Original recipe: https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/151521/decadent-peanut-butter-pie/
This is a rich pie. If your group likes delicate desserts, this is not it!
Usually, I follow recipes pretty closely the first time I make them. But I also read reviews beforehand to see if some adjustment makes sense. I've made this pie a number of times. Here are my notes and adjustments, based on reviews and my initial experience:
You can use any pie crust. My favorite was the prepared shortbread crust, which I haven't found again for years. This recipe is built for the smaller size pie pan, like the unrefrigerated cookie crusts. But it is not a flat pie ... the filling ends up being mounded in the pie, so you could go with a slightly larger crust like the smaller frozen ones (baking and cooling the crust in advance).
I felt the PB-chocolate balance was skewed, that it needed a little more fudge sauce. I use a total of about 16 oz of fudge topping. First, I microwave and stir the jar of hot fudge until it is pourable and spreadable, but not runny. I line the crust with hot fudge. (If the fudge is too thick and you try to spread it in a cookie crust, the cookie crumbs will pull away from the pan.) I refrigerate that while I'm mixing the filling. I end up with several layers: crust, fudge, peanut butter filling, fudge, whipped cream. Also, it's easier to put fudge in an empty crust than to try to get a thick layer of warm sauce on top of a cold filling. If the fudge is very warm, it will start melting the filling and may want to run off the edge of the pie.
Instead of 1/2 cup of granulated sugar, I used about 7/8 cup of powdered sugar (3/4 cup + 2 tablespoons, or 1 cup - 2 tablespoons (and you don't have to be super precise)). Sometimes granulated sugar doesn't break down as well and can leave a slightly grainy texture. Powdered sugar integrates better, but it also contains cornstarch which is a thickening agent. I counter the cornstarch with a little milk (1/4 to 1/2 cup), but I don't add milk until I have the other ingredients blended together. I mix the peanut butter, powdered sugar, cream cheese, and Cool Whip ... then add milk to get the consistency I want. Different peanut butter brands have different consistencies. How do I know what consistency I want? I sample the mixture -- my favorite part!
Do not overheat the hot fudge that you pour on top of the peanut butter filling.
Spreading Cool Whip on top and drizzling hot fudge and peanut butter over it is just for presentation. Another whipped cream is better. And the drizzles add nothing. You could squirt or dollop whipped cream on top (whole pie, or per slice) and put mini-Reeces cups on it.
One time, I tried a natural peanut butter. Didn't work as well. Even stirring the oil into it a lot, I found that the filling just didn't stand up as well. The additives in 'regular' peanut butters seem to bind the oil and provide a better consistency.
