Real No-Bake Peanut Butter Pie

As a natural foods chef, I love a delicious treat that is made with real ingredients and has some nutritional value to boot!  I find it frustrating that so many desserts out there are labeled "healthy" when they contain lots of refined sugar and processed ingredients. The world of food labeling is very misleading, so a good rule of thumb is if you can't pronounce an ingredient or don't know what it is, it probably isn't health supportive and a super long ingredient list is usually a red flag that there are lots of unhealthy additives.  I am also a big believer in whole fats. Low fat food (that doesn't naturally come that way) typically has lots of added ingredients to make it taste better. The problem is, your body isn't satisfied as easily and you will continue to feel hungry, causing you to eat more than if you had the same dish in its natural, whole fat form. Eating a small portion of this dessert will leave you feeling more satisfied than eating it's junky and over processed counterpart, plus it is easy to make! This no-bake pie is a creamy indulgence that will satisfy your sweet tooth without refined sugars and highly processed oils. It contains protein packed natural peanut butter, nuts and whole fats that will leave you feeling full. This pie has real ingredients with all the sweet and peanut buttery taste of a traditional peanut butter pie, but without all of the not-so-good stuff. Delicious desserts can be made with simple and whole ingredients and this one is no exception.

Yield: 1 pie 

Crust:
3/4c raw cashews
3/4c walnut halves or pieces
1 1/2c pitted deglet dates
1/4tsp fine sea salt
1/2tsp vanilla extract
2Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
3Tbsp mini Enjoy Life chocolate chips


Filling:
1 8oz. package cream cheese
3Tbsp real maple syrup
1c crunchy peanut butter (can substitute with creamy-I use peanut butter which is just nuts      and salt)
1c whole milk
1/3c whole whipping cream, whipped


For the crust:
1. Using a food processor, pulse the cashews and walnuts until they are in small, crumb-  like pieces, but not into a fine powder.
2. Add the dates, sea salt, vanilla and cocoa powder and process until well combined.
3. Add chocolate chips and pulse a few more times until incorporated.
4. Push the date-nut mixture onto your pie dish until the bottom and sides  are covered  and place into the freezer for 15 minutes to firm.


For the filling:
1. Blend cream cheese and maple syrup.
2. Add peanut butter and milk and combine.  Taste for salt and sweetness and adjust if  desired.
3. Fold in the whipped cream a few spoonfuls at a time until incorporated.
4. Spoon mixture into your date-nut crust, cover and freeze until firm (about 1 hour), then  transfer to the refrigerator. You may keep in the freezer, just take the pie out for 15          minutes to thaw.


Notes:
Before filling the crust, I decided to layer it with melted chocolate, then adding the filling on top.  You can also add chocolate chips, chocolate drizzle or chopped peanuts to the top of the pie.  You can do no wrong adding a little extra chocolate love. 


Please use organic ingredients whenever possible. Enjoy!

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