Snickers Peanut Butter Pie

Happy Pi Day!

To tell you the truth, I'm definitely not a math geek.  

But I like any excuse to make pie, especially since we don't eat it nearly often enough for my preference around here.  

To tell another truth, I'm terrible at making pie crust.  Maybe because I refuse to use shortening - it's all butter around here - maybe my technique is all wrong - I don't know....but I can follow directions exactly and my crusts never turn out good.  So these are store-bought.  And I'm not sorry.  

Okay, so if you wanna know a little more about me, keep reading.....if not, just skip to the recipe at the end, and believe me, you'll want it.  

Many years ago, like almost 14 years ago, *gulp* I graduated from college, with a degree in therapeutic recreation.  (3 cheers if you have any clue what that is) 

Side note: I am the middle of five children.  All of us have college diplomas, and not a one of us got a job related to what we studied. How do you like those stats?  Raise your hand if you actually do (or did before having kids) have a job that correlates to your degree.  

So after graduation, my older sister and I moved to Nashville and I got a job at a alternative school as an associate teacher/counselor (in other words, I made $20,000 a year.)  I was desperate for something.  Those pesky bills weren't going away.  In case you aren't familiar with alternative schools, this particular one was for kids who had been kicked out of the metro school system and additionally had some sort of special needs (some were genuine disabilities or disorders, others were just the results of poor family situations.)

It was a K-12 school with about 150 students with severe behavior problems.  

It was a difficult job, to say the least.  

In my first couple of days there, another teacher (older black male) commented, "You'll never make it here a month."

"Why?" I retorted defensively.

Nonchalantly he replied, "You're young, you're white, and you're female."

Well, he was right about me wanting to leave, probably within the week, but I think because I wanted to prove him wrong (and those pesky bills), I stuck it out for two years. 

Oh, the stories I would tell my sister at the end of the day.  She couldn't believe I would go back for more. 

Some days were really good, actually.  On those days I would go home with no new bruises.  

There were some truly rewarding encounters, some good relationships built, but overall I think the stress level would have done me in if I had stayed longer.  Thank goodness I got married and moved an hour away!

Anyways, I mention all of that because the recipe for the bottom portion of this pie came from my boss at that school, the lady who had founded it with her husband.  She would make a couple of these "Fudge Pies" for every work potluck and they would be gone in minutes.  Staff members would be fighting over them, hiding pieces in their desks, etc.  It was pretty funny.  

I love it too.....it's absolutely delicious by itself.....but in honor of Pi Day, I decided to take it up a notch and make it into this Snickers Pie, which I saw on Crazy for Crust awhile back.  

Unfortunately for me and the kids, the pies went with Grant to work for a potluck. We only sampled a piece last night.  It was amazing.  

Slightly gooey chocolaty brownie bottom, a rich peanut buttery nougat, caramel and peanuts, a chocolate drizzle, and Snickers bars for garnish.  Just in case you didn't have enough sweet in there.  

I took the nougat recipe called for in the original pie and divided it between two pies, which I thought worked out just fine. If you want it lots of nougat, double the amount of marshmallow fluff and peanut butter.  I also decreased the amount of peanuts on the top and made my own chocolate drizzle, although you could certainly just use store bought hot fudge sauce.   

Snickers Peanut Butter Pie 

(adapted slightly from Crazy for Crust)

1 pie crust

1/2 cup butter, melted

1 cup sugar

1/4 cup flour

1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

2 eggs, beaten

1 tsp. vanilla

1/8 tsp salt (omit if you used salted butter)

Filling and Topping:

1/2 of a 7 oz. jar marshmallow fluff 

1/2 cup peanut butter

17 caramels, unwrapped

2 Tbs. milk

3/4 cup to 1 cup peanuts

3 Tbs. semi-sweet chocolate chips, melted with 1 Tbs. cream OR 2 Tbs. hot fudge sauce

3 Fun Size Snickers bars, cut into fourths

Preheat oven to 325°.  

Stir melted butter, sugar, flour, cocoa powder, vanilla, and eggs together.  Add salt if using.  Pour over unbaked crust.  Bake for 25 minutes, or until set. 

Cool completely before topping.

Stir together peanut butter and marshmallow fluff in a large bowl.  Spread evenly over brownie layer.

Place caramels and milk in a small saucepan over medium heat.  Stir often until melted and smooth. Remove from heat, stir in the peanuts, and spread over the fluff mixture.

Melt chocolate chips with cream and stir until smooth.  Place in a ziploc bag and snip a corner off, then drizzle over the pie.  

Place sliced Snickers bars around the edge for decoration. 

Store and serve pie at room temperature.