Fluffernutter Pie! As a kid, you knew it was going to be a good day when you dipped into your lunch box and found a Fluffernutter sandwich waiting for you along with your requisite apple and carrot sticks. Peanut butter and marshmallow for lunch is about as American as it gets. Until now, when we are having the Fluffernutter for dessert. I added a chocolate cookie crust for an extra hit of decadence. You can use either creamy or chunky peanut butter—creamy looks nicer but chunky tastes better. Sometimes, I make a double batch of the filling and either eat it as pudding or use it to make decadent frozen pops. For the crust, you may substitute graham crackers, animal crackers, or vanilla cookies, or any gluten free cookie or cracker.
Makes one 9-inch (23 cm) pie
- 1 All-Purpose Cookie Crust made with chocolate cookies
- ½ cup (130 g) peanut butter
- ¼ cup (60 g) vegan cream cheese
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons (135 g) confectioners’ sugar
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 to 1½ cups (128 to 192 g) vegan marshmallow fluff (I use Ricemellow Crème)
- A few peanuts, for garnish
Preheat the oven to 400ºF (200ºC, or gas mark 6).
Press the crust into a pan and bake for 8 to 10 minutes, or until firm. Let cool completely before filling.
In a food processor, cream together the peanut butter, cream cheese, vanilla, sugar, and salt until completely smooth. Better to over process than under process.
Spread in the cooled crust. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
Just before serving, top with the marshmallow fluff and garnish with a few peanuts.
Variations
An astonishing variety of gourmet peanut butters now grace the supermarket shelves. I love the ones made by Peanut Butter and Company, but many other brands are also available. Mix and match with appropriate cookie crusts to create unique combinations. Here are some ideas:
• Vegan chocolate hazelnut spread (you’ll probably want to cut back on the sugar) with chocolate cookie crust
• Cinnamon raisin peanut butter with graham cracker crust
• Chocolate peanut butter with vanilla cookie crust
• Maple peanut butter with vanilla cookie crust
Published with permission from the lovely Dynise Balcavage via her brilliant new cookbook that you must own at once (click the link below!)
Dynise Balcavage blogs at urbanvegan.net. Her third cookbook, Pies and Tarts with Heart, is out now!