Sometimes you want to revert to childhood. And sometimes you want to dress childhood up in grown-up clothes.

For times like these, there’s chocolate pudding pie. But this, my friends, is not your average Joe pudding pie. The pudding will indeed take your taste buds way back to those school lunch boxes your mom may or may not have packed for you, but they’re elegantly upscale in a totally unassuming way.

Because the crust is not your average Joe graham cracker crust. They’re a salted peanut graham cracker crust. And that small twist is enough to elevate this pie from your run-of-the-mill pie to an enlightened pie.

The recipe is pretty straight-forward. If you’ve made pudding or custard before, you’ll be familiar with the technique of heating the milk mixture up until it thickens. But because this pudding recipe calls for zero eggs (That’s right! No messy egg yolk-white separation! No curdling upon heating!), it’ll be a snap to make.

I omitted one step I thought was unnecessary - the addition of a thin coating of chocolate on the crust once it’s baked to prevent it from getting soggy. Having successfully made custard pies with crusts that held up without this chocolate shield, I didn’t see the need for the extra step. I think I’m right. But if you think I’m wrong, email me and I’ll get you instructions on how to make that chocolate shield.

Milk chocolate pudding pie with salted peanut crust

Adapted minimally from Alice Medrich’s “Sinfully Easy Delicious Desserts”

For the crust:

1/4 cup salted, roasted peanuts, finely ground in a food processor

2 tablespoons sugar

3/4 cup graham cracker crumbs

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

For the filling:

3 tablespoons sugar

3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons corn starch

1/8 teaspoon salt

2 cups whole milk

7 ounces milk chocolate, finely chopped

For the whipped cream topping:

1 cup heavy cream (make sure the cream is very cold)

1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract (optional)

2-3 teaspoons sugar (optional)

Chocolate shavings (optional)

2 tablespoons of salted, roasted peanuts (whole or in halves)

For the crust:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a medium bowl, mix the ground peanuts, graham cracker crumbs, sugar and butter until well incorporated. Press crust mixture into a 9-inch pie plate, making sure to evenly coat the bottom and sides of the pie plate.

Bake for 12-14 minutes. Let cool.

For the filling:

In a heavy saucepan, whisk the sugar, cocoa powder, corn starch and salt together. Add about 3 tablespoons of milk, then continue to whisk until mixture becomes a smooth paste. Whisk in the remaining milk.

Over medium heat, stir mixture constantly for about 5 minutes, until pudding thickens and starts to bubble around the edges. Continue to cook for about a minute, stirring constantly, then add chocolate and stir until chocolate melts and pudding is smooth, about 30 more seconds.

Pour the hot pudding into the crust into an even layer. Let cool for 1 hour, then refrigerate. Cover the pie once it has cooled and chill for several hours or overnight.

For the whipped cream topping:

Beat the cream and vanilla in a chilled bowl until it starts to take on some body. Gradually add the sugar and beat on medium speed until soft peaks form.

Top the pudding pie with whipped cream, then shave chocolate onto the whipped cream and sprinkle with peanuts.