Fudge Pie with Salted Caramel Sauce

Ingredients

For the Fudge Pie

1 refridgered pie crust (not the kind from the freezer section, the ones from the refridgerated section at the grocery store).

12 Tbs unsweetened cocoa

12 Tbs all purpose flour

2 ½ Cups granulated sugar

1 Cup peanut butter

4 eggs – room temp – beaten

2 tsp pure vanilla extract

1 stick of butter – melted

For the Caramel Sauce

1 Cup Sugar

5 Tbs Butter – cut into slices

½ Cup plus 1 Tbs Cream

1 tsp vanilla

½ tsp Sea Salt – or more to taste

Preparation

For the Fudge Pie

Two hours before making this pie, set the pie crust and the eggs out on the counter to come to room temp.

Melt the butter in the microwave – place in a coffee mug and microwave on high for about 30 secs. Preheat the oven to 350. Beat the eggs in a small bowl and set aside. Unroll the pie crust and center on a deep dish pie plate, press into the bottom of the pie plate and crimp the edges of the pie crust.

In a medium bowl, add the cocoa, flour, sugar and mix well. Add the peanut butter, eggs, vanilla and butter. Mix again until well combined. The pie filling will seem very thick.

Pour and spread the filling into the pie shell and bake at 350 for 45- 55 mintues. Pie is done when the surface no longer looks wet.

Remove from oven and allow to cool. Serve warm with salted caramel drizzle.

For the Caramel Sauce

In a HEAVY pan – not your typical sauce pan, use something heavy like a cast iron soup pot, put in the sugar (make sure pan is very dry before putting sugar in).

With stove on medium high heat, stir sugar continuously with a large fork (like a meat serving fork) or a wooden spoon. If some of the sugar sticks to the side of the pot – do not scrape it down. You will notice that for the first 2-3 minutes, nothing happens. 3-4 minutes in, the sugar starts to clump up – just keep stirring. Don’t stop stirring. After another 3 minutes, the clumps start to melt. When all of the clumps melt, stop stirring. If you have a gas stove, allow the pot to set on the flame and shake occasionally until the caramel is the color you want, then turn the burner off. If you have an electric stove top, allow the pot to set on the eye until color that you want develops and then slide the pot off of the eye. Simply allow the pot to cool for about 30 secs.

Stir in the butter, stir stir stir while it melts – your pot may bubble up some at this point – which is fine. Keep stirring.

Slowly stir in the cream (don’t use anything besides heavy whipping cream for this job – it needs cream). Stir continuously while adding the cream.

Stir in the vanilla and the salt.