I am a Honey Bee

All about my adventures with cooking, crafts, and travel

ganache topping

No-Bake Snickers Pie

No-Bake Snickers Pie – A rich creamy peanut butter pie with Snickers candy bar dessert and caramel topping. Perfect for warm Summer nights!

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We’re going camping tomorrow. Wish us luck!

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Yeah, we might be a bit crazy to tackle that with a dog and a 7 month old but we are up for the challenge. Plus we are approaching it cautiously by only going 1 night and going to Pillsbury State Park, a campsite that we have already been to so we know exactly what to expect there.

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One of the things that I am really looking forward to is being able to walk all around the camp grounds with Autumn and get to show her the lake, streams, and a waterfall too. We did a hike there last year when I was 6 months pregnant so it will be fun to do it now with Autumn. Hoping to be much faster this time!

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While we’re roughing it this weekend, you should be cutting yourself a slice of this pie. You can easily whip it up while not turning your oven on in this summer heat! Isn’t that just the best thing ever? Pie and you don’t even need to get your kitchen hot!!

Plus, it’s LOADED up with pieces of Snickers. SNICKERS!!!

When I was at summer sleep away camp we could buy treats in the afternoon at the general store. Occasionally Every day I would get a Snickers bar to take out to the four square court. As I waited in line I’d eat my melting Snickers and right before it was my turn I’d shove that wrapper into my shorts pocket before I dominated played the game.

Since then I’ve loved Snickers. I can’t keep them in the house because they call to me from the refrigerator. Which is exactly why after Price and I each enjoyed a slice of this pie I emailed our dog walker telling her that there was a pie in our freezer for her to take. I had to hit send on that email quickly before I thought twice and considered eating it all myself.  I hope her family enjoys it just as much as we did. And I hope you do too!

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No Bake Snickers Pie

Make 1 9″ Pie Ingredients

For the crust

  •  8 ounces chocolate cookies (I used a ‘dutch chocolate cookie‘)
  • 3 Tablespoons butter, melted plus a little extra for greasing the pie plate

For the filling

  • 8 ounces light cream cheese, softened at room temperature
  • 1 1/2 Cups heavy whipping cream
  • 1/2 Cup sugar
  • 2/3 Cup smooth peanut butter
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1/3 Cup caramel sauce

For the ganache topping

  • 6 ounces milk chocolate, broken into small pieces (a mixture of milk and semi-sweet is fine as well)
  • 1/4- 1/3 cup heavy cream
  • 12 Fun Size Snickers bars, chopped up
  • Caramel Sauce

Process

  1. Butter the bottom and sides of the pie plate. Set aside.
  2. In a food processor, finely process the cookies until you produce a fine crumb. Add the melted butter and mix to combine. Using your fingers, press this mixture into the pie plate and up the sides. Place in the fridge to harden.
  3. In the bowl of a stand mixer, whip the cream until it forms firm peaks. Transfer to a large bowl, and set aside.
  4. Using mixing bowl you had perviously whipped the cream in, beat the cream cheese, sugar, peanut butter, and vanilla extract until it becomes smooth and creamy.
  5. Scoop out dollops of the peanut butter mixture onto the bowl with the whipped cream. Gently fold together until there are no more streaks, but be careful not to over mix deflating the filling.
  6. Remove the pie plate from the fridge and pour a thin, even layer of the caramel over the crust. Scoop the filling onto the caramel and evenly smooth out the top. Return to the freezer .
  7. In the bowl of a double boiler, add the broken pieces of chocolate and heat over low heat until almost melted through. Add 1/4 Cup of the cream and continue to heat until the mixture to fuly melted and smooth. (If the chocolate ‘breaks’ then add a bit more cream until it is smooth again.)
  8. Remove the pie from the freezer and pour the ganache over the top. Smooth the surface with an offset spatula. Spinkle the chopped up pieces of Snickers bars on top, then gently press into the warm ganache. Drizzle the caramel sauce on top and return to the freezer for at least 30 minutes.
  9. Prior to serving, place the pie into the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes to make cutting and serving easier.

Insprired from Not Quiet Nigella

Chocolate Ganache Topped Crunchifed Peanut Butter Pretzel Pie

Ganache Topped Peanut Butter Pretzel Pie

Oh, what a week it has been!

Our poor pup starting throwing up on Monday night and has been sick since. We had hoped his stomach issues would clear up on their own but no luck. As Price was hand feeding him rice on Wednesday night we decided he would go to the vet as soon as the opened on Thursday morning. So Kemper spent the day at the vet getting tests run to figure out what was wrong with him. Thankfully, he tested negative for giardia but he definitely has a stomach bug.

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I’m hoping that his pill, powder for his food, and his prescription food help him feel better quickly. Especially since I stepped in some poo this morning before I put the lights on. It’s not like him to have accidents so I know he is sick so I can’t get mad but man, what a way to start a Friday morning.

But it’s Friday, so that means it’s time for pie!!!

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I had been thinking of making a pie with a pretzel crust for a bit now. I’ve done the graham cracker crust. And the chocolate cookie crust. So I wanted to try something different and I just love the sweet and salty combo of things.

This Chocolate Ganache Topped Crunchifed Peanut Butter Pretzel Pie will leave you weak in the knees. It’s really rich. It’s the perfect triple threat of pretzels, peanut butter, and chocolate.

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I highly recommend pulling out your food processor to make this crust. I’m sure that you can crunch up the pretzels in the ziplock bag using a rolling pin but I just don’t think you’ll get the pieces small enough for the crust to hold together well.

The peanut butter filling is really light and crunchy. Using crunchy peanut butter adds a little extra crunch to the pie. If you don’t have crunchy peanut butter on hand then just use creamy. Don’t hold off on making this pie just for that.

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But the chocolate ganache that tops off the pie is the finishing touch! It’s silky, rich, and chocolately. And then jazzed up some more with the chopped up peanuts and pretzels that are sprinkled on top.

Plan ahead when making this pie. This is not a last minute project as it needs to chill for a few hours. I suggest making it the morning that you want to serve it. Or even the night before so it sets up really well.

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Thankfully, I am kicking it out of my house before I eat it all. Five slices will be on their merry way out the door today when our dog walker comes for Kemper today. She is the best but her flexibility this month has been incredible. There have been so many last minute changes from the typical M-Th schedule with extra vet appointments for Kemper to have a cracked molar extracted, to days I’ve worked from home because of appointments for Autumn, and now this latest adventure. I just hope they enjoy it for dessert tonight as much as we did! 🙂

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Chocolate Ganache Topped Crunchifed Peanut Butter Pretzel Pie

Makes a 9″ Pie

Ingredients

Crust

  • 7 ounces/200 grams of pretzels
  • 1/4 cup brown sugar
  • 10 tablespoons of unsalted butter, melted

Filling

  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • 8 ounces cream cheese
  • 1 1/2 cups crunchy peanut butter
  • 1 cup confectioner’s sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Ganache Topping

  • 1 cup of heavy cream
  • 8 ounces of semi-sweet chocolate

Garnish

  • 1/4 cup salted peanuts, chopped
  • 1/4 cup pretzels, chopped up intosmall pieces

Process

  1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
  2. Put the pretzels in a food processor and process until the pretzels are crushed enough to resemble crumbs.
  3. Combine the ingredients, and press the mixture into the bottom and up the sides a lightly greased 9″ pie pan.
  4. Freeze the crust for 15 minutes (which will prevent over-browning).
  5. Bake for 12-15 minutes, until it’s lightly browned around the edges. Remove from the oven and cool completely.
  6. To make the whipped cream for the filling, whip the heavy cream until there are stiff peaks. Set aside.
  7. To make the filling base, beat the cream cheese for 3 minutes, scrape the bowl every minute. Add the confectioner’s sugar and beat for another minute, scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the peanut butter and vanilla extract, beat for another 2 minutes.
  8. Completely fold the whipped cream into the peanut butter mixture.
  9. Pour the filling into the cooled pie crust. Smooth out the top and then put the pie into the freezer.
  10. Prepare the ganache but setting a heat safe bowl over a  pot with some water in it. Do not allow the water to touch the bottom of the bowl.  Heat the water to a simmer and add the heavy cream. Heat the cream until it is warm and add the chocolate. Mix the chocolate until all of it is melted into the heavy cream. Remove the bowl from the top of the pot and let cool for about 10 minutes.
  11. Mix the ganache one more time and then pour it on top of the chilled filling. Tap the pan to even out the top and to remove any bubbles in the ganache.
  12. Sprinkle the top of the ganache with the chopped peanuts and pretzels.
  13. Return to the freezer for at least 4 hours. Remove from the freezer 15 minutes prior to serving. Slice and enjoy!

Inspired by Baking the Goods