The Homemade Dessert Jimmy Carter Couldn't Resist

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Jimmy Carter, the 39th president of the United States and the nation's longest-lived commander-in-chief, passed away at the age of 100 in 2024. Carter's political career, humanitarian work and humble, peanut farming background cemented him into history books and the hearts of many Americans. So how can fans honor the beloved legend? Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, so eat like a king — or president, rather. In this case, that means satisfying your sweet tooth with a food that Carter loved to eat: his wife Rosalynn's peanut butter pie.

We're not the only ones who view peanut butter pie as a fitting way to remember the president. The TikTok account for the New York Times onion section posted a recipe for the dessert in October 2024 to celebrate President Carter's triple-digit birthday — just a couple of months before his death. Rosalyn's pie, published in a Texas newspaper in 1977, boasted three layers of sweetness and a blind baked crust. It consisted of a peanut butter filling topped with homemade custard and meringue. However, simplified takes exist, including one that combines cream cheese, peanut butter, and whipped cream. (If a seasonal treat is more up your ally, we recommend baking our pumpkin spice rendition of sweet and salty peanut butter pie.)

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Peanuts were a family affair for President Jimmy Carter, so it is no wonder his wife's pie was a favorite. Before running for office, he managed his family's peanut farm in Plains, Georgia. In Carter's formative years, his father began growing the legumes, which would become a symbol of the POTUS' modesty and work ethic. His family farmed the Spanish variety, which was commonly utilized for making candy bars and feeding swine. As a 5-year-old, Carter sold boiled peanuts, a Southern delicacy. The popular crop even served as a political tool when he ran for the Oval Office against Gerald Ford. The text "Jimmy Carter for President" was printed on bags of peanuts that his campaign committee handed out to people.

Jimmy and Rosalynn Cater shared 77 years of marriage that began when she was merely 18 and he was 21. That's a lot of time to enjoy peanuts together, in pie form or otherwise. She passed away in November or 2023, and he followed shortly after in December of 2024. The Carters' graves are located side by side in a memorial garden at the Jimmy Carter National Historical Park, in their hometown, Plaines, Georgia. Their long and impactful lives pay testament to the power of peanuts. So take a play out of the Carters' playbook, and don't skip a peanut-filled dessert.