If You Can’t Stand The Heat – Get Into The Kitchen! No-Bake Peanut Butter Pie in a Corn Flake Crust

Summer has arrived (cue: dun-dun-duuuun dramatic music) and in Hong Kong, it’s almost always hotter than Channing Tatum, am I right? However, life…and dessert must go on. For me, summer desserts should be creamy, cool, and stress-free. And you know what I’m talking about if you have ever tried to roll out pastry dough on a hot, muggy summer day. The humidity causes it to stick to everything; the counter, the pin, your sanity. Forget that and don’t even bother turning on the oven. This recipe is one of my favourite go-to pies that’s a no-baker and no-brainer.

The best part is that it’s completely versatile. If you’re not a peanut butter fan, try swapping it out for Nutella. Don’t have corn flakes? Substitute graham cracker crumbs, shortbread cookies, or digestives. If you can’t be bothered to prep the crust, get yourself a store-bought Oreo cookie crust and voila! Dessert is served.

If you do swap out the corn flakes for graham cracker crumbs or cookie crumbs, remember this ratio: 1 ½ cups crumb to 4 ounces of melted butter. Each type of cookie works differently so the best way to determine if your mixture is ready to be pressed in the pie pan is this: grab a portion of the mixture in-between your fingers and pinch. If it holds together, it’s ready to use. If it’s too crumbly and won’t come together, add about 1-2 teaspoons of melted butter at a time, stirring afterwards until it clumps. If it feels too oily, add a spoonful of additional crumbs and stir until it’s pliable.

No-Bake Peanut Butter Pie in a Corn Flake Crust

Ingredients

For the Crust:
2 cups crushed corn flakes
4 ounces unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
2 tablespoons granulated sugar

For the Filling:
8 ounces cream cheese, softened to room temperature
1 ¼ cups powdered sugar
1 cup smooth peanut butter
1 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

1. To prepare the crust, place the crushed corn flakes in a large bowl. Pour the melted butter and sugar over the cereal and mix with a wooden spoon to evenly coat the crushed flakes.

2. Turn out mixture into a 9 inch pie dish. Evenly press the crumbs on the bottom and up the sides of the pan. To help create even sides, press a small measuring cup along the edges, going all the way around. Refrigerate until firm, about 2 hours.

3. To prepare the filling, combine the cream cheese, and peanut butter in a large bowl. Beat on medium-high speed with a hand mixer or standing mixer for about 2 minutes or until smooth and combined.

4. Sift about half of the powdered sugar into the peanut butter mixture. *sifting the powdered sugar helps to ensure there are no lumps in the pie filling. Beat on medium speed for about 30 seconds and then sift in the remaining sugar and beat to combine. Set aside.

5. Using a hand mixer or standing mixer, beat the heavy cream on high until soft peaks form. Add the vanilla and continue to beat until stiff.

6. Gently fold the whipped cream into the peanut butter mixture until combined and no white streaks remain. Do not over mix.

7. Transfer mixture into the prepared crust and smooth surface with an offset spatula or using the back of a large spoon. Refrigerate until firm, about 4 hours. Any leftovers must remain refrigerated.