Chocolate Chip Cookie Pie

Because there just aren't enough desserts on this blog . . .

I think this may be my favorite picture
I have ever taken on my own camera . . . 

Georgia B. made this amazing dessert when she hosted book club.  When she said the words "cookie" and "pie" together, I admit I was taken aback.  It sounded like too much.  It sounded like it was missing the words "bacon-wrapped" and "deep-fried."

But then I had a bite.  Next, I inhaled my beautiful wedge o' heaven-sent cookie pie.  Finally, I plotted about how to get another piece (never mind the other twenty girls who were at this particular book club meeting . . . in fact, what do you guys think about a new book club rule?  Only people who read the book can  have refreshments?)

I used my flakiest pie crust recipe for the shell

I think it actually looks prettier before it's cooked

This kind of crust needs a pie shield, so that it doesn't get crispy and burnt before the rest of the crust cooks.  Actually, unless your crust is exactly level with your filling, every pie needs a pie shield.  You just take it off the pie about 10-15 minutes before it is baked all the way. 

I have two pie shields--one is a solid aluminum ring, and it fits a nine-inch crust. The other is a re-sizeable silicone pie shield that I can use on just about any size pie pan.

55 minutes later . . . it should be a nice caramely-brown 

My husband happened to show up at this book club to collect our baby, and another book club member (Tonia) said, "Here, Allen, you should take a piece of this."  He was sold on one bite also.  {And Tonia and I are still friends, despite the fact that she A) appeared to be a more thoughtful wife than I am and B) ruined my plan to ask to take a piece home to Allen . . . which I had no intention of giving him.  Okay, maybe she is a more thoughtful wife . . . }

Georgia did not hoard the deliciousness.  And neither will I.

Flakiest Pie Crust

Homemade apple pie is my very favorite food in the world.

This is more fragile than Never-Fail Pie Crust (which I recommend if you are a beginner--it's the recipe I used all through my college years).  The finished product here is so beautiful, flaky, and delicious I can hardly stand to write about it.

The key to any good pastry is to handle the dough as little as possible.  You want gluten (stringy strands of protein) in your breads, which is why you knead bread dough so much.  But since you want a flaky, airy pie crust  (not rubbery or tough) you don't want gluten to form.  That's why you use ice water, and why a food processor can do the job better than a pastry cutter--you won't be handling the dough as much, therefore it won't warm up, therefore little gluten will form.

I got this recipe from Every Day FOOD magazine (that Reader's Digest-sized Martha Stewart cooking mag) and it was photographed and explained so well that I was sold before I even took a bite.  So I tried to be as good about taking pictures for you.

After the dough comes together, form a ball, wrap in plastic,
then flatten into a 1-inch disk and chill for at least one hour

This is my best pie-crust tip ever: before you roll out the chilled
dough, indent the edges with your knuckles--it makes it so cracks
don't form and you end up with one big, round, pretty pie crust

See?

Another tip: carefully roll the dough around your rolling pin,
then unroll it over your pie dish--it makes transferring the
dough from counter top to pie pan a cinch.

I didn't take pictures of the actual apples.  I used my peeler/corer/slicer to prepare about nine apples.  Most were Pink Ladies, but I think there was a Braeburn and a Fuji in there as well. (People always say to use Granny Smith apples for pie--but they are not my favorite.  Pink Ladies are delicious and crisp, and won't go soggy like a Red Delicious . . . I almost always use three different kinds of apples).  I sprinkle about 2/3 cup of cinnamon sugar over the sliced apples (2 tsp cinnamon to 1 cup of sugar) and coat the apples evenly, then let them sit while I roll out the dough.  You can use a little bit of lemon juice to keep the apples from browning, but I never do. 

I bought this pie top cutter in an Amish village in Missouri--you can
get all kinds of designs online . . . just google "pie top cutter."
It's fun to make a pie that looks so perfect--but it is also a PAIN
to carefully cut out the shapes and remove the stencil.  Fortunately,
this one turned out without cracking the crust. 

Especially for the top, I recommend rolling
up the dough and then transferring.

You don't have to add the "cut-outs"--it looks pretty just like this.

I add the apples because my kids love eating them off the top after
it has baked (some people have a harder time waiting, obviously)

Before I put the dough-apples on top, I brush the whole crust with ice water, using a pastry brush.  It helps the apples stick.  I didn't use an egg wash on this particular pie--just the water.  Then I very lightly sprinkled cinnamon-sugar over the top before placing the pie in the oven.  Here are some tips for the tops of your pies:

My husband was strictly a chocolate dessert kind of guy before he met me.  I love chocolate, too, but nothing really beats a made-from-scratch pie.  He recently told me, in a reluctant-but-satisfied tone of voice, "I hate to admit it, Bec, but I think I like your apple pie just as much as chocolate cream pie."

I have arrived.

(Also, I wish I had the apron that happy housewife is wearing).

Never-Fail Pie Crust

This is not the crust I use anymore (check out my Flakiest Pie Crust recipe), but it was my go-to recipe for years. It's a beginner's crust, and perfect for helping you feel confident about baking pie. It's not a fragile dough and can be re-rolled. With any pie crust or pastry, though, you want to handle the dough as little as possible to prevent the formation of gluten, long strands of protein that are desirable in breads and other "kneaded" foods, but which make your pie crust heavy, tough, and not flaky.

Rhubarb-Strawberry Pie

I have come a realization about my love affair with pie . . . no one is going to make it for me.  If I want pie, I have to make it myself.

Now that I have come to terms with this fact, I am not making pie mistakes in local restaurants and (shudder) grocery store bakeries--they just can't duplicate the taste I am after.  Since I have accepted the responsibility fully, I actually enjoy making it more.  2013 has been, for me at least, The Year of the Pie.  And the year isn't even halfway over!  To what pie-in-the-sky heights will I soar before the year's end?  (And to which buckle-hole will my belt be expanded?)

I have had a rhubarb plant for three years now, a transplant gift from my next-door neighbors, and have never done anything with it except enjoy it's exotic, rain forest-esque foliage every spring.  This year, I determined I would not let it go to waste, and so I scoured the Internet for a good rhubarb pie recipe.

Allrecipes has never given me a bum steer.  If a recipe has been reviewed by hundreds of people and it still has a 4.5-star rating, then it's a pretty safe bet.

Completely delicious.  I am adding this recipe to my favorites.

You can also substitute RASPBERRIES for the strawberries and
prepare the pie the same way.  I made this in November, my
favorite month to eat pie.  Oh, yummy.

The most important thing with any berry-based pie is to keep it from being runny.  The first thing you can do is allow the berry to macerate--that is, break down the fibers of the fruit you're using.  This brings out the sweet juices before you bake them, instead of during the baking time.  In addition to releasing flavor, it will help the fruit sort of "gel" as it bakes.  Macerating is simply stirring your fruit with sugar and allowing it to rest.

The second important step is to allow lots of steam to leave the pie.  Lattice crusts are pretty, but they're also almost essential to any berry pie, because the large holes all over the top crust help moisture to steam out during bake time.  I used my flakiest pie crust recipe for this one.

The third step is the hardest: you've got to let the pie cool.  You don't have wait till it's cold . . . you just can't dig right in when it comes out of the oven.  Pie Impatience often leads to burning the roof of your mouth, anyway.  I speak from experience.

Oops!  I forgot to scatter the butter over the top before I did the
lattice.  Better late than never, where butter is concerned.

I got this pie crust shield on Amazon, and I love it!  It's so much easier than using foil, and they're really reasonably priced.  Now I just need a 10-inch one . . . or you can buy these kind {Adjustable Silicone Pie Shield} that expand to fit any size pie pan.

Take the shield off for the last ten minutes of baking.  I think
that heaven must smell like a rhubarb-strawberry pie. 

My dad happened to call and say he was working in the area on the day I made this pie.  I couldn't hope for someone more deserving to share it with!  Dad has always told me  that rhubarb-raisin is one of his favorite pies.  That combination is nowhere near the top of my "must try" pies . . . but I know he was overjoyed when I told him what was in the oven.

I had also invited some friends over for late-night dessert (coincidentally, these friends were wondering that very day when I would be baking and sharing a pie next . . . faith precedes the miracle!), so I let the pie "cool" in the freezer for fifteen minutes to shorten the wait-time before everyone arrived.   I think that impatience might actually be the mother of all invention, rather than necessity.

Ahhhh . . . at last . . .

Pecan Pie

I made this pecan pie for my favorite police officer, after he helped
me with an EPIC April Fool's Day joke {STORY BELOW}.
His talented wife, Amanda, in addition to being a good friend
 of mine, is a professional photographer and took this beautiful
picture for me!!!
~PHOTO by AMANDA C. PHOTOGRAPHY~

This is my husband's second favorite pie at Thanksgiving (after chocolate cream pie), and I got the recipe from his mom, who is both an excellent cook and a wonderful friend!  I've never been a huge fan of pecan pie myself, but I like doing nice things for my sweet hubby (especially when the nice things are this easy!).

Making your pie crust will take longer than making this simple, delicious filling.  The recipe calls for a single crust, and I often have one already wrapped up and frozen in the freezer, since my flakiest pie crust recipe makes a double crust.

These metallic or silicone pie shields are meant to keep your crust from getting too dark, but they also hold it up on the edge where it's supposed to stay, which I recommend for every single-crust (and some double-crust) pies, too.

  

Bake for 45 minutes, check the color (it should be a nice, caramelly brown), then bake for 5-15 more minutes, as needed.     

Serve on a caramel-covered plate like Amanda if you're feeling fancy.

National Pi Day = Exponential Happiness

3.141592653589793238462643383279502884197169

And it just keeps going . . .

No circle ever looked so tasty . . .

March 14th is a perfect day to have a holiday--it's a month after Valentine's Day and a month before taxes are due.  Which is a mathematical equation for STRESS.  Enter pie as a variable.  Problem solved.

This year for Pi Day, I made Brigham City Peach Pie, with my Flakiest Pie Crust recipe, because the first time I made it, I gave it to Troy as a birthday gift, and never got to taste a single slice myself.  I had a bunch of pecans left over from making Coffeecake Muffins, so I added about 3/4 cup to the streusel that gets mixed in with the peaches.  Another welcome variable to this equation.

Other pies you might enjoy:

Cookie Pie

Banana Cream Pie

Classic Apple Pie

Chocolate Cream Pie

Pecan Pie

It's very difficult to make this without a food processor,
so you better get one.  I love my Bosch processor.
BOSCH Compact Food Pro

Just because this pie crust recipe is for beginners not not mean it
is not DELICIOUS.  Because it is.

Brigham City Peach Pie

Peach pie.  I mean, it sounds good and it looks good . . . but I don't think I ever would have made it if it hadn't been a birthday request.  So I'm glad it was, because it turned out to be a great recipe (I got it from allrecipes, one of my favorite cooking sites).

I made this pie for Troy--he's a great friend and his wife, Brenda, is an even greater friend (sorry, Troy).  He's a pretty generous guy and has made the birthdays in our family special.  So, I told him I'd make him an apple pie on his birthday and he quickly countered, "How 'bout peach?"  

Peach it shall be.  (I used my flakiest pie crust recipe).

Our family before the hour-long wait on a busy Thursday

It seemed fitting that he requested a peach pie only a few days after my family and I visited Brigham City, Utah---peach capital of the state.  We went there to tour the inside of the newly competed Latter-day Saint temple.  Before a temple is dedicated, it is open to the general public, and I highly recommend taking a tour if you ever have the opportunity!  There's no better way to find out what "Mormons" believe and why temples are central to our focus on strengthening families, both now and in the afterlife.  Here's a sweet video clip about part of our temple experience:

But back to the pie.  I think it's the only food on this site that I have not actually tasted myself {update: I had it on Pi Day 2013 and it is delectable}.  Both Troy and Brenda assured me that it was delicious--even better than the pastry that Troy ordered for himself on the Internet for his birthday.  I could have told you that, Troy . . .

Any recipe that calls for you to cut butter into a crumbly stage
is bound to be delicious 

Layer the peaches in the bottom of your pie crust, then generously
layer butter crumblies.  Repeat with remaining peaches and crumblies.

Troy got his bull elk with a BOW the day before his birthday,
so I thought I'd pay homage to his prowess with an antler design . . .

T for "Totally"
I used an egg yolk wash: water and egg yolk
beaten and lightly brushed over the crust

Scrumptious.

Troy took this picture and FBed it to me.

It wouldn't have been a true birthday gift without a poem from yours truly.  I would have printed it out for Troy, but my printer was/is out of ink.  Still, I can share the digital version with my Internet audience.  I think Troy would want it that way.

Aren't limericks the best?  Poo on sonnets and haikus . . . you can't convey this kind of emotion in those rigid forms . . .

Celebration-worthy, people.

I added pecans to my streusel the second go-round and it was
over-the-top good.

National "Pi" day: 3.14 every year.  Circles never looked this tasty . . .

Finally, the actual recipe card:

Chocolate Cream Pie

This is my husband's favorite pie, though he recently told me that it was tied with apple pie.  It's a recipe handed down from his paternal grandmother, who is such a good Southern cook.  I made it for dessert on Sunday and it turned out beautifully, which isn't always the case with this pie--you have to have CONSTANT VIGILANCE (as Mad-Eye Moody would say) when you are whisking the filling over the stove--my arm usually aches before I am done.

I used my flakiest pie crust recipe for the crust.  Single crusts are harder for me than double crusts, because they sometimes slide down in the pie pan while they're baking.  I pressed the edge of the pie dough just over the edge of the pie pan, then pressed it all around with the back of a fork, and it turned out pretty well. You want to poke the crust all over with a fork, even around the sides, so it won't puff up.  Bake your crust for about 15 minutes at 350, until it's barely golden brown.

The filling in this recipe is soooo rich and good, and it doesn't rely on cornstarch to thicken.  Hard to believe there's only about a third a cup of cocoa in it.  You must use whole milk or evaporated milk, or it will be runny, something I learned the hard way.  On Thanksgiving Day.  Such memories . . .

For the meringue, I beat the five egg whites until they got foamy, then I added about 2/3 cup of white sugar, beating it in a tablespoon at a time, until it began to get glossy.  Then I added a teaspoon of vanilla and a tiny pinch of salt and beat it until it was stiff.  It took a long time, even with an electric beater.  Use a completely dry bowl, and be sure there is no yolk in your egg whites, or it just won't turn out.  (I beat the meringue with my electric mixer until its ready, then use the mixer, with a little meringue on the beaters, to beat the warm pie filling in the saucepan before I scrape it into my prepared crust.  Then I top the filling with the meringue.  That way I don't have to use the beaters, then wash and dry and re-use them)

Meringue before baking

To prevent weeping or shrinking, you want to put the meringue on the filling while it is still warm, and make sure that you spread the meringue right up the edge of the crust.  I used my silicone spatula to swirl a design around the meringue before baking it for about 8 minutes in a 400-degree oven.

Meringue after baking--and my favorite tablecloth that
originally belonged to Grandmother Renfroe

I always crave pie when I am pregnant.  Unfortunately (or perhaps fortunately), it's not a food that's readily available--grocery store pies do not do it for me, and we are at least an hour from any bakery worth trying.  if you want something done, you've got to . . . well, you know.