#954 - Peanut Butter Cookie Pie

(by Shirley McNevich)

1 package Nutter Butter peanut butter cookies (NOT minis; need to have at least 24 cookies)
1 - 8oz. tub Cool Whip (thawed)
1 TBSP vanilla
3/4 cup white sugar
1 cup Jif peanut butter
1 - 8oz. Philadelphia cream cheese (softened)
5 TBSP butter (melted)--NO substitutes
1 bag Neste's MINI-chocolate chips

Place 2-3 cookies at a time into a Ziploc bag and crush them with a rolling pin--pour crushed cookies into a bowl. Repeat until you have crushed 24 cookies. Once all of the crushed cookies are in the bowl, add the 5 TBSP melted butter--stir. Press the cookie mixture into a 9" pie plate to make the crust (do NOT grease the pie plate)--place pie plate in the freezer. In a mixer add softened cream cheese--beat. Add peanut butter--beat. Add white sugar and vanilla--beat until smooth. Remove bowl from mixer. Add 1 1/2 cups of Cool Whip to the batter--stir just until mixed. Remove pie plate from freezer and sprinkle some mini-chocolate chips just on the bottom of the crust. Pour the cream cheese batter on top of the chocolate chips. Freeze the entire pie overnight. The next day (when ready to serve) remove pie from freezer and frost the top of the pie with Cool Whip. Sprinkle more mini-chocolate chips on top. If it's too difficult to cut right away, let it stand on the counter a few minutes.