Name: Reese's Peanut Butter and Hershey's Kisses Pie
Ingredients: 1 Baked 9-inch pie crust, cooled; 18 HERSHEY'S KISSES Chocolates; 1 cup (1/2 pt) whipping cream, divided; 1 pckg (6-serving size) vanilla cook & serve pudding and pie filling mix (*); 2 cups Milk; 1/2 cup REESE'S Creamy Peanut Butter; 1 tbsp Powdered sugar; 1/4 tsp Vanilla extract; Additional HERSHEY'S KISSES Chocolates (optional)

Why it works: Vanilla and milk are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 5% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 19,187 recipes. Both carry ethyl caproate, which smells fruity, apple peel. The science ↓

Reese's Peanut Butter and Hershey's Kisses Pie

Ingredients

1 Baked 9-inch pie crust, cooled
18 HERSHEY'S KISSES Chocolates
1 cup (1/2 pt) whipping cream, divided
1 pckg (6-serving size) vanilla cook & serve pudding and pie filling mix (*)
2 cups Milk
1/2 cup REESE'S Creamy Peanut Butter
1 tbsp Powdered sugar
1/4 tsp Vanilla extract
Additional HERSHEY'S KISSES Chocolates (optional)

Directions

Make the chocolate layer

Remove wrappers from chocolate pieces.
Place chocolate pieces and 2 tablespoons whipping cream in a small microwave-safe bowl. Microwave at HIGH (100%) for 1 minute or until chocolate is melted and mixture is smooth when stirred.
Spread the melted chocolate mixture over the bottom of the baked pie crust. Refrigerate for 30 minutes or until set.

Make the peanut butter pudding

Place pudding mix and peanut butter in a 2-quart saucepan. Gradually add milk, stirring with a whisk until smooth.
Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the pudding thickens and boils; remove from heat. Cool for 10 minutes, stirring frequently.
Pour the pudding over the chocolate mixture in the pie crust. Place plastic wrap directly on the surface. Refrigerate for several hours or until firm.

Top and serve

Just before serving, beat the remaining whipping cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla in a small bowl until stiff. Spread the whipped cream over the top of the pie.
Garnish with additional chocolate pieces, if desired. Cover and refrigerate any leftover pie.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

577Calories

17 gProtein

36 gFat

47 gCarbs

Counts 6 of 9 ingredients. The other 3 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.

What these numbers assume: 6 portions

Ingredient	Portion assumed	kcal
Peanut	1 oz (28g)	161
Chocolate	1 oz (28g) semisweet	155
Milk	1 cup (244ml) whole	149
Cream	1 tbsp (15ml) heavy	51
Sugar	1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated	49
Vanilla	1 tsp extract (4ml)	12
Pie Crust	not in our table	0
Pudding	not in our table	0
Pie Filling	not in our table	0

One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.

Recipe from the Recipes Wiki (Fandom).

Steps grouped into stages for easier reading; the method is the source's own.

Explore the science

The flavor team

The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.

Vanilla + milktop 5% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together19,187 recipes

Shared aroma: ethyl caproate (fruity, apple peel).
Chocolate + vanillatop 5% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together10,020 recipes

Shared aroma: sotolon (curry, maple).
Chocolate + peanuttop 6% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together1,279 recipes

Shared aroma: 2-ethyl-3,6-dimethylpyrazine (roasted, nutty).
Milk + buttertop 7% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together81,283 recipes

Shared aroma: (z)-4-heptenal (biscuit, cream).
Cream + buttertop 8% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together41,516 recipes

Shared aroma: delta-dodecalactone (sweet, creamy).

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

What each ingredient does

Hershey's kisses chocolates: Melt into a smooth, set chocolate base that forms the bottom layer.
Whipping cream: Thins the melted chocolate and whipped into a light, airy topping.
Vanilla pudding mix: Thickens the milk into a set custard layer once cooked and boiled.
Milk: Forms the liquid base of the pudding that thickens when heated.
Reese's creamy peanut butter: Adds rich peanut flavor and fat to the pudding layer.

The step that matters

Boiling the pudding. Starch in the pudding mix only thickens fully once the mixture reaches a boil. Stirring constantly over medium heat prevents scorching and lumps, and the pudding must be cooled slightly before pouring so it does not melt the chocolate layer.

Swap the peanut

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (chocolate, cream, vanilla, milk, butter, sugar):

Almondfits better
Hazelnutfits about as well
Cocoafits about as well
Peanutthe original

Fit is the average pairing score against chocolate, cream, vanilla, milk, butter, sugar. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.

“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.

Chocolate Cream171 recipes

Vanilla Ice Cream108 recipes

Peanut Candy82 recipes

Chocolate Cookies76 recipes

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Reese's Peanut Butter and Hershey's Kisses Pie