Rhubarb Cream Pie Recipe

Rhubarb is in season and it’s plentiful.  Last year I first heard of a rhubarb cream pie.  It’s something my Darling Hubby had when he was growing up.  My family only ever made sweetened rhubarb boiled down and eaten straight out of a bowl.  This pie is really yummy and is one of my new favorites for the spring.

You can use your favorite double crust recipe, but this is my favorite go to pie crust.  It’s flavorful and flaky (and in my case, can be made soy free!)  The original recipe is written to make 2 double crust pies, but I’ve halved it for you in brackets, so if you want to make one double crust pie, please use the number in ().

• 4 cups flour (2 cups)
• 1 1/2 cup shortening (I use butter and find it is so much better and is soy free!) (3/4 cup) (1 1/2 sticks butter)
• 1/4 tsp baking soda (1/8 tsp)
• 1 tsp salt (1/2 tsp)
• 1 tsp vinegar (1/2 tsp)
• 1 egg, beaten (1)
• cold water to = 1 cup (1/2 cup)

Mix flour, baking soda and salt together and cut in butter or shortening til you have course chunks.  Set aside.  In a liquid measuring cup mix vinegar and the beaten egg and add enough cold water to equal 1 cup (1/2 cup).  Pour liquid into dry and mix til dough forms.  Roll on a floured surface and line the pie pan bottom.  Prick with a fork all over and add filling.

Filling:

• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 1/4 cup flour
• 3/4 tsp nutmeg
• 3 eggs, beaten
• 4 cups rhubarb, cut into 1 inch chunks.  Frozen is ok to use, just rinse and extend cooking time to 1 hour

Mix sugar, flour, nutmeg, eggs and rhubarb in a large bowl.  Pour into prepared pie crust.  Top with remaining crust (lattice if you so desire), or cut slits for venting and bake 50-60 mins at 400* F.

Let cool and enjoy!

Peanut Butter Cup Pie

My husband loves Reeses Peanut Butter cups and this pie comes close to recreating that in a pudding pie.  It’s so delicious and easy to throw together. I’m not sure of where I found the original recipe for this (it’s possible it was on a cream cheese or cool whip package.)  I apologize in advance for the less than stellar photographs of a quarter of a pie…it’s seriously so good that it disappears so fast!

Ingredients
8oz package of cream cheese
1/2 cup peanut butter + 1 Tbsp, divided
1 package (3.4 oz) of vanilla pudding mix
1 cup cold milk
2.5 cups (8oz) cool whip, thawed & divided
3 squares semis-sweet bakers chocolate
1 Oreo, chocolate or graham cracker crust

Directions
Mix the cream cheese and 1/2 cup peanut butter together until smooth.  Add the pudding mix and the cold milk and blend until well mixed.  Whisk in 1 cup of the cool whip.  Pour filling mix into the crust and refrigerate until ready to use.

In a microwave safe bowl, combine the remaining 1.5 cups of cool whip and the bakers chocolate.  Microwave on high 1.5-2 mins, stirring after each minute, until chocolate is melted and smooth.  Cool completely (placing in the freezer for a few minutes speeds up this process.)

When the chocolate mixture is cool, spread over the pudding mixture in the pie crust.  In a small microwaveable container, warm the last Tbsp of peanut butter for approximately 30 seconds and drizzle over the chocolate topping.

Recommended chill time is 4 hours…it usually doesn’t sit that long in our house!  Enjoy!