Healthier Peanut Butter Pie

I LOVE PEANUT BUTTER!

So, when I worked at a restaurant a few years ago, I couldn't resist their peanut butter pie.

Definitely the best peanut butter pie I've ever had!

When I stopped working there, I was on a mission to figure out how to make a similar one. 

Most recipes were laden with heavy cream, and I refused to make one THAT bad for you.  It is already gonna be fattening because of the peanut butter, but why add so much extra fat when I knew it could still be good without cream?

I finally found one I liked with cream cheese, but it called for 1 1/2 cups of confectioner's sugar, so of course I cut that WAY back and used light cream cheese.  So here is my recipe for reduced sugar, reduced fat peanut butter pie, and trust me, it is SOO worth the calories!!

-1 graham cracker crust (I actually make a homemade crust by crushing 1 pack of graham crackers in the food processor and adding 2 tbs melted butter.  Form it into a pie plate and freeze for 10 minutes.)

-1 cup natural peanut butter (I'm sure you could use other peanut butter, but natural is the only kind I've tried).
 -1 16 oz container of cool whip (not the 8oz!)
- 1 block of 1/3 less fat cream cheese
- 1/2 cup of confectioner's sugar*
- crushed peanuts

blend sugar, cream cheese, and peanut butter until creamy.  Blend in cool whip on low speed.  Fill graham cracker crust, cover with crushed peanuts and drizzle with chocolate syrup** if desired.

Freeze for about 2 hours prior to serving so it holds its shape a little better.  It tastes great frozen or refrigerated!

*Sometimes I make this as a snack and don't put in ANY sugar (aside from the cool whip) and it tastes great with graham crackers, so use as little sugar as you like and add more as needed.  I've found that 1/2 cups is good when serving for a crowd, but 1/4 cup or even less is just fine for our family).
**Sometimes I melt chocolate chips and put in a small plastic bag, poke a hole in it and squeeze the chocolate out of the bag.  Or you could simply chop up some chocolate chips and sprinkle them on top with the peanuts to make it pretty.