We often travel Route 460 to get to Virginia Beach or the Eastern Shore without having to go through Hampton Roads. It’s a lovely drive through the heart of “Peanut Country” in Wakefield. While passing through Wakefield, we many times stop at the Virginia Diner for some home cooking. Besides BBQ and Fried Chicken, one of their specialties is a Peanut Pie.
Findimg myself with an extra pie crust last week, I decided to make my version of a Peanut Pie, a southern sweet and salty creation with a rich, gooey filing of brown sugar, butter, and corn syrup. It’s very much like Pecan Pie except with peanuts instead of pecans. I served my Peanut Pie with a scoop of Vanilla Ice Cream for company, and my guests went back for seconds. It was a big hit. Here’s how.
Put an oven rack in the bottom position of your oven and place a baking sheet on the rack and preheat the oven to 350℉. Placing the pie on the hot pan in the preheated oven will help to ensure the crust cooks nicely and prevents a soggy bottom.
For the filling, add 3 lightly beaten eggs, ¾ C corn syrup, ½ stick melted butter, 2 t vanilla extract and ¾ C packed brown sugar to a bowl and mix. Pour the filling in a pie crust, then add 1½ C of roasted, salted peanuts. I use a pie shield to keep the crust from over browning, or you can wrap foil along the edge of the crust.
Bake the pie on the bottom rack for about 50 minutes or until the filling sets (200 degrees)
Let the pie cool for a couple hours before serving and dig in. If you’re not allergic to peanuts, you’ll love Peanut Pie.
Peanut Pie
1 deep dish pie crust pastry
3 large eggs
3/4 cup light corn syrup
3/4 cup light or dark brown sugar (packed)
1/2 stick butter melted
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups roasted salted peanuts
