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Mom's Surefire Pie Crust

2c flour
1 t salt
1/8 c sugar
2/3 c shortening or lard
5-7 T cold water

Combine dry ingredients. Cut in shortening using a pastry cutter until pieces are pea-sized. Add water until dough holds together.  Roll out in silicon pie round to 1/8”. 

French Silk Chocolate Pie

This is pretty easy, but it makes a lot of dishes for cleanup. 

Crust

• 24 Oreos
• ¼ cup butter

Chocolate Filling

• 4 large eggs
• 1 cup granulated sugar divided
• 8 oz semi-sweet chocolate baking bars, chopped small
• 1 ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1 cup unsalted butter softened
• 1 teaspoon salt

Whipped Cream Topping

• 1 cup cold heavy whipping cream
• ⅓ cup powdered sugar
• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract

Garnish: mini chocolate chips or peeled Hershey bar

INSTRUCTIONS

1: Make the crust: 

• Preheat oven to 375°F
• In a food processor, process Oreos and butter until it becomes a fine-grained/sandy texture.
• Press Oreos into a 9-inch pie dish and then bake for 10 minutes. Remove and let cool.

2: Make the filling: 

• In a heat proof bowl* whisk together the eggs and ½ cup granulated sugar. (4 eggs, ½ cup granulated sugar).
• Place bowl over sauce pan of simmering water on medium-low heat- making sure the bottom of the bowl DOES NOT come into contact with simmering water. If you think it will touch just remove some of the water- but be careful because it’s hot and can burn you.
• Whisk the eggs continuously for about 9-11 minutes until the mixture coats the back of a spoon. You want the temperature to reach 160°F.* If you don’t stir continuously you will scramble the eggs and will have to start over.
• Once it reaches temperature remove from heat and stir in the chocolate and vanilla. Once chocolate is stirred in completely, allow to sit and cool for another 10-15 minutes. If your chocolate doesn’t melt all the way simply place the boil back over the double boiler and stir until melted- then remove from heat and allow to cool (8oz semi-sweet chocolate bar chopped small, 1 ½ teaspoon vanilla extract).
• While the mixture is cooling, using a stand mixer or hand mixer, with the whisk attachment, whisk the heavy cream on medium high speed until stiff peaks form, should take ~3-5 minutes. Refrigerate until step 8. (1 cup heavy cream)
• In a clean bowl, for a stand mixer or hand mixer works, beat the butter, remaining sugar, and salt until fully combined. Mixture should be light and fluffy. * About 2-4 minutes. (1 cup unsalted butter*, ½ cup sugar, 1 teaspoon salt)
• Add in the cooled chocolate mixture and beat on medium speed until combined. Scraping down the sides occasionally.
• Fold in the whipped cream by hand until combined and there are no white streaks. Folding in keeps the air in the mixture and adds volume to the filling.
• Pour the filing into the cookie crust in a nice smooth layer and refrigerate until set- about 4-6 hours, or overnight. You want the pie to be chilled, set, and thickened before serving

3: Make topping (make same day as serving the pie)

• For the whipped cream topping simply add the heavy cream to the bowl of an electric mixer. Whip on medium high until trails appear in the cream. Then add powdered sugar and vanilla and then whip again until soft peaks form. (1 cup heavy whipping cream, ⅓ cup powdered sugar, ½ teaspoon vanilla). Layer on the whipped cream and garnish as preferred.

Mom's Pie Crust (Single)

1-1/2 c flour
1/2 t salt
1/4 c sugar
1/2 c shortening
4-5 T cold water

Sprinkle flour in pie pan and pastry rollout bag.

Sift sugar, flour, and salt together. 

Mix with shortening using masher til crumbly, then switch to a fork and continue mixing. Add cold water  1T at a time as you go til it mostly holds together with mixing (like biscuit dough).  At absolute last step, knead with hands to get it all together. 

Dump 3/4 into pastry bag and roll thin (make sure it's consistently thin in the middle—you can cut off thick edges if need be). Place into pie pan. 

 

 

Fudge Brownie Pie

2 eggs
1 c sugar
½ c butter, melted
½ c flour
1/3 c cocoa
¼ t salt
1 t vanilla
Ice cream
Hot fudge sauce

Beat eggs in small mixer bowl; blend in sugar and melted butter. Combine dry ingredients, add to butter mixture. Stir in vanilla. Pour into lightly greased 8-inch pie pan. Bake ant 350 for 25-30 minutes or until almost set. Cool, cut in wedges; serve topped with scoop of ice cream and drizzled with hot fudge sauce.

Sauce
¾ c sugar
½ c cocoa
5 oz (½ c plus 2 T) evaporated milk
1/3 c corn syrup
1/3 c butter
1 t vanilla

Combine sugar and cocoa in small saucepan; blend in milk and syrup. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture boils. Boil and stir 1 minute. Remove from heat, stir in butter and vanilla. Serve warm.

Easy Chocolate Mousse Pie

Crumb crust
8 oz cream cheese
½ c cocoa
1 c powdered sugar
1-1/2 t vanilla
2 c cream

Prepare crust and set aside.

Beat cream cheese and cocoa in large bowl until fluffy and well blended. Gradually add sugar; blend well. Stir in vanilla. Whip cream until stiff, fold into cheese mixture. Pour into cooled crust, chill until firm.

Graham cracker crust
1-1/2 c graham cracker crumbs
1/3 c butter, melted
3 T sugar

Combine ingredients in small bowl. Press firmly into bottom and up side of 9-inch pie pan. Bake at 350 for 10 minutes; cool.

Black Bottom Pie

9-inch pastry or crumb crust

 

½ c sugar
1/3 c cocoa
¼ c butter, softened
1 envelope gelatin
¼ c cold water
2 c milk
4 eggs
½ c sugar
¼ c cornstarch
1 t vanilla
2 T rum
½ c sugar

 

Bake shell; set aside. 

 

Combine ½ c sugar, cocoa and butter in medium bowl, set aside. Sprinkle gelatin into cold water in small bowl, let stand 1 minute to soften. Place bowl in pan of simmering water to dissolve. Combine milk, yolks, ½ c sugar and cornstarch in medium saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture boils; boil and stir 1 minute.

 

Remove from heat; measure 1-1/2 c of custard and blend into cocoa-sugar mixture. Add vanilla and pour into cooled crust; chill until set. 

 

Combine dissolved gelatin with remaining custard, add rum and set aside.

 

Beat egg whites in small bowl until foamy, gradually add ½ c sugar and beat until stiff. Fold into gelatin-custard mixture, Chill 15 minutes or until partially set. Spoon over custard in crust. Chill until set. 

Hershey Bar Pie

8-oz Hershey bar
1/3 c milk
1-1/2 c miniature marshmallows
1 c cream

 

Graham Crust
½ c butter
1-1/2 c graham cracker crumbs
6 T cocoa
1/3 c powdered sugar

 

Combine chocolate, milk, and marshmallows in bowl, microwave on high for 1-2.5 minutes or until mixture is melted and smooth when stirred. Cool completely.

 

Make crust: Microwave butter for 1 minute or until melted. Stir in other ingredients and blend well. Press on bottom and up side of prepared pie plate. Microwave an additional 1 to 1/5 minutes until bubbly. Set aside to cool. 

 

Whip cream until stiff. Fold into chocolate mixture. Spoon into crust. Cover. Chill several hours or until firm. Garnish with whipped cream. 

Brandy Alexander Pie

30 large marshmallows
½ c milk
1 c chocolate chips
1 t vanilla
1-2 T brandy
1-2 T crème de cacao
2 c cream

 

Prepare Chocolate Petal Crust (below), set aside. 

 

Combine marshmallows and milk in medium saucepan; cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until marshmallows are melted and mixture is smooth. Pour half the mixture into small bowl; set aside. Add chocolate chips to remaining mixture, return to low heat and stir until chips are melted. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla; cool to room temperature. Stir liquor into reserved mixture in small bowl, chill until mixture mounds slightly when dropped from a spoon. 

 

Whip cream until stiff. Fold 2 cups of whipped cream into cooled chocolate mixture; spoon into cooled crust. Blend remaining whipped cream into chilled liquor mixture, spread over chocolate mixture. Chill 2 hours and serve. 

 

Chocolate Petal Crust

½ c butter, softened
1 c sugar
1 egg
1 t vanilla
1-1/4 c flour
½ c cocoa
¾ t baking soda
¼ t salt

 

Cream butter, sugar, egg, and vanilla in large bowl. Combine flour, cocoa, soda and salt; stir into creamed mixture. Shape soft dough into 2 rolls, 1-1/2 inches in diameter. Wrap in plastic wrap, chill several hours. Cut one roll into 1/8 inch slices, arrange slices, edges touching, on bottom, upside and on to rim of greased 9-inch pan. Bake at 375 for 8-10 minutes. 

 

Remaining dough may be frozen for later use or sliced and baked as cookies. 

Classic Chocolate Cream Pie

9-inch pastry or crumb crust

 

2.5 oz unsweetened chocolate, broken into pieces
2 c milk
1-1/3 c sugar
3 T flour
3 T cornstarch
½ t salt
3 eggs, room temperature
1 c milk
2 t butter
1-1/2 t vanilla
¼ t cream of tartar
6 T sugar

Bake pastry shell, set aside. 

 

Preheat oven to 350.

 

Melt baking chocolate with 2 c milk in medium saucepan over medium heat, stirring constantly. Cook and stir just until mixture boils; remove from heat.

 

Combine 1-1/3 c sugar, flour, cornstarch and salt in small bowl. Blend egg yolks with 1 c milk, add to dry ingredients. Blend into chocolate mixture in saucepan. Cook over medium heat stirring constantly until it boils. Boil and stir 1 minute; remove from heat. Blend in butter and vanilla; pour into cooled shell. 

 

Beat egg whites and cream of tartar in small mixer bowl until foamy. Gradually add 6 T sugar, beat until stiff. Spread meringue onto hot pie filing, carefully sealing to edge of crust. Bake 8-10 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool to room temperature; chill several hours. 

Brownie Pie

2 eggs, separated
¾ c butter, softened
¾ c sugar
¾ c brown sugar
2 oz unsweetened chocolate, melted
¾ c flour
¼ c chocolate liqueur

1 9-inch unbaked pie crust

Beat egg whites with wire whip on speed 8 until stiff. Set aside.

Beat butter and sugars with paddle on speed 4 for 1 minute. Add chocolate and egg yolks and mix on speed 2 for 1 minute. Scrape bowl; add flour and chocolate liqueur and mix on speed 2 for 30 seconds. Increase to speed 4 for 15 seconds. Scrape bowl; add egg whites on stir speed and mix for 15 seconds.

Pour mixture into shell and bake at 375 for 35-40 minutes.