Pumpkin Brownie Pie

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This is a pie you must try! When we celebrated the holidays with Alex’s family I made several different pies. In my opinion this one was by far the best. It is decadent and is a unique flavor combination. I never would have thought to pair chocolate and pumpkin in a pie.  The chocolate in the dessert is quite rich and the pumpkin filling is light an airy.One thing that you need to make sure to do is mix the extra water into the left over batter. I forgot to do this on my pie so the brownie filling sort of sunk to the bottom instead of being swirled on top.

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Pumpkin Brownie PieBrownie Filling:1 Stick Butter12oz Bag Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips2/3 Cup Brown Sugar2 Eggs1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract½ Cup Flour2 Tablespoons Dutch Process Cocoa Powder½ Teaspoon Baking Powder¼ Teaspoon Salt Pumpkin Filling:1 Cup Pumpkin Puree1 Cup Heavy Cream1 Egg¼ Cup Sugar¼ Cup Flour½ Teaspoon Pumpkin Pie Spice¼ Teaspoon Salt Preheat the oven to 350 and coat the bottom of a 9in pie plate with oil or butter. To make the brownie filling:Heat the butter, chocolate chips and brown sugar in a saucepan, whisking occasionally until the butter and chocolate are melted. Remove from the heat and whisk in eggs and vanilla. Whisk until smooth. Whisk in the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt until combined.. Pour about one third of the batter into the plate and set the rest aside. Bake until the top is shiny and just set, about 20min. To make the pumpkin filling;Combine the pumpkin, cream, egg, sugar, flour, salt and pumpkin pie spice in a bowl and whisk until smooth. Pour the pumpkin over the warm brownie layer. Stir 1 Tablespoon of water into the remaining brownie batter, then spoon the batter onto the pumpkin filling. Using the back of the spoon or a knife pull the brownie batter into the pumpkin filling creating a swirl design. Bake until the whole pie is set about 40-45min.

Source:Adapted from: Food Network Magazine, November 2014 pg. 184

Peppermint Chocolate Pie

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So now that Christmas is done and you've (hopefully) taken down most of your decorations I’m sure you've got candy canes left over and are searching for the perfect sweet treat to use them with.  This is a fantastic way to use those last few peppermint candies! This pie is light, fluffy and pepperminty. I used peppermint hot chocolate instead of water in order to give it a more complex flavor.

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You can make this pie in either a graham cracker crust or a traditional pie crust. Just be aware if you choose the traditional pie crust you will need to blind bake it before you add the filling. I used Cool Whip as the topping for the pie. If you have more time while prepping you could try a homemade whipped cream in either a vanilla or peppermint. This will accent the lightness of the pie well.

For the Crust:30 Wafer Cookies or 1 Package of  Chocolate Graham Crackers3 Tbsp Sugar6 Tbsp Melted ButterYou can also use a premade graham cracker crust. If you choose to go with a traditional pie crust you will need to blind bake it before you add the filling.To make the crust grind the cookies and sugar in a food processor, add the melted butter and pulse until moist. Press into a 9inch pie plate and bake for 18-22 minutes. Cool before filling.For the Filling:2 Cups Milk or Cream½ Cup Sugar¼ Cup Cornstarch½ tsp Salt4 Egg Yolks2 Tbsp Cooled Peppermint Hot Chocolate¼ tsp PeppermintExtract4oz Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chopped/Semi-Sweet Chocolate ChipsHeat the milk in a large saucepan until hot but not boiling. Whisk the sugar, cornstarch and salt in a large bowl then add the egg yolk, cooled hot cocoa and peppermint. Whisk half of the hot milk into the mixture until the sugar has dissolved. Pour the mixture into the saucepan with the remaining milk. Cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, until the mixture thickens. This will take approximately 3-5 minutes. Remove from the heat once it thickens and stir in the chocolate.{The recipe calls for chopped chocolate. I never seem to have the baker’s bars on hand so I typically just use chocolate chips. I know some bakers’ say not to do this because of the differences in the amount of cocoa butter in the chocolate chips and the baker’s bars. I’ve never had any trouble substituting the chocolate chips though.  If you happen to have a baker’s bar on hand I would suggest you use it. You will have a richer finished product. But don’t worry if you only have chocolate chips on hand, those will work great in this recipe!}Transfer the mixture into another bowl and let it cool, whisking it every so often to prevent a skin from forming.Pour into the pie crust and press plastic wrap onto the top and let it cool in the refrigerator. I found it was best to leave it overnight in the fridge. The original recipe calls for at least 4 hours. When you are ready to serve, top with Cool Whip and crushed peppermint candies.Because you put plastic wrap on the top you won’t have a very pretty top. However, the plastic wrap will keep a skin from forming on the pie. You probably want to cover the whole top so you can get a gorgeous dessert in addition to a yummy one.
Source:Adapted from: “Sweet: Our Best Cupcakes, Cookies, Candy, and More – Editors of Food Network Magazine
 

German Apple Pie

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IMG_20141115_210945053 - CopyEarlier this fall we received a bunch of apples from Hubby’s coworker. They were apples grown at his grandmother’s house, they had too many so Hubby’s coworker offered them to us. He knows I like to bake and thought I might be able to use fresh apples.I decided to make an Apple Pie as a thank you for the copious amount of apples. After searching for the right recipe I found one for a German Apple Pie. This one has been getting rave reviews from everyone who tries it. The pie crust is unique in that it’s made with vanilla extract to give it a little extra flavor.You will want to bake this on top of a cookie sheet. The pie tends to bubble over and if you don’t have a baking sheet underneath you’re going to have to clean your oven!

German Apple PiePie Crust:1 ½ Cup Flour½ Teaspoon Salt½ Cup Shortening1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract2 to 3 Tablespoons Cold WaterFilling:1 Cup Sugar¼ Cup Flour2 Teaspoons Cinnamon6 Cups Sliced Apples1 Cup Heavy Cream or MilkPreheat the oven to 450.In a small bowl mix the flour and salt, cut in the shortening until crumbly. Add vanilla, then gradually add the water until dough forms a ball. Refrigerate for about 30 minutes. Roll out the pastry to fit a 9-inch pie crust. Trim edges then flute the edges.For the filling: combine the sugar, flour and cinnamon. Sprinkle approximately 3 Tablespoons of the mixture into the bottom of the pan.  Spread half of the apples into the pan, then cover with half the sugar mixture. Spread the rest of the apples on top and cover with the remaining sugar mixture.Pour the heavy cream over the top.Bake at 450 for 10 minutes, then reduce the heat to 350 and bake for 55-60 minutes.Store in the refrigerator. It is best served with whipped cream or ice cream.
Source: Adapted from The Taste of Home Cookbook
 

French Silk Pie

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I just LOVE French Silk Pie. It is one of my favorite pies, second only to my Dad’s pumpkin pie. I have tried many different recipes over the years but I’ve never quite been happy with how they turned out. They were either not creamy enough or too grainy. However, for my recent birthday my brother in law gave me the new Food Network “Sweets” book.  I have to say this book had some great recipes in it!One of the recipes was a Chocolate Pie/French Silk pie, so I decided to try it out. I adapted it slightly to suit my tastes and I’ve already made it twice since I then. I’ve never been one to enjoy a traditional pie crust so I made these with a graham cracker crust. The pie filling is a wonderfully creamy custard with a perfect balance of flavors. I’ve topped the pie with both marshmallow fluff and whipped cream and both of them have been amazing. You can really put whatever you like on top I’m sure most flavors will compliment it nicely.IMG_20141115_210925495_HDR - Copy

French Silk Pie Recipe:

For the Crust:30 Wafer Cookies3 Tbsp Sugar6 Tbsp Melted ButterYou can also use a premade graham cracker crust. If you choose to go with a traditional pie crust you will need to blind bake it before you add the filling.To make the crust grind the cookies and sugar in a food processor, add the melted butter and pulse until moist. Press into a 9inch pie plate and bake for 18-22 minutes. Cool before filling.
For the Filling:2 Cups Milk or Cream½ Cup Sugar¼ Cup Cornstarch½ tsp Salt4 Egg Yolks2 Tbsp Water¼ tsp Vanilla Extract4oz Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chopped/Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
Heat the milk in a large saucepan until hot but not boiling. Whisk the sugar, cornstarch and salt in a large bowl then add the egg yolk, water and vanilla. Whisk half of the hot milk into the mixture until the sugar has dissolved. Pour the mixture into the saucepan with the remaining milk. Cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, until the mixture thickens. This will take approximately 3-5 minutes. Remove from the heat once it thickens and stir in the chocolate.{The recipe calls for chopped chocolate. I never seem to have the baker’s bars on hand so I typically just use chocolate chips. I know some bakers’ say not to do this because of the differences in the amount of cocoa butter in the chocolate chips and the baker’s bars. I’ve never had any trouble substituting the chocolate chips though.  If you happen to have a baker’s bar on hand I would suggest you use it. You will have a richer finished product. But don’t worry if you only have chocolate chips on hand, those will work great in this recipe!}Transfer the mixture into another bowl and let it cool, whisking it every so often to prevent a skin from forming.Pour into the pie crust and press plastic wrap onto the top and let it cool in the refrigerator. I found it was best to leave it overnight in the fridge. The original recipe calls for at least 4 hours. When you are ready to serve, top with your favorite topping. Marshmallow fluff or whipped cream both taste great! Another yummy idea would be a caramel sauce layer under whipped cream.Because you put plastic wrap on the top you won’t have a very pretty top. However, the plastic wrap will keep a skin from forming on the pie. You probably want to cover the whole top so you can get a gorgeous dessert in addition to a yummy one.
Source:Adapted from: "Sweet: Our Best Cupcakes, Cookies, Candy, and More - Editors of Food Network Magazine"