Strawberry Pie with Peanut Butter Crispy Crust

Strawberry and peanut butter = smiles I thought this pie filling tasted great over a graham cracker crust, but over a crispy peanut butter crust its insanely delicious.

Ingredients:

Crust-

2 cups crispy rice cereal

½ cup reduced fat peanut butter

Filling-

3 pounds strawberries

¼ cup sugar

3 tablespoons cornstarch

1 teaspoon lemon juice

Whip Cream Optional-

½ cups heavy cream

1 tablespoon confectioners’ sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar

Directions:

Crust-

1. Put ½ cup peanut butter in a microwave safe bowl and heat for 30 second increments stirring until warm and very loose about 2 minutes.
2. Add rice cereal and toss to combine.
3. Transfer to a 9-inch pie plate and press in an even layer.
4. Refrigerate the crust while preparing the filling.

Filling-

1. Quarter 2 pounds of the strawberries.  Dice 1 pound.  Slice 1 pound.
2. Add the pound of diced strawberries to a medium bowl.  Sprinkle with 1 tablespoon of sugar and let sit at room temperature.
3. Put the 2 pounds of quartered strawberries in a medium pot with cornstarch, lemon juice, and 1/3 cup granulated sugar.  Bring to a simmer over medium heat and cook stirring often until mixture is thick and jammy in 15-20 minutes. 
4. Remove strawberries from heat.  Let cool for at least 10 minutes.
5. Stir the macerated strawberries into the cooked strawberries.
6. Pour the strawberries into the crust. 
7. Decorate the top of the pie with sliced strawberries in a concentric circle or other pattern. 
8. Chill in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours.

Whip Cream-

1. Whip the cream with confectioners’ sugar, vanilla, and cream of tartar until it holds stiff peaks.