Chocolate Pecan Pie

I'm sharing two recipes back-to-back because, Thanksgiving. If you need a dessert for tomorrow that's a cinch to throw together, this is your pie. Pecan pie has to be one of the easiest pies to make, so please take an extra 5 minutes and make your own pie crust, too. This chocolate pecan pie has a fudgy chocolate bottom with all of the pecans resting on top. It's a nice twist on a classic without straying too far from the pecan pie everyone is expecting for Thanksgiving dessert.

Chocolate Pecan Pie
4 oz semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
4 eggs, lightly beaten
1 1/2 cups light corn syrup
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp salt
1 pie crust, rolled and fit into a 9-inch pie plate (I used this recipe)
1 cup pecans

Preheat oven to 350 degrees, with rack in lowest position. In a heatproof bowl set over (not in) saucepan of simmering water, melt chocolate, stirring occasionally, until smooth, 2-3 minutes (r melt chocolate in microwave). Set aside.

In a medium bowl, stir together (do not whisk) eggs, corn syrup, sugar, vanilla, and salt. Stirring constantly, gradually add melted chocolate. Pour filling into prepared crust; place pie plate on a rimmed baking sheet. Arrange pecans in one even layer over filling.

Bake just until set (filling should jiggle slightly when pie plate is tapped), 50-60 minutes, rotating halfway through. Let cool completely on a wire rack, at least 4 hours (or up to overnight) before serving.

source: recipe from Martha Stewart

Strawberry Lattice Crust Pie

As I shared earlier this month, it's been a kitchen goal of mine to make a lattice crust pie, so a couple of weeks ago I set out to do just that. I didn't have a whole lot of time during Madeleine's nap, so I opted for strawberry pie, which was really easy to throw together. My trick in making pies is that I make the pie crust dough ahead of time. In this case, I had made the dough before Madeleine was even born and had it wrapped well and sitting in the freezer. After thawing the dough in the fridge until it was ready to roll out, this pie came together in no time. And to my surprise, making the lattice crust was very easy following the tips I've linked below! Strawberries are still on sale at my grocery store, so snatch some up and make this pie to celebrate the last few weeks of summer!

Strawberry Lattice Crust Pie
pie crust dough for 2 9-inch pie crusts (I doubled this recipe)
5-6 cups fresh strawberries, hulled and sliced in half
1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
large pinch of salt
2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 egg, beaten

In a medium bowl toss together strawberries, sugars, cornstarch, salt, and lemon juice. Toss until all of the cornstarch has disappeared into the strawberries and let rest for 10 minutes. The strawberries will begin to produce juice.

To assemble the pie, on a well-floured surface, roll the bottom crust 1/8" thick and about 12" in diameter. Transfer it to a pie pan. Trim the edge almost even with the edge of the pan. Spoon filling into piecrust.

Roll out the top crust in the same manner. Use a pastry cutter (or pizza slicer) to slice the dough into 1-inch wide strips and weave the crust strips on top of the pie. Use this guide to help you.

To finish, place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.

Brush the egg wash over pie crust, then sprinkle with granulated sugar.

Place pie on baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes, then reduce the temperature to 350 degrees and bake the pie for 30 minutes more, or until the crust is golden and the filling is bubbling. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely before serving.

source: pie recipe from joy the baker

Banana Pudding Pie

I found out a few weeks ago that, to my surprise, Caleb had never tasted banana pudding until we moved to South Carolina! Now he loves the stuff, and I happily oblige to making it/eating it whenever we have the chance. Last summer I made banana pudding parfaits, which were a big hit with company. Most recently I made a banana pudding pie - still all of the critical components of banana pudding, but combined and poured into a pie crust. It was delicious, and I have to say a bit easier than layering banana pudding into a trifle dish or parfait dishes. A perfect Southern, summer dessert!

Banana Pudding Pie
1 9-inch pie crust, prepped, baked, and cooled
2 cups chopped Nilla wafers
2 bananas
1 (8 oz) tub Cool Whip, thawed and divided
1 1/2 cups milk
1 (5.1 oz) box instant vanilla pudding
juice from one lemon
caramel sauce for drizzling

Slice the bananas into thin slices and then toss with the lemon juice. This will prevent the bananas from turning brown as fast as they normally would.

Whisk together the milk and pudding mix. Fold in half of the Cool Whip. Mix in half of the Nilla wafers, and then the sliced bananas. Scrape into the cooled crust. Refrigerate for 10-15 minutes or until set.

Top with the remaining Cool Whip. Sprinkle with the remaining Nilla wafers and drizzle with the caramel sauce.

source: recipe from this gal cooks

Peanut Butter Fudge Pie with Salted Peanut Butter Caramel

I have always had quite the sweet tooth, but this pregnancy has taken "sweet tooth" to a whole new level. Although in the past month I've drastically cut back on my sugar intake (doctor's orders - eek!), this pregnancy has been filled with lots of delicious treats, both homemade and store-bought. I made this pie several weeks back when we had friends over for dinner. There were just four of us, but Saturday night company warrants a decadent pie, in my (pregnant) mind. THIS pie. This PIE. Peanut butter + chocolate is forever the best combination, and throwing in some salted caramel seals the deal. This pie is pretty easy to put together, and I even used a store-bought pie crust, because I'm pregnant and I'm allowed to take shortcuts like that :)

Peanut Butter Fudge Pie with Salted Peanut Butter Caramel
1 pie crust
1 cup unsalted butter, softened and divided
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter, divided
1 1/4 cups firmly packed brown sugar, divided
1 1/4 cups flour, divided
1/2 cup roasted unsalted peanuts
3 oz unsweetened baking chocolate
1/2 cup sugar
2 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa
3 eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp salt
1 (12 oz) jar caramel ice cream topping
1/2 tsp flaked sea salt

Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Roll out the pie crust and fit it in a 9-inch pie plate. Flute the edges as desired, then place the pan in the refrigerator or freezer until ready to fill.

In a bowl, combine 1/4 cup of the softened butter, 1/4 cup peanut butter, 1/4 cup of the brown sugar, and 1/2 cup flour. Cut together until combined, then stir in the peanuts. Freeze for 15 minutes.

In a double boiler, combine the chocolate and remaining 3/4 cup butter. Heat until melted and combined. Alternately, place in a microwave-safe bowl and microwave in 30-second intervals until they are melted and combined. Whisk in the sugar, cocoa, and 1 cup of remaining brown sugar. Whisk in the eggs one at a time. Add in the vanilla, salt, and remaining 3/4 cup of flour. Pour the mixture into the prepared pie crust.

Take the peanut butter topping from the freezer and crumble over the top of the chocolate layer.

Bake the pie at 350 degrees for 50-55 minutes, or until the center of the pie puffs and sets. Remove from the oven and cool for 20 minutes.

In a small bowl, combine the caramel sauce, the remaining 1/4 cup peanut butter, and the sea salt. Drizzle 4 Tbsp of the caramel over the pie, then allow the pie to cool completely. Serve with the remaining caramel sauce for drizzling over each slice, if desired.

source: taste & tell blog, originally from Country Living, November 2014

Chocolate Fudge Pie

Do you know what's hard?  All the important stuff.  Like marriage.  And family.  And learning to be selfless.  And figuring out what's right.  And then choosing to do the right thing.  It's exhausting!  So I eat pie.  Really, it's great. This chocolate pie is the dense kind, not the creamy kind.  And the dense kind is the kind you want when you're overwhelmed with the hard stuff in life.  Definitely the dense kind.

Chocolate Fudge Pie
1 piecrust, fitted to a 9-inch pie plate
6 ounces semisweet chocolate
1/2 cup unsalted butter
3 eggs
1/8 tsp salt
1/2 cup + 3 Tbsp sugar
1 1/2 cups heavy cream

Place the pie plate on a baking sheet.  Prick crust with fork and line with foil.  Place pie weights or dried beans on foil.  Bake at 375 degrees until the edges are firm, 20 to 25 minutes.  Remove the foil and weights and bake until just golden, another 8-10 minutes.

Reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees.  Using the double boiler method, melt the chocolate and the butter.

Using an electric mixer, beat the eggs, salt, and 1/2 cup of sugar until fluffy, 4-5 minutes.  Fold a third of the egg mixture into the chocolate mixture, then fold in the remainder.

Pour the chocolate mixture into the crust and bake at 325 degrees until puffed and just beginning to crack, 20-25 minutes.  Cool for one hour, then chill.

Beat the cream with the remaning 3 Tbsp of sugar until soft peaks form.  Spread over the pie.

source:  recipe from Real Simple, November 2009