Reese's Pie
Reese’s Pie- A no bake filling made with ground Reese’s cups fills a homemade graham pretzel crust for one epic dessert.
August 12, 2023 by Nicole Collins
Today, we’re making Reese’s Pie!
This recipe is a variation of a Reese’s Mousse Pie I shared here a few years ago. In the original recipe, we used Reese’s Spread which is no longer sold in stores. So when the craving for this pie struck, the only thing to do was pivot and make our own! We’ll call this an evolved version of the original. There’s a no bake Reese’s mousse made with pulverized Reese’s peanut butter cups. There’s a homemade crust made with pretzels and graham crackers. There’s a homemade whipped cream, though I wouldn’t tell anyone if you cheated and used the stuff from the can. And, there’s more chopped Reese’s on top bringing the whole thing home.
If you want to talk about a Reese’s lover’s dream, this is it!
Let’s start with the crust. The pie filling is sweet and rich, so we need a crust that balances that out. We’re going to make a crust that’s mixed with equal parts graham cracker crumbs and pretzel crumbs. So we’ll take a couple sheets of honey graham crackers, grind them in a food processor until they’re fine crumbs, then do the same thing with some mini pretzels. Then we’ll mix the crumbs with some melted butter and a little brown sugar, and we’ll pop it in the oven for about 10 mins to firm up. We need to let the crust cool completely before we load it up with our decadent filling.
The filling is the true star of this pie, and we’re going to make a no bake Reese’s cheesecake mousse situation. It starts with a bag of Reese’s peanut butter cups. We’ll toss them into the same food processor we used to make our crust crumbs, and we’ll grind them up until they turn into a paste resembling the texture of peanut butter. It doesn’t take long at all for the pb cups to break down.
Once we have our DIY Reese’s spread, we’re going to mix it with a block of softened cream cheese. We’ll blend the two together until smooth, add a little powdered sugar and blend again, then add in a tub off cool whip and blend it one more time until the texture lightens in color and becomes nice and fluffy. Now one thing to note, you can use either full fat or light cream cheese and cool whip for this recipe. I actually prefer to use light for both, and the pie turns out perfect every time.
When that Reese’s filling is ready to go, we’ll transfer it into the cooled crust, and to the fridge it goes to set for at least a few hours but preferably overnight. To finish the pie, we’ll pipe on some whipped cream and some more chopped Reese’s cups, and it’s time to enjoy. Since we’re only using the whipped cream for garnish, you can make your own with a little heavy cream and powdered sugar. Or you can let the grocery store help and use the spray stuff from the can. We’ve done enough work on this pie, so I won’t tell if you take a little shortcut!
This pie…OH, this pie. It’s rich and creamy and just the slightest bit tangy from the cream cheese. But, the Reese’s flavor really shines through. You taste that perfect balance of chocolate and peanut butter, and it really is a beautiful thing. This dessert is somehow light and decadent all at the same time. And, you know we love it when flavors balance like that!
Ok, everyone! This is one pie I need all of you to make immediately. So, make sure you tag me on socials so I can see too!
I hope you guys enjoy! And, let’s eat!
Reese's Pie
Serves: 8 Print
Ingredients:
For the Crust:
6 sheets honey graham crackers
1 ½ cups mini pretzels
6 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
2 tbsp brown sugar
For the Reese's Pie:
8 oz cream cheese, softened
1 bag (10.5 oz) Reese’s peanut butter cups (14 snack sized cups)
½ cup powdered sugar
8 oz cool whip, thawed (regular or lite is fine)
¾ cup heavy cream
3 tbsp powdered sugar
mini Reese's cups or additional chopped Reese’s cups, for garnish
Directions:
Make the Crust: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Add graham crackers to the bowl of a food processor, and process on high until finely ground. Measure out ¾ cup of crumbs, and add to a bowl. Discard any remaining crumbs. To the same food processor bowl, add pretzels. Process on high until finely ground. Measure out ¾ cup of crumbs, and add to the bowl with the graham cracker crumbs. Discard any remaining crumbs. Add butter and brown sugar to the bowl. Mix well until the crumbs resemble the texture of wet sand. Gently and evenly press crumbs on the bottom and up the sides of a 9 inch pie plate. Bake for 10 minutes. Set aside to cool completely.
Make the pie filling: Wipe down the bowl of the food processor, and add 14 Reese’s cups. Process on high until the mixture resembles a thick spread the consistency of peanut butter.
Add Reese’s spread to a large bowl along with cream cheese. Use a hand mixer to beat until the mix is fully combined. Add in powdered sugar, and beat until the mixture is fully combined. Add in cool whip, and beat until the mixture is fully combined, lightened in color, and fluffy. Spread filling evenly into cooled pie crust. Chill in the fridge for 4 hours or up to overnight.
Make the Whipped Cream: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, add heavy cream. Whisk on high for 1-2 mins until soft peaks form. Add powdered sugar. Whisk on high for 1-2 mins more until stiff peaks form. Transfer to a piping bag fitted with a large star tip.
Finish the Pie: Pipe whipped cream around the outside border of the pie in your desired design. Garnish with mini Reese’s cups or additional chopped snack sized Reese’s cups. Enjoy!
Recipe notes:
*You can use either lite or full fat cream cheese and cool whip for this recipe. I actually like to use lite for both, and it turns out great every time.
*When you whip your cream, making sure your things are really cold will help the cream whip faster. I put my whisk attachment in the freezer for about 15 mins before I whip my cream. And, I take the cream straight from the fridge to the bowl when I'm ready to whip.
*Store leftovers covered in the fridge for up to 5 days.
*This pie actually freezes really well. I like to make a pie just for myself, slice and freeze it in individual pieces, and take a slice out of the freezer when the sweet tooth hits. You can eat it straight from the freezer!
