Ought to Be Illegal Butterfinger Pie (No Bake)

There’s no excuse for this Butterfinger Pie. Or should I say Butterfinger Cheesecake?.

It’s just plain over-the-top DECADENT.

Yeah, it should be illegal. No card-carrying foodie would get within a mile of it.

I mean, really, how righteous is it to load a perfectly good, no-bake cheesecake with a couple of crushed candy bars, way too much whipped cream, and the best chocolate you can get your hands on.

Among my food savvy friends, this pie categorizes as Trash Food. Sure, we may succumb to temptation when our resistance is low (like the holidays), but we certainly don’t tell anyone.

It’s the kind of pie that you share with a dear one who has encountered a bump in the road of life. You make a fresh pot of tea and this pie. And together, you slowly eat the whole thing. There may be long silences and even some tears, but your forks seem magically drawn back to the pie–bite after irresistible bite.

Not that I have ever done such a ridiculous thing. And you wouldn’t either.

So here’s your chance to run–if you don’t want to be seduced to the dark side.

But you’re heading to the store for the candy bars, right? Maybe an extra one to eat on the way home? This is why I love you. I’ll make the tea.

Ought to Be Illegal Butterfinger Pie (No Bake)

This is a no apologies, no holds barred, totally decadent, intentionally kitschy pie. The star is the Butterfinger candy bar, which I loved as a kid and still love today. I call this type of no-baked, lofty pie a Dream Pie, because it is ethereal and light—compliments of added whipped cream (or whipped egg whites).

Cookie Crumble
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
1½ cups (7½ ounces/214 grams) crushed chocolate wafer cookies
½ cup (2¼ ounces/63 grams) crushed Butterfinger candy bar

Filling
two 8-ounce packages best quality cream cheese (I use Philadelphia brand)
½ cup creamy-style peanut butter
½ cup sugar
½ cup dark brown sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla 

1 cup heavy cream, softly whipped
½ cup (2¼ ounces/63 grams) crushed Butterfinger candy bar (3 mini bars)

Topping
1 cup heavy cream, whipped and lightly sweetened
½ cup (2¼ ounces/63 grams) crushed Butterfinger candy bar (3 mini bars)
1 ounce semi-sweet chocolate shavings (mini semi-sweet chocolate chips)
1 ounce peanuts, minced

1. To prepare pan/s, oil or oil spray bottoms and sides of eight mini pie pans, a 9- to 10-inch pie dish, or a 9-inch springform pan. Reserve.
2. To make cookie crumble, in a small sauté pan, melt the butter, add the crushed cookies, and stir to coat the crumbs with butter. Sauté for 2-3 minutes, stirring slowly, until the mixture begins to toast and become fragrant. Don’t burn! Remove from the heat and immediately stir in the crushed candy bar.
3. Sprinkle crumble evenly on the bottom of chosen pan, pressing firmly onto bottom and up the sides of pie pan/s and onto bottom only of springform pan. Freeze until ready to fill.
4. To make filling, using handheld mixer, stand mixer fitted with the whip attachment, or food processor, beat cream cheese, peanut butter, sugar, brown sugar, and vanilla until creamy.
5. Remove the bowl from the mixer or processor, and fold in whipped cream. Fold in ½ cup crushed candy bar.
6. Scoop filling into prepared pie pan/s. Cover pie/s with a dome of foil, and refrigerate for at least 8 hours before serving.
7. To serve, top pie/s with whipped cream, and then sprinkle with crushed candy bar, chocolate shavings, and minced peanuts.

Makes one 9- to 10-inch pie.

More Fabulous Cheesecakes from LunaCafe

• Blueberry, Lime & Rose Petal Cheesecake
• Dreamy, Creamy, No-Bake Pumpkin Butter Cheesecake
• Luscious White Chocolate and Raspberry Rose Petal Cheesecake
• Marbled Spiced Cranberry & White Chocolate Cheesecake
• Pumpkin Spice & White Chocolate Cheesecake
• Torta della Nonna for My Darling Lily

Cookin’ with Gas (inspiration from around the web)

• Back to Her Roots: No-Bake Butterfinger and Pretzel Cheesecake
• Bake Me Something Good: Peanut Butter Cheesecake Tarts
• Bakers Royale: Oreo Cookies and Cream No-Bake Cheesecake
• Buttercream & Chantilly Factory: No Bake Salted Butter Caramel Cheesecake
• How Sweet It Is: No-Bake Sweet Potato Cheesecakes
• Ooh, Look: No Bake Chocolate Cheesecake
• I Adore Food: No Bake Peanut Butter Cheesecake
• Lost Recipes Found: Very Airy No-Bake Cheesecake
• My Baking Addiction: Biscoff No Bake Cheesecake
• My Baking Addiction: Mint Chocolate No Cake Cheesecake
• SheKnows: No Bake Chocolate Cheesecake
• USMasala: No Bake Nutella Cheesecake

 Copyright 2013 Susan S. Bradley. All rights reserved.