Lemon Cookie Butter Pie

 

This is a sponsored post by Challenge Butter, but the text and opinions are all mine. Thank you for supporting brands that make Kylee's Kitchen possible! 

I hope by now you all are familiar with cookie butter. It’s a bunch of cookies blended until it’s spreadable, so, obviously, it’s delicious. It has a deep caramel flavor with a hint of gingerbread.

I was inspired by the classic peanut butter pie to make a cookie butter pie, swapping the peanut butter for cookie butter, of course. I wanted to pair the filling with a lemon crust because I thought the citrus would brighten and complement the caramel notes of the cookie butter and make it better suited for spring. 

The pie is made with a crumb crust. A crumb crust is a crust made out of anything that makes crumbs: pretzels, crackers, cookies, etc. This particular crumb crust is made out of lemon sandwich cookies. Generally, a crumb crust is made with just two ingredients: crumbs and butter, which hold the crust together. The amount of butter necessary to hold the crust together will depend on what type of crumbs you use and how dry the crumbs are. The mixture should resemble wet sand. 

I use Challenge Salted Butter in my crumb crust recipe. Using high-quality butter, like Challenge, has a big impact on the crust flavor.

If you want a totally no-bake pie, you do not need to bake the crust. But if you like a crispy crust, you’ll want to bake it. I included instructions for baking the crust.

Let's talk about the filling—stop mixing it when you reach medium peaks. Here is the difference between soft, medium, and stiff peaks: soft peaks flop over immediately when you left up the beaters; medium peaks hold their shape, but the tips curl over; stiff peaks stand straight up.

I like to top the pie with whipped cream. The problem with serving a pie with whipped cream is that whipped cream quickly weeps and deflates. Fortunately, there are two ingredients you can add to whipped cream to help stabilize it: gelatin or instant vanilla pudding mix. I included the instant vanilla pudding mix in the whipped cream recipe below in case you want to try it!

Lemon Cookie Butter Pie

Time: About 30 minutes to prep, 30 minutes to chill

Yield: Around 8 pieces

Ingredients

For the crust

• 9 ounces lemon sandwich cookies
• 6 Tablespoons Challenge salted butter, melted

For the filling

• 1 1/2 cups (360 grams) cookie butter
• 6 ounces (170 grams) cream cheese, room temperature
• 1/2 cup (60 grams) confectioners’ sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 3/4 cup (180 milliliters) heavy whipping cream

For the topping

• 1/2 cup (120 milliliters) heavy whipping cream
• 2 Tablespoons (15 grams) confectioners’ sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Optional: 1 Tablespoon (15 grams) instant vanilla pudding mix, for stabilization

Directions

For the crust

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Place cookies in food processor and pule to fine crumbs.
3. Add melted butter and pulse until mixture is combined and crumbs stick together when pressed.
4. Press crumbs into bottom and up sides of 9-inch pie plate.
5. Bake crust for about 10 minutes or until it appears set and edges slightly darken.
6. Set aside to cool completely.

For the filling

1. Combine cookie butter and cream cheese in stand mixer bowl fitted with whisk attachment. Mix on medium speed until combined and smooth, about 2 minutes. Scrape down sides of bowl.
2. Add confectioners' sugar, vanilla extract, and salt and mix on medium speed another two minutes. Scrape down sides of bowl.
3. Return mixer to medium speed. Gradually add heavy cream to bowl in steady stream. Continue to mix until filling holds soft peaks.
4. Spread filling into pie crust and place in refrigerator. Allow to set for at least 30 minutes.

For the topping

1. Combine heavy whipping cream, confectioners' sugar, vanilla extract, and optional instant vanilla pudding mix in stand mixer bowl fitted with whisk attachment. Whip cream to stiff peaks.
2. Spread or pipe whipped cream on top of chilled pie and serve.
3. Store leftover pie in refrigerator for up to 5 days or in freezer for several weeks.