"Take the Day" Pie

Pretzel Crust:

Ingredients:

4 ounces pretzel sticks, ground finely in a food processor or blender
1 stick (4 ounces) unsalted butter, melted
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
pinch of salt

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Stir together the ground pretzels, melted butter, sugar and salt. Press the pretzel mixture firmly into the bottom of a 9-inch pie pan. Bake for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and chill until firm, about 45 minutes to an hour.

Caramel Sauce:

Ingredients:

3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup water
2 tablespoons corn syrup
3/4 cup heavy cream, warmed
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cubed

Directions:

Whisk the sugar, water and corn syrup in a medium-size heavy saucepan until well combined. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. As it's coming to a boil, dip a pastry brush in water and brush down the sides of the pot to remove any sugar stuck to the sides. Cook the sugar mixture, without stirring, until it becomes a rich caramel color, about 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and slowly whisk in the warmed cream until the caramel sauce is smooth, using caution, as the mixture may bubble up. (If the sauce seizes, stir it over low heat until the hardened caramel is melted.) Whisk in the butter and set aside.

Pie

Ingredients:

1/2 cup creamy peanut butter, melted
1/3 cup warm caramel sauce
1/4 cup coarsely chopped salted peanuts
1 (10 ounce) bag bittersweet chocolate chips, melted

Directions:

Carefully smooth the warmed peanut butter evenly over the bottom of the pretzel crust. Refrigerate for 10 minutes. Drizzle the caramel sauce over the peanut butter layer and gently spread with the back of a spoon. Sprinkle the chopped peanuts over the caramel layer. Refrigerate for another 10 minutes, if necessary. Finish with a smooth layer of melted chocolate. Refrigerate the pie until the chocolate is firm, about 30 minutes. Pie can then remain at room temperature until serving.

Total time:
45 minutes

Yield:
10 slices