There is a pie that has been passed down on my mom’s side of the family that is called Amazing Coconut Pie. The “Amazing” is not optional—it has been an essential part of its title since the days that my great-grandmother used to make it. What makes it amazing is this: because the biscuit mix that is added to the batter sinks during the baking process, the pie makes it own crust.

It’s also amazing in my book because it takes a whopping 5 minutes to throw together and leaves only one bowl to wash.

My mom has been hinting for some months now that a pie modeled after a Mounds bar or an Almond Joy would be a really good idea. She and I are both big fans of Amazing Coconut Pie, and I thought it could be easily tweaked to become an Amazing Mounds Bar Pie. It was—we happily enjoyed it together over the first episode of Downton Abbey’s final season last weekend.

Mom’s Amazing Mounds Bar Pie. The Husband and I sampled it the day before while we were completely rehashing our budget. We needed it.

One other Amazing fact: For the first time since the launch of this blog, I am CAUGHT UP on posts. This is beyond exciting, guys. (And short-lived…  I’m planning to make my next pie tomorrow.)

Amazing Mounds Bar Pie (made 1/2/16)
2 c. milk
¾ c. sugar
½ c. biscuit mix (store-bought, or see recipe below)
4 eggs
¼ c. butter or margarine, melted
2 tsp. vanilla
1 c. shredded, unsweetened coconut

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a blender or in a bowl with a hand mixer or whisk, combine all ingredients. Pour into a greased pie pan. Bake for 40 minutes, or until custard is set in the center. Serve warm or cold.
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Biscuit Mix:
½ c. shortening
2 c. flour
4 tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. salt
½ tsp. cream of tartar
2 tsp. sugar

Mix together flour, baking powder, salt, cream of tartar, and sugar. Add shortening and cut together with a fork or pastry blender until the mixture resembles small pea-like crumbles. (To make into biscuits beyond just the mix, add 2 c. of milk, and bake at 450 for 12-ish minutes after forming them into biscuit shapes.)

Butterscotch Pie with Pretzel Crust

The experimental component of the Week 15 Pie (Week 15! Already!) is in the crust. I’m curious about making crusts that capitalize on other ingredients or pastries – pretzels, shortbread, granola, with herbs…

This is my first attempt at making a pretzel-based crust. Next time, I think I’d toast the pretzel crumbs on the stove first, and I’d increase the amount of butter to 8 Tbsp. (1 stick). Otherwise, it’s a good start!

For the filling, I used this recipe from Chowhound. It’s a good one – I especially liked the smooth texture of the custard, but I do think that my pie would have benefited from a deeper browning of the brown sugar-butter mixture.

Butterscotch Pie with Pretzel Crust – made 12/26/15

For the crust:
1 ½ c. pretzel crumbs (made from hard pretzels, like Snyder’s, ground fine in a food processor)
6-8 Tbsp. butter (I recommend trying 8)
1/3 c. sugar

For the filling, see Chowhound’s recipe, but skip the crust steps.

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Preheat the oven to 300 degrees.

Combine all crust ingredients with a fork or in a food processor. Press into the bottom and up the sides of a pie pan using greased fingers or a flat-bottomed glass.  (You will probably have more crumb mixture than you need, so discard any amount you feel is excess–for me, it was a little over 1/2 a cup.) Prebake the crust for 10 minutes, or until the crust begins to brown and smell toasty. Set aside.

Prepare the filling as instructed at the link above. Pour the filling into the crust, and allow to fully cool before serving.

Hooray for hot chocolate pie! One for us, and a teeny one for our fabulous neighbor, Rita.

Mmmmm…. I’d been plotting this pie for a long time. When I finally made it, we brought it to a Christmas party, which was a good thing… otherwise I would have taken care of the entire thing by myself. The pudding was thick, rich; the marshmallows were in just the right proportion. And, the peppermint from the candy cane leeched into the nearby pudding, which was kinda fun.

I did attempt to make a chocolate crust and, while the flavor was excellent, its structure wasn’t ideal. I’m still working out the kinks, but will post a recipe once I get it worked out.

If I had to write a reference letter for this pie, I would give it my highest commendation.

Hot Chocolate Pie (made 12/19/15)

1/2 recipe pie dough (If you want to experiment as I did, try adding 2 Tbsp. sugar and ¼ c. cocoa powder)
½ c. sugar
1/3 c. cocoa powder
¼ c. cornstarch
a pinch of salt
2 c. milk
1 tsp. butter
2 tsp. vanilla
8 oz. miniature marshmallows (1/2 a typical bag)
candy cane(s) for garnish (optional)

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees

Roll out pie dough to approximately 11 inches in diameter and place in a pie pan. Tuck the edges under and crimp as desired. Blind-bake the piecrust until it is partially baked: Fit a piece of aluminum foil into the unbaked crust so that the edges come up above the level of the pie crust, and fill with pie weights (or dry rice or beans). Bake for 20 minutes; if the crust still appears wet when you remove the weights and foil, return to the oven at 350 degrees for another 5 minutes. Set aside.

Combine the sugar, cocoa powder, cornstarch, salt, and milk in a medium saucepan. Whisk to dissolve the cornstarch. Continue to whisk over medium heat until the mixture begins to thicken, and allow to simmer while stirring for 1 minute further. Remove from heat; add the butter and vanilla and stir to incorporate.

Pour the pudding mixture into the prepared piecrust. Allow to cool for 2-3 minutes. Gently pour the miniature marshmallows on top of the filling. Place a pie shield over the edges of the pie to protect the crust. Then, place the pie on the top rack of the oven with the broiler set on low to brown the marshmallows. Watch carefully so they don’t burn!

Remove from the oven and allow to cool. Tuck a candy cane in the edge before serving if you wish.

Strawberry Peach Basil Not-Exactly-Slab-More-Like-Brick Pie

This particular pie was intended to be a slab pie – I’ve been enamored with all the slab pies that Smitten Kitchen has posted over the years, and I’m just now getting around to making one. As it turns out, I still have yet to actually make one, because when one is overzealous with one’s filling quantities, one ends up make more of a thick brick pie than a thin slab pie. Unlike a slab pie (which I do still aspire to make!), this pie is not finger food. Which clearly didn’t seem to bother anyone at the party we took it to:

…. 3 hours later

Strawberry Peach Basil Slab Brick Pie (made 12/4/15)

1 ½ batches of (double) pie crust
4 c. peaches (fresh, or thawed from frozen as mine were)
4 c. strawberries (fresh, or thawed from frozen as mine were)
1/3 c. cornstarch (slightly less if using fresh fruit)
1 c. sugar
1 to 3 Tbsp. fresh, finely chopped basil (I used 1 Tbsp. this time, but it was extremely understated. In the future, I’d increase the amount to 3 Tbsp.)
1 Tbsp. lemon juice

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray a 9×13” pan with pan spray.

Roll half the pie dough into a rectangle approximately 13 inches x 17 inches. Place the rolled out crust into the 9×13 pan, easing into the corners and allowing the edges to come up (and over, if needed) the sides of the dish.

In a large bowl, mix together the fruit, cornstarch, sugar, basil, and lemon juice. Pour into prepared crust.

Roll remaining pie dough into a rectangle about 11 inches by 15 inches. Dampen the edges of the bottom crust. Place top crust over filling. Seal the two crusts together and fold inward to crimp. Cut several vent holes in the upper crust.

Place on the middle rack of the oven and bake for approximately 75 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown and the filling is bubbly. (I think my oven may run a little on the cool side, so begin checking around 60 minutes.) Cool an hour (or as long as you can stand) before serving to allow the filling to thicken and set up.

Thanksgiving this year was a Three Pie Affair. The Maybe You’ll Like This Pumpkin Pie featured for its dedicatee, who happened to be visiting us for the holiday alongside her better half and the two miniature members of their household.

When you’re five, sometimes ice cream is better than pie, even when you say that apple pie is your very favorite.

An individual-sized apple pie was made for this curly-haired wonder, who will confidently announce at any moment that her favorite pie is APPLE pie… it just happens that she doesn’t like to eat it that much. Her mom and I dutifully helped her out with that part.

While the most diminutive member of their family is not yet of pie-consuming age, I had promised the aforementioned Better Half a pie in his honor quite some time ago. His request was eggnog pie, and this was the decadent result.

Eggnog Brulee pie pictured in front, the Maybe You’ll Like This Pie in the back. The Husband’s hand, rapidly beating heavy cream into whipped cream submission, on the right.

I should also mention that I was feeling particularly creative desirous to please the tastes of all those around me, and so I decided to make a single pie that had two different kinds of crust: half the pie had a regular piecrust, and the other half had a pumpkin snap crumb crust. (Sprouts sells pumpkin snaps (like gingersnaps), and they are so tasty. They also make lemon snaps, which I’m afraid to try because I’m afraid I’ll like them too much.)

Michael’s Eggnog Utopia (Eggnog Brulee Pie): (Made Thanksgiving 2015)

Crust:
Traditional: ½ batch pie dough
-or-
Ginger/pumpkin snap:
3/4 c. ground gingersnaps or pumpkin snaps
3 Tbsp. butter
pinch of salt
-or-
half of each of the above if you want to make a half-and-half crust like mine.

Filling:
4 eggs
¼ tsp. salt
¼ tsp. nutmeg
½ c. sugar
4 oz. cream cheese, softened (could be omitted, if you like your pie a little less rich)
1 ¼ c. eggnog
¾ c. whipping cream

Topping:
2 Tbsp. butter, melted
4 Tbsp. sugar
½ tsp. cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

For the crust:
If making traditional crust, roll the dough out to a circle approximately 11 inches in diameter, then place in greased pie pan. Tuck edges under and crimp decoratively. Blind-bake the piecrust until it is partially baked: Fit a piece of aluminum foil into the unbaked crust so that the edges come up above the level of the pie crust, and fill with pie weights (or dry rice or beans). Bake for 20 minutes; if the crust still appears wet when you remove the weights and foil, return to the oven for another 5 minutes.

If making ginger/pumpkin snap crust, melt the butter and combine with crumbs and salt in a food processor (or with a fork). Press the mixture into a greased pie pan along the bottom and up the sides. Chill the crust for 15 minutes (or more), then bake for 10 minutes.

If making half-and-half crust, form the ball of pie dough (which should be 1/4 of a recipe: half of a half batch) into a thick half-moon shape. Roll out into an approximate half-circle shape that is about 11 inches wide and 5-6 inches long. Mentally dividing a greased pie pan into two half-moon halves, lay the crust so that it covers one half of the pan. The outer edge of the half circle should drape over the edges of the pie pan. Tuck the edges under and crimp decoratively. Set aside. Melt 1 ½ Tbsp. butter and combine with a pinch of salt and ¾ c. ginger/pumpkin snap crumbs in a food processor (or with a fork). Press the crumb mixture into the bottom and along the sides of the remaining half of the pie pan. Fit a piece of aluminum foil into the traditional half of the crust so that the edges come up above the level of the pie crust, and fill with pie weights (or dry rice or beans). Bake for 12-13 minutes, then remove from oven. In this method, I am intentionally choosing to slightly underbake the traditional half of the pie crust so that the snap half doesn’t become burnt.

For the filling: In a stand mixer, beat the cream cheese for 2-3 minutes on medium speed, or until smooth. Scrape the cream cheese off the sides of the mixing. Then, add eggs one at a time, continuing to mix at medium-low speed. Add sugar and spices, then eggnog and cream. Mix until combined, but don’t beat so enthusiastically that you start to whip up the whipping cream. Pour filling into the prepared crust and bake for 30-40 minutes, or until filling has set up. Side aside while preparing the brulee topping.

For the topping: While the pie is cooling, mix together the butter, sugar, and cinnamon. Spread the mixture as evenly as possible over the top of the pie. Set the oven broiler to low. Place a pie shield (or create one out of aluminum foil) over the pie crust to protect it from burning [this I did not do—oops], and place the pie back into the oven. Watch the pie carefully (!), and remove from the oven when the sugar and butter begins to brown and bubble.

Cool to room temperature (or chill) and enjoy.

If the previous week’s pie was a tribute to the last vestiges of summer, this pie is a salutary nod to late autumn: pear with a gentle nudge of maple and a nice punch of crystallized ginger.

Really, the most notable detail about this week’s pie is that it’s the first pie of the challenge that I’ve given away. I made a couple of teeny pies in ramekins to keep for [purely scientific] sampling, but I exchanged the larger pie for three quarts of home-rendered lard. I have been reading a lot about different piecrust methods and recipes, and many people swear by lard as a partial component. So, these three guys are now hanging out on the bottom shelf of my fridge:

this pie has taken up residence across town,

Week 9: Ginger Pear Pie

and the teeny ginger pear pie currently resides in my belly.

Pear Ginger Pie – made 11/13/15

1 recipe for a double piecrust
8 c. pears, firm still and with skins on, diced (about 5 average-sized pears; I used Bosc pears)
¾ c. sugar
¼ c. maple syrup (the real stuff)
2-3 Tbsp. minced crystallized ginger, depending on how punchy you like it
2 Tbsp. cornstarch
+ 2 Tbsp. milk and 2 Tbsp. raw sugar

Roll half the pie dough into a circle approximately 11” in diameter. Place in a 9” pie plan.

Gently mix together the pears, sugar, syrup, ginger, and cornstarch. Pour into prepared piecrust. Roll the remaining pie dough into a circle approximately 10” in diameter. Dampen the edges of the bottom crust to ensure a tight seal, then place the top crust on the pie. Seal and crimp the edges. Cut four or five small vent holes in the top crust to allow steam to escape. Using a pastry brush, paint milk over the top of the pie, then sprinkle with the raw sugar.

Bake the pie at 425 degrees for 15 minutes, then reduce oven temperature to 375 degrees and bake for an additional 40-45 minutes, or until crust is golden browned and filling is bubbly. Cool on a wire rack and serve.

Some days are just regular days. And then some days, a friend sends you a glorious new pie cookbook out of the blue, and the world becomes a better place than it had been 30 minutes earlier.

This book appeared unannounced on my doorstep, courtesy of my good friend Kelly. Spontaneous acts of kindness, guys—we’ve got to do more of them.

The book is First Prize Pies by Allison Kave, and it is some serious eye candy in addition to the usual, you know, belly candy. I’m enjoying the incredible variety of ideas she includes—no two pies are similar.

I’ve had in mind ideas (piedeas, as I like to think of them) for an apple cider pie, with a pudding-like bottom and a cinnamon whipped cream topping. Lo and behold, Allison had a recipe for one, and it looked delicious. I made it according to her instructions (Actually, her boyfriend’s… long story. Read the book.), with the only exception being that I spiced my apple cider as I was reducing it, and I added a drizzle of caramel sauce to the top. It was excellent–just the right amount of sweet and tangy, and a smooth, custardy texture. Definitely one to make again.

Apple Cider Cream Pie (Take 1)

But, my one disappointment was that you really lost the apple cider flavor, which really surprised me. I really wanted a pie that tasted primarily of spiced cider, with whipped cream as a compliment quality, not a dominating one. I started doing some hunting online, and it seems that no one has made the apple cider pie I was envisioning.

So, I went back to the kitchen, and it became a 2-pie week. To make the pie, I modified my chocolate pudding recipe, replacing the milk with reduced apple cider and omitting the cocoa powder. I topped the pie with mildly sweetened whipped cream (deciding to leave out the cinnamon here), and drizzled my favorite caramel sauce over the top. This pie was also quite good, and it was much more like what I had been picturing. The apple cider punches right through, and the caramel sauce brings out the cinnamon and cloves spicing the cider. And just like that, another week goes by without giving away more than a slice or two of pie. Full disclosure: without giving away more than a slice or two of either pie.

Apple Cider Pie, Take 2

Apple Cider Cream Pie (made 10/23/15)
(Very slightly adapted from Allison Kave’s Jay’s Apple Cider Cream Pie)

1 unbaked pie crust – I used my standard recipe, which you can borrow from this recipe, but substituted chilled butter for shortening

Filling:
1 ½ c. apple cider
1 cinnamon stick
6 whole cloves
¾ c. granulated sugar
½ c. sour cream
¼ tsp. salt

Topping:
1 c. heavy whipping cream
2 Tbsp. powdered sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon (optional: I omitted it because of the cinnamon in the cider)

Caramel Sauce:
½ c. (1 stick) butter
½ c. sugar
1 Tbsp. molasses
1/8 tsp. salt
¼ heavy whipping cream

Preheat oven to 425 degrees, and roll pie dough into a circle about 11 inches in diameter. Transfer it to a 9-inch pie pan, and crimp the edges. Blind-bake the piecrust until it is partially baked: Fit a piece of aluminum foil into the unbaked crust so that the edges come up above the level of the pie crust, and fill with pie weights (or dry rice or beans). Bake for 20 minutes; if the crust still appears wet when you remove the weights and foil, return to the oven at 350 degrees for another 5 minutes.

For the filling: Combine the cider, cinnamon, and cloves in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat, and allow to boil until it has been reduced to half (3/4 cup). Let cool—this is important, so that you don’t cook the eggs when you add it to the other filing ingredients. In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs, sugar, sour cream, and salt until well blended. Slowly drizzle in the apple cider, whisking to incorporate. Pour the filling into the crust. Bake at 425 to 20-25 minutes, or until the filling has just set and is still a bit wobbly in the middle. (Mine took quite a bit longer.)

For the caramel sauce, combine butter, sugar, molasses, and salt in a small saucepan. Cook over medium heat until it comes to a boil, stirring frequently. Continuing to stir, allow to boil for one more minute. Add whipping cream and return to a boil, stirring constantly and allowing to boil for 2-3 minutes further.

For the topping: In a stand mixer, with a hand mixer, or by hand (I’ve started doing this by hand—phew, it makes you tired! but the texture is irreplaceable), whip the cream with the powdered sugar and cinnamon (if using) until soft peaks form.If you are serving the entire pie at once, pile the whipped cream on top of the cooked pie filling, then drizzle caramel sauce decoratively over the top. If you plan to store part of the pie, I recommend spooning whipped cream on and drizzling caramel over individual pieces, as you eat them.

 

Apple Cider Pie, Take 2 (made 10/26/15)

1 unbaked pie crust – again, I used my standard recipe as shown here, but substituted chilled butter for shortening

Filling:
4 c. apple cider
2 cinnamon sticks
10 whole cloves
1 tsp. lemon juice
¼ c. cornstarch
¼ c. sugar
2 tsp. butter
1 tsp. vanilla

Topping:
1 c. heavy whipping cream
1 Tbsp. powdered sugar (more if you like your whipped cream sweeter)

Caramel Sauce:
½ c. (1 stick) butter
½ c. sugar
1 Tbsp. molasses
1/8 tsp. salt
¼ heavy whipping cream

Preheat oven to 425 degrees, and roll pie dough into a circle about 11 inches in diameter. Transfer it to a 9-inch pie pan, and crimp the edges. Blind-bake the piecrust: Fit a piece of aluminum foil into the unbaked crust so that the edges come up above the level of the pie crust, and fill with pie weights (or dry rice or beans). Bake for 20 minutes. Remove the weights and foil from the piecrust. Reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees, and bake for an additional 10 minutes.

Combine apple cider, cinnamon sticks, and cloves in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat. Allow to boil until reduced to half its original volume (2 cups). Let cool. Still in the medium saucepan, add to the apple cider the lemon juice, cornstarch, and sugar. Whisk well. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture comes to a boil and begins to thicken. Still stirring, allow the mixture to boil for an additional 2 minutes. Remove from the heat, and stir in the butter and vanilla. Pour into fully baked piecrust, and let cool.

For the caramel sauce, combine butter, sugar, molasses, and salt in a small saucepan. Cook over medium heat until it comes to a boil, stirring frequently. Continuing to stir, allow to boil for one more minute. Add whipping cream and return to a boil, stirring constantly and allowing to boil for 2-3 minutes further.

Using a hand mixer, stand mixer, or by hand (oh, my tired arms!), whisk heavy whipping cream and powdered sugar until soft peaks form. If you are serving the entire pie at once, pile the whipped cream on top of the cooked pie filling, then drizzle caramel sauce decoratively over the top. If you plan to store part of the pie, I recommend spooning whipped cream on and drizzling caramel over individual pieces, as you eat them.

The “Maybe You’ll Like This Pumpkin Pie”

The way this week’s pie came into being is a simple story, and it is this. On the way home from the gym the other day, I called my very best friend to wish her a happy birthday. In the course of our chat, she asked me what pie was on the docket for this week. Realizing that I hadn’t really a clue at that point, I suggested that she choose, in honor of her birthday. Without hesitation, she responded: pumpkin.

That’s not strange at all. Except that she hates pumpkin pie.

“Maybe you’ll be able to make one that I’ll like.”

Okay. I decided on my plan on the rest of my way home: add cream cheese, add streusel. What isn’t improved by cream cheese and streusel? Bada-bing, bada-boom. And it was delicious. [Said best friend would say that my choice of cream cheese was very Midwestern. But she’s Midwestern, too, so it’s okay. Also, I promise not to put streusel and cream cheese into everything this year.]

I will be making this pie again when she comes for Thanksgiving, but if you feel the urge to set aside what you’re doing right this minute and go make it for yourself, I won’t judge.

The “Maybe You’ll Like This Pumpkin Pie” (made 10/8/15)

1 recipe pie dough, as in here (I think I used half butter, half shortening instead of all shortening this time)

Filling:
1 16-oz. can (or 2 cups) pumpkin
2 eggs, slightly beaten
1 c. sugar
½ tsp. salt
½ tsp. ginger
½ tsp. nutmeg
2 tsp. cinnamon
1 ½ c. milk
4 oz. cream cheese, softened

Streusel Topping:
1 ½ c. flour
½ c. + 2 Tbsp. sugar
1 Tbsp. molasses
¼ tsp. kosher salt
½ c. butter, melted
½ tsp. vanilla

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Roll out pie dough into a circle approximately 11 inches in diameter. Place in a greased 9-inch pie pan. Trim selvedges to 1 inch of overhang, then fold edges under and crimp decoratively. Set aside.

For the filling: Mix all ingredients in a stand or hand mixer until well blended. Pour into unbaked piecrust.

For the streusel topping: Mix together the flour, sugar, and salt. In a separate bowl, combine the molasses, butter, and vanilla. Combine the two mixtures, rubbing the wet ingredients in with your fingers to achieve an overall crumbly texture. Pour gently over the filling. (Some will sink down into the pumpkin mixture, and that’s okay—just try to minimize it as you can.)

Bake pie at 425 degrees for 15 minutes. Lower the oven temperature to 350 degrees, and bake another 45 minutes. Pie is done when streusel is toasty brown and a knife inserted into the middle comes out clean.