butter Pudding Pie

 I'm sure everyone is familiar with the old saying, "The way to a man's heart is through his stomach." I have my own take on that...being a good cook helps, but thankfully isn't the only sure way of endearing yourself to your beloved. When my sweet husband and I started out on our own, we will just say that my culinary skills were lacking. A lot. Granted, I was very young, and looking back, I'm thankful that young love is strong enough to overcome a fear of starvation. I was so confident in the tiny little kitchen in my apartment, armed with a freezer full of hamburger and a cabinet full of Hamburger Helper. We ate it five days a week. Each day had it's own flavor. 11 years later, we can't even bring ourselves to place a box in the cart at the grocery store.

Okay, back to the reason you're here. Peanut Butter Pudding Pie. This was introduced to me during the first Thanksgiving I spent with my future in-laws, where I learned it was a childhood favorite of Bill's. Yearning to expand my repertoire beyond copious varieties of Hamburger Helper, charred bacon and gravy thick enough to eat with a fork, I asked for the recipe. Years later, this is still hands down one of his favorite things to eat. I hope it will soon become one of yours, too!

What you'll need: 2 frozen pie shells, 2 cups confectioners sugar, 1/2 cup peanut butter, 3 cups milk, 1 large box Vanilla Cook and Serve Pudding. (Instant will not work, as the hot pudding is a vital ingredient in this recipe.)

First, bake the pie shells as directed.

Then, in a much larger bowl than I used, combine the peanut butter and sugar.

When first combining this mixture, you can use a fork, but when it comes down to it, you've gotta get in there with your hands and combine the mixture until it's crumbly.

At this point, you're about halfway there. If all of the sugar has been incorporated into the peanut butter and the mixture isn't crumbly enough, you can keep adding sugar until it does. I've found that the amount of sugar needed varies with different brands of peanut butter for some reason.

When the peanut butter and sugar mixture is sufficiently crumbled, reserve a handful of the crumbles for garnish, and pour the rest into the pie shells.

Now it's time to prepare the pudding in a medium saucepan on the stove over medium heat as directed. It's important to bring the pudding to a boil and stir constantly until it begins to thicken.

Then you will pour the hot pudding into the pie shells on top of the peanut butter crumbles. The hot pudding will melt the crumbles and it makes it so rich and delicious.

While the pie is still hot, garnish it with the peanut butter crumbles.

For best results, allow to set in the refrigerator overnight before serving. Hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we do!