Frozen Peanut Butter Pie with a Gluten-Free Chocolate Cookie Crust

Frozen Peanut Butter Pie with a Gluten-Free Chocolate Cookie Crust

INGREDIENTS:
Chocolate Cookie Crust:

• 1/4 cup plus 1 Tablespoon superfine rice flour (plus extra for dusting pie pan)
• 1/4 cup potato starch
• 1/4 cup tapioca starch
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 5 Tablespoons cold butter, cut into small pieces
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Peanut Butter Filling:

• 8-ounce package cream cheese, softened
• 14 ounce can sweetened condensed milk
• 3/4 cup smooth peanut butter
• 1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• 1 cup heavy or whipped cream, whipped until stiff

Whipped Topping:

• 1 cup
• 1/4 cup sugar

Chocolate Sauce:* (see note below)

• 1 cup dark or bittersweet chocolate chips
• 3/4 cup heavy cream

Toppings:

• shaved chocolate or miniature Reese's Peanut Butter cups (optional)

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Generously coat a 9-inch pie pan with cooking spray and dust generously with superfine rice flour.

Combine the rice flour, potato starch, tapioca starch, sugar, unsweetened cocoa powder, xanthan gum and salt in a medium bowl.  Cut in the butter with a pastry cutter or with a fork until crumbly.  Mix in the vanilla extract.  Press the dough evenly into the bottom and up the sides of the prepared pie pan.  Bake for 18-20 minutes or until cooked through.  Remove to a wire rack and cool completely. 

After the crust has cooled completely, prepare the filling.  Combine the cream cheese and sweetened condensed milk in a large bowl.  Use an electric mixer and beat until smooth.  Add the peanut butter, vanilla extract and lemon juice and mix until smooth.  Carefully fold in 1/3 of the whipped cream to lighten the mixture.  Gently fold in the remaining whipped cream and pour into the prepared crust.  Freeze for 1-2 hours.

Prepare the chocolate sauce by microwaving the chocolate at 50% power for one minute.  Stir and, if necessary, return the chocolate to the microwave for 30 second intervals at 50% power until the chocolate is nearly melted (residual heat will melt any remaining chocolate solids).  Slowly whisk in the heavy cream.  Let cool slightly and pour into a thin-tipped squeeze bottle.

While the chocolate sauce is cooling, prepare the whipped topping by beating the heavy/whipping cream using an electric mixer in a large bowl until soft peaks form.  Add the sugar and beat until firm.

Take the pie out of the freezer and spoon or decoratively pipe the whipped cream on top of the frozen pie. Decorate/drizzle with chocolate sauce and chocolate shavings or mini Reese's candies, if desired. 

Return the pie to the freezer and freeze for an additional 6+ hours. 

Note:  This amount will make plenty of extra chocolate topping, which I love to have in the fridge to top all sorts of desserts, but feel free to halve the amounts listed.