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How to Make Butterfinger Pie Video
Butterfinger Pie Recipe
This dreamy Butterfinger Pie is one of my absolutely favorite pies, second only to my pecan pie recipe. This downright swoon worthy recipe (yes, my husband and I both swooned) boasts the flavorings of a giant Butterfinger in mousse-like pie form. It’s a Butterfinger lover’s dream, a peanut butter lover’s dream, an Oreo lover’s dream and everyone who loves deliciousness dream. Life simply doesn’t get better than this Butterfinger Pie recipe. You will be the hero of Thanksgiving with this pie!
How to Make butterfinger Pie WITHOUT Cool Whip
You will love that this Butterfinger Pie is made without Cool Whip! The main reason I don’t use whipped topping is because I prefer the texture of the filling made with stabilized whipped cream instead (heavy cream + gelatin). As an added bonus, you avoid overly processed Cool Whip which until recently was categorized as non-dairy! Instead, the filling is made with a mixture of Butterfingers, peanut butter, cream cheese, heavy cream, powdered sugar and unflavored gelatin. Whipping the cream with unflavored gelatin then folding it in with the other beaten ingredients gives this pie a light, creamy, texture with structure without any Cool Whip. The gelatin ensures your pie doesn’t become soft and weepy straight out of the refrigerator.
Of course, if you want to use Cool Whip instead, I’ve included how to in the recipe variations. If you want to make the pie with heavy cream without unflavored gelatin, be advised that the pie will be very soft and does not hold up out of the refrigerator, so plan accordingly.
WHAT KIND OF PEANUT BUTTER IS BEST?’
Use conventional peanut butter. The general rule in no-bake pie recipes is to use spoonable peanut butter, meaning peanut butter you can spoon right out of the jar without having to mix the oil back in. Brand name peanut butter such as Skippy or Jif are perfect for this recipe. Use smooth peanut butter. Smooth peanut butter is ideal to create the creamiest filling – the silkier, the better. Avoid natural peanut butters. Natural peanut butter is great for eating but not for baking it. Peanut butter that isn’t homogenized can sometimes cause texture and emulsion issues like your filling separating due to their high ratio of oil. Additionally, I find that some natural peanut butters have a coarse texture that isn’t ideal for achieving that mousse-like pie filling.
Butterfinger Pie Recipe Ingredients
In additional to peanut butter, you will need the following ingredients to make this Butterfinger Pie:
Butterfingers: you will need 8 ounces or 1 ½ cups crushed Butterfingers for the filling and another 2-4 ounces for the topping. You can use any Butterfinger configuration to achieve this – they even sell crushed Butterfingers! Oreos: use the whole Oreo – including the filling! Cream cheese: you can’t really taste the cream cheese, just the peanut butter, but the cream cheese adds the needed body and richness to the filling. Full fat will create the creamiest filling. Heavy cream: is used to make the homemade whipped cream that gives the filling airiness and lightness like a mousse and is also used to make the chocolate ganache. Look for “heavy whipping cream” at the grocery store. You must use heavy cream – no other substitutions will work. Take care that your heavy cream is very cold, remove it from the refrigerator just when ready to use. Unflavored gelatin: is a miracle worker added to the heavy whipping cream to create stabilized whipped cream that adds structure to the Butterfinger Pie. Unflavored gelatin is a common baking ingredient and can be found next to the packages of Jell-O and pudding at your grocery store. I use it all the time when I want to dollop cake or cheesecake with whipped cream ahead of time that will hold its shape, so I promise your purchase will not go to waste. Powdered sugar: also known as confectioner’s sugar, sweetens the filling without any grittiness. It also interacts better with the gelatin. Vanilla extract: use quality extract for best results. Chocolate: use quality baking chocolate. Baking chocolate is cooled, hardened chocolate liquor with a higher percentage of cocoa butter than chocolate chips because it’s intended to be baked with and therefore melts beautifully for ganache. Corn syrup: keeps the ganache shiny, smooth and pliable after being refrigerated. You can omit the corn syrup if you really are opposed but the ganache will not be as smooth, shiny, flexible or overall successful.
Can I Make Butterfinger Pie Gluten Free?
Yes. Original Butterfingers are gluten free as are the filling ingredients. The only ingredient with gluten are the Oreos which you can substitute with gluten free chocolate cookies or sandwich cookies, or even gluten free graham crackers. If your substitution does not contain a filling, then add 2 tablespoons extra butter to the crust.
HOW TO SOFTEN CREAM CHEESE no bake pie
Cream cheese is a key ingredient in this Butterfinger Pie recipe so it’s important that it’s super soft in order to produce a silky, lump free filling. To soften cream cheese, you have a couple options:
Microwave: this method works great but you must babysit the cream cheese and microwave at small intervals so you don’t scorch it – so proceed with care and caution. Cube cream cheese and transfer to a microwave safe plate. Microwave for 20 seconds then at 10 second intervals, flipping cubes and microwave another 10 seconds. Repeat until cream cheese is very soft. Microwave + counter: cube cream cheese and transfer it to a microwave safe plate. Microwave for 20 seconds then at 10 second intervals, then allow cream cheese to sit at room temperature for 30 minutes to finish softening. This gives it a head start to soften at room temperature without the threat of scorching. I cheat and cover the microwaved cream cheese with plastic wrap and place it outside to soften more quickly.
How to Make Butterfinger Pie
This recipe is comprised of 4 main parts: 1) the crust, 2) the stabilized whipped cream, 3) the peanut butter filling and 4) the ganache. Each element is quick and easy to make so please don’t be overwhelmed. Here’s how to make it (as always, the step-by-step recipe video and full instructions with measurements can be found in the recipe card at the bottom of the post):
Step 1: Oreo Crust
Step 2: stabilized Whipped Cream
Microwave gelatin: add unflavored gelatin to a microwave safe bowl then pour the cold water over top; let stand for 5 minutes. Transfer the gelatin mixture to the microwave and microwave for 10 seconds. Stir the mixture, then set aside to cool slightly. Whip cream to soft peaks: whip the heavy cream in a bowl until it thickens and forms soft peaks (the whipped cream folds over when you lift the beaters out of the bowl). Add gelatin: once you’ve reached the soft peak stage, slowly pour the cooled gelatin mixture in as you’re mixing the whipped cream and continue to mix until the whipped cream forms stiff peaks (the whipped cream stands straight up and doesn’t fold over when you lift the beaters out of the bowl).
Step 3: Beat Filling
Beat the peanut butter filling: in a separate large mixing bowl, using the same beaters (no need to clean), beat the cream cheese, powdered sugar and peanut butter on medium-low until combined. Increase speed to medium-high and beat until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add the whipped cream: fold in the whipped cream and Butterfingers until evenly combined. The result is a creamy, airy peanut butter filling.
Step 4: Chill
Add the mixture to the pan: pour the mixture into the prepared pan and smooth the top. I like to use an icing spatula for this. Chill: pop the pie in the freezer to harden up a bit while you make the ganache.
Step 6: Add topping
Make ganache: you only need 3 ingredients for the chocolate ganache topping – chocolate, heavy cream and corn syrup. Heat the heavy cream and corn syrup in the microwave then add the chopped chocolate. Let it stand for a couple of minutes, then whisk vigorously until ganache is melted and smooth. See my chocolate ganache page if you need extra help with it.
Add toppings: pour the ganache over top of the pie, spreading to the edges then top with crushed Butterfingers.
Step 7: Chill
Cover and chill the pie in the refrigerator for at least 5 hours before serving or freeze for 2 hours then let the pie sit at room temperature for 20 minutes or so to soften up a bit before serving.
Helpful Tips for the best no bake pie
Use a commercial brand creamy peanut butter. Use Skippy or Jif because it will blend more easily, won’t separate and create a silkier filling. Use quality chocolate for the ganache. Use baking chocolate bars. If you have to use chocolate chips, use a quality brand with a higher percentage of cocoa butter like Guittard or Ghirardelli. Many other chocolate brands contain less cocoa butter and will not melt as seamlessly and can leave you with stubborn chocolate pieces AKA they’re not suitable for ganache. Use a food processor. The easiest way to make the crumbs for the crust is in your food processor – it literally takes seconds! If you don’t have a food processor, you can crush the crackers in a plastic bag with a rolling pin or side of a can. Use fine crumbs. The finer the crumbs, the more cohesive the crust and less crumbly it will be when baked. Press crumbs firmly into pan. Use the bottom of a cup or measuring cup to get the crust layer nice and compact so it doesn’t crumble later. Use soft cream cheese. The cream cheese should be soft enough that you can stick your finger in it. If it is not soft enough, then it will yield lumpy filling (see methods to soften cream cheese above). Use the stabilized whipped cream. If you want a filling that won’t weep or soften immediately, don’t skip the gelatin. Chill bowl and beaters. It’s best to chill your bowl and beaters for about 15 minutes before making the whipped cream. It’s not essential, but chilling helps your whipped cream thicken more quickly and increases the volume. Time gelatin. Don’t wait too long to add the gelatin the whipped cream or it can harden. If it has hardened, microwave it again for 10 seconds and then let it slightly cool before adding the whipped cream. Don’t overwhip the whipped cream. Stop mixing when you see stiff peaks because over-whipped cream becomes grainy. Slice with a hot knife. Using a hot knife is the best method for creating clean slices of pie. You can either run the knife under hot water or fill a large glass with hot water, then dip the knife in the hot water before each cut. Wipe the knife clean with a paper towel after each cut, then repeat.
butterfinger PIE VARIATIONS
Use a store-bought crust. For a 100% no-bake pie, pick up a store-bought Oreo crust. Use a different crust. Swap the Oreos for peanut butter Oreos, 14 sheets chocolate Graham crackers or any other chocolate cookie. You can even use peanut butter cookies! If you use a cookie/cracker without filling, increase the butter in the crust to 7 tablespoons. Use Cool Whip. Omit the heavy cream and gelatin and fold in 12 ounces of frozen whipped topping instead. Decrease the sugar to ⅓ cup because Cool Whip is already sweet. Omit the ganache. Instead, drizzle melted chocolate all over the top of the pie. Use chunky peanut butter. If you are looking for more texture in the pie, opt for chunky peanut butter instead. Swap peanut butter. If you’re allergic to peanut butter, try SunButter. Be aware that if your nut butter has a different texture than peanut butter (some nut butters are a lot runnier), that may affect the end result. Change the candy. The peanut butter pie base would be delicious with Reese’s or Snickers instead. Omit Butterfingers. Turn this Butterfinger Pie into a Peanut Butter Pie by omitting the Butterfingers. Top with chopped peanuts and/or a drizzle of chocolate or top with whipped cream. Add whipped cream topping. Top the ganache or replace the ganache with homemade whipped cream. Add sea salt. Sprinkle the top with sea salt for sweet and salty bite. Turn into bars. You can make this Butterfinger Pie in an 8×8″ baking dish. I would line the pan with foil with overhanging edges and grease with nonstick cooking spray.
How to Serve
This Butterfinger Pie should be kept in the refrigerator until ready to serve because it will soften, then slice it right away (easiest to slice when chilled). If you are taking it somewhere, freeze the pie for at least an hour and let it soften for 20-30 minutes at room temperature before serving or pop it in the freezer for 20 minutes once you arrive at your location.
HOW TO STORE
This Butterfinger Pie should be covered and stored in the refrigerator for up to 4 days or frozen for up to 2 months. If stored in the freezer more than 1 hour, let it sit at room temperature for 20 minutes or so before serving to soften up a bit.
HOW TO FREEZE
After the ganache has set, wrap the Butterfinger Pie twice in plastic wrap followed by heavy duty aluminum foil. Freeze for up to 2 months. Let the pie set at room temperature for 20-30 minutes before serving.
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