Vegan Peanut Butter Oreo Pie

There's nothing you will not love about this Peanut Butter Oreo Pie, starting with that name. How delicious is every word of it?

It has a divine crust of buttery Oreos, and a creamy, silky feeling of peanut butter and cream cheese.

It comes together so fast, it could very well become your favorite dessert to whip up in a hurry.

And did I say everyone is certain to love it?

You don't need a whole lot of prep for this recipe, everything practically comes out of a packet or a jar. And it goes right into a food processor. The only work you really need to do is press a button, press the crust into the pie plate, and pour the filling into the crust.

I love putting together over-the-top-decadent desserts like these because, for one, I don't do them often, for another, they are fun, but mainly because they remind you -- during a few transformational bites -- what being a child was like.

I haven't been a huge fan of peanut butter desserts in the past, but I've slowly come around to liking them, thanks to recipes like this scrumptious Vegan Banana Cake with Peanut Butter Frosting. This pie has made me a convert.

Part of the reason I love it so is, of course, the ease of making it. All you do is put the Oreos in a food processor with some vegan butter or coconut oil. Process it, then press it into a pie plate to make the crust. Next, you whip the peanut butter with the cream cheese, vanilla and maple syrup, and pour it all into that sinful crust. Crumble a few more Oreos on top, freeze, and dessert is served.

I want to address this here because I am sure it will come up in the comments: there is a lot of chatter on the web about whether Oreos are vegan, despite the fact that PETA, the upholder of the vegan standard, had declared them so. While the ingredient list (which is chock-a-block with stuff that might make your blood curdle) is ostensibly vegan, there are warnings from the company itself about the possibility of cross-contamination from equipment, which may not make them perfectly safe for someone with allergies. In that case, you can try a chocolate graham cracker crust-- there are vegan brands on the market.

Tips for making the perfect peanut butter chocolate Oreo pie:

• Process the Oreos for the cookie crust until they've broken down into fine crumbs. This will help you get them layered into an even crust in the bottom of your pie plate. Make sure the butter-- or coconut oil -- is melted before you add it.
• Whip the peanut butter and cream cheese with the vanilla and maple syrup for a good couple of minutes with the food processor tube open. You want to get some air into your filling to make it light and fluffy.
• Smooth down the top of the peanut butter filling before you sprinkle on your crushed Oreos.
• Fun idea: You can replace the Oreo topping with any vegan cookie or candy of your choice.
• Make sure you freeze the Oreo crust for at least an hour, and the full pie for another. This is a no-bake dessert, so you want to give your pie some time to set up and firm up.

Six ingredients for the pie:

• Oreos (or any similar chocolate sandwich cookie)
• Vegan butter or coconut oil
• Smooth and creamy peanut butter
• Vegan cream cheese
• Pure vanilla extract
• Maple syrup (or confectioners' sugar or any other sweetener)

More delicious vegan dessert recipes

• Vegan Chocolate Oreo Cake
• Chocolate Mousse and Oreo Stuffed Puff Pastry Shells
• Layered Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars, GF, naturally sweetened
• Vegan Brownies, no oil and wholegrain
• Vegan Chocolate Cherry Cupcakes

Vegan Peanut Butter Oreo Pie