Tippy Top Peanut Butter Pies for the Lunch Box

May I suggest that everyone go 6 time zones east the weeks leading up to school because getting the kids up for the first day was a breeze. We were all up and ready to go by 7 am, a first for sure! If you have been hanging with me for a while, you will know that I am a lunch packing machine. Love it or hate it, we have to pack our lunches each and every day for the 180 day school year and this year I went with Mason jars and a double wine carrier as my kiddos’ lunch boxes. See? Wacko. Prior to leaving for Europe I “put up” a few jars in the freezer containing Teeny Tiny Baby Cinnamon Rolls and some stuffed to the brim with homemade mac and cheese just to give me a few free days until I could get some more lunches put up. Now that we are back I wanted to create a special treat for my children’s lunch boxes… Peanut Butter Pies.

Thumbelina helped me put these pies together. I would call these bit by bit pies.

You make the crust and let it cool, then you make the filling, and while that is mixing you make the ganache, and while it’s cooling, you do some laundry, read a book, or yack on the phone. Bit by delicious bit it gets done, and oh so worth it.

Look at that ganache! Filled all the way to the tippy top of each teeny tiny jar. That’s good enough reason to lick the lids right there. Worth the tongue cuts.

And it’s all for them. My adorables.

There’s Zuzu sporting his bright RED double wine bag. Yes I am warped, thanks for asking.

Tippy Top Peanut Butter Pies
1 1/2 cups crushed pretzels
4 T. brown sugar
3/4 cup melted butter

Mix well and divided evenly among one dozen 4 ounce mason jars, patting the crust down using the end of a thick wooden spoon. Bake at 350 for 8 minutes. Remove to a cooling rack and cool completely before filling with peanut butter filling.

1 1/2 sticks butter
2 cups powdered sugar
2 Safest Choice Pasteurized Eggs
1/2 cup creamy all natural peanut butter

In a stand mixer, mix the above ingredients for 10 minutes on medium speed until light and fluffy. Divided evenly over pretzel crusts.

3/4 cup heavy cream
2 T. butter
2 cups semi sweet chocolate chips

Heat cream and butter in a microwave safe bowl for one minute on high. Pour in chips and let set one minute then stir until the chips are melted and the ganache is smooth. Top each pie with the ganache to just the top of the jar. You will have about 1/3 cup left of the ganache for another use. Screw lids on jars and store in the refrigerator. Makes 12 mini pies or one big 9 inch pie.

Note- The crust is very thick and the first spoonful is hard to crack through but once you do…yum!

Safest Choice Pasteurized Eggs sent me several coupons to try their eggs for free so that I could make the creamiest peanut butter pie ever without fear!

I made up this recipe based on the filling in my Banana Split Pie- another great pie.

Don’t forget my Smucker’s Ice Cream Basket Giveaway- only one day left.

Happy First Week Back to School! What are you packing?