Chocolate Cream Pie

I'm drooling right now just looking back over these pictures.  I made my daddy a chocolate cream pie for Father's Day, and it was declared by him "the best pie he's ever had."  I couldn't believe how perfect it turned out.  It was so, so, so easy to make - yet tasted sinfully rich.  The crust is just a basic, flaky pie crust; I wouldn't use any other crust on this if you mainly want to taste the chocolate layer.  This layer is rich, fudgey, silky, and oh-so chocolatey.  It's also kind of thin, but you definitely won't mind because it's so rich anyways.  And even though it is very rich, it doesn't fill you up like a cheesecake would (since it's a thin layer) - so you will definitely want to go back for seconds(:  This pie was over half way eaten the first night I made it!  And that's just between my mom, dad and I, and it was right after we'd gone out for Father's Day dinner. This is definitely the only chocolate cream pie I will ever use from now on!

Yield: 1 9-inch pie

Ingredients:

• 1 (9 inch) pie crust, baked
• 1 1/4 cups white sugar
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 cups milk
• 4 egg yolks
• 2 (1 ounce) squares unsweetened chocolate
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Thawed Cool Whip or home made whipped cream

Chocolate shavings, toasted coconut, or chopped candy bar pieces

Directions:

1. In medium saucepan, combine sugar, flour, cornstarch and salt. In a medium bowl, beat milk and egg yolks until smooth. Gradually stir into sugar mixture. Stir constantly over medium heat until mixture thickens and comes to a full boil. Boil and stir for one minute.
2. Remove from heat and stir in chocolate, butter and vanilla. Stir until melted.
3. Pour into pie shell. Place plastic wrap over filling to prevent skin from forming and chill for several hours. Top with Cool Whip or whipped cream and toppings if desired.

Vanilla Pudding Pie in a Nilla Wafer Crust

  

 

A few days ago, I realized we had a bunch of Nilla Wafers in the pantry, and they were gonna expire soon, so I decided to use them up by making a crust for a pie out of them.  I absolutely love Nilla Wafers...they're one of my favorite snacks...especially in banana pudding.  So I knew that a crust would taste amazing made out of them.  We also had some vanilla pudding mix in the pantry, so I figured: Why not?  I made the pudding as directed, added some banana slices,  poured it into the pie crust, topped it with some whipped cream, and Wah-La!  I had created an incredibly easy, but oh-so-very-yummy pie.  I do have one confession: I do not think this is as quite as good as my banana cream pie (here), simply because the vanilla pudding in that recipe is home made, and I love that sugar cookie crust even more than this Nilla Wafer one.  But this recipe is much easier and quicker to make and I think the crust is very unique and a fantastic way to use up left over Nilla Wafers.  Even though it's not quite as good as my banana cream pie, it's still insanely good!!  I highly recommend both.


Ingredients:
1.5 cups nilla wafer crumbs (about 40 cookies)
2 tablespoons white sugar
1/3 cup unsalted butter, melted
4-5 medium bananas (optional)
1 package vanilla pudding mix
1 3/4 cup milk
1 tub cool whip, thawed
Garnish: banana slices, Nilla Wafer crumbs, Nilla wafer cookies (optional)


Instructions: 
1. preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Combine cookie crumbs, white sugar, and melted butter.  Pat into the bottom of a pie pan, and bake for 8-10 minutes, or until edges are very lightly browned.  Cool completely.
2.  Line cooled crust with banana slices - enough to completely cover the pie - if desired.  Beat pudding mix with milk for about 2-3 minutes, or until thick. Pour over cooled crust and/or banana slices.  Top with desired amount of thawed cool whip.  Refrigerate for at least 3 hours before serving.

Crustless Apple Pie

Yield: 1 9-inch pie

I don't know about you guys, but I'm not a big fan of the classic, flaky pie crust.  I don't think it really does anything.  Whenever I have apple pie, I typically just eat the apple filling and avoid the crust.  Crust to me is like crunchy, baked - nothing.  Soooo I decided to create a crustless apple pie.  Genius, right?  The thing is there is kind of a crust...but it's sweet and baked on top, like a cinnamon-sugar cookie.  The sugar you toss the apples in prevents them from browning while you make the crust by trapping the juice in.  And some of the crust ingredients melt into the apples as they bake, and all the flavors just flow together perfectly.  And the almond extract - oh.my.goodness.  It gives it a hint of incredible almond flavor that makes this pie outstanding and so much better than any other apple pie.  I served this with vanilla bean ice cream and whipped cream.  This dessert didn't last a day in my house.  And that's saying a lot...since it's just my mom, dad and I.

Ingredients:

• 5 large apples, or 6-7 small-medium apples - peeled, cored and sliced
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup flour
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/8 teaspoon allspice
• 1/8 teaspoon cloves
• 3/4 cup salted butter, softened
• 1 teaspoon almond extract
• 1 egg

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. Toss apples with 1 tablespoon of sugar, and pour them into a pie plate. Thoroughly mix together 1 cup of sugar with the flour, cinnamon, butter, and egg. Spread this evenly over the top of the pie.
3. Bake in preheated oven until the apples have cooked and the topping is golden brown, about 40 to 45 minutes.

Peanut Butter Pie

  

   

This may be my favorite pie ever.  Actually..yeah..it is my favorite pie ever.  Or maybe it's tied for first with my banana cream pie.  Whatever.  It's SO good!!! If you are a peanut butter addict - like me - then you will LOVE this pie!!! It's so dreamy, creamy and full of rich, peanut butter flavor.  It truly melts in your mouth and is totally irresistable.  It's incredibly easy to make too.  It reminds of of a cold peanut butter cup...but better...because it's in pie form. The texture is silky and fluffy - kind of like a lighter cheesecake.  I made this for a cross country party, but once I tasted it I didn't tell anyone about it because I wanted it all for myself.  I didn't have much luck though...once people started tasting it they couldn't stop!  It ended up being completely eaten and I wasn't able to take any more home.  But now it's a family favorite and I will continue making it often.

Ingredients:

For the Graham Cracker Crust:

• 1 1/2 cups crushed graham crackers
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/3 cup butter, melted

For the Filling:

• 4 ounces cream cheese
• 3/4 cups confectioners' sugar
• 1/2 cup smooth peanut butter
• 1/2 cup milk
• 8 ounces (half a tub) frozen whipped topping, thawed
• 
  

Garnish (optional): Reese cups, more whipped cream, crushed oreos, chocolate syrup, and/or chocolate shavings

Directions:

For crust:

1. In a small bowl, combine the crumbs and sugar; add butter and blend well. Press onto the bottom and up the sides of an ungreased 9-in. pie plate.
2. Bake at 375 degrees F for 8-10 minutes or until crust is lightly browned. Cool on a wire rack before filling.

For Filling:

Directions:

1. Beat together cream cheese and confectioners' sugar. Mix in peanut butter and milk. Beat until smooth. Fold in whipped topping.
2. Spoon into cooled graham cracker crust; cover, and freeze until firm. Garnish if desired.

Banana Cream Pie

I made this for a sleepover with my friend, and we at over half the pie in one sitting - just the 2 of us.  She was so surprised at how good it was and made me give her the recipe.  Before she tasted it, she really, really wanted to go to a local ice cream shop for dessert.  But I told her I made a pie, and she was like: "okay...well...I guess I'll try it."  And when she tasted it - well, lets just say she really did not want to go to get ice cream anymore.  This is by far the best banana cream pie I've ever had.  The sugar cookie crust makes it extra special, as opposed to a normal, flaky pie crust.  The crust makes it very sweet, but it's just so delicious and pairs perfectly with the creamy, melt-in-your-mouth, banana filling.  Without the crust, the filling is also the best tasting pudding I've ever had!  The filling has a wonderful banana flavor that I'm sure you will love.  This pie is the ultimate comfort food...especially for those warm summer nights.


For the Crust:
Ingredients:
1 pouch (1 lb 1.5 oz) Betty Crocker sugar cookie mix
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/3 cup butter, softened
1 egg, slightly beaten


Instructions:
Heat oven to 350°F. Spray bottom and sides of a 9-inch pan with cooking spray. In large bowl, stir cookie base ingredients until soft dough forms. Press evenly in bottom of pan. Bake 15 to 18 minutes or until golden brown. Let cool completely before filling.


For the banana cream filling:

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup white sugar
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups milk
• 3 egg yolks, beaten
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 1/4 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 4 bananas, sliced

Directions

1. In a saucepan, combine the sugar, flour, and salt. Add milk in gradually while stirring gently. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture is bubbly. Keep stirring and cook for about 2 more minutes, and then remove from the burner.
2. Stir a small quantity of the hot mixture into the beaten egg yolks, and immediately add egg yolk mixture to the rest of the hot mixture. Cook for 2 more minutes; remember to keep stirring. Remove the mixture from the stove, and add butter and vanilla. Stir until the whole thing has a smooth consistency.
3. Slice bananas into the cooled baked pastry shell. Top with pudding mixture.
4. Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 12 to 15 minutes. Chill for at least one hour.
5. Garnish with whipped cream and/or extra sliced bananas, if desired.

Brown Sugar Pie

I couldn't believe how good this was. It was the easiest pie to throw together, and the name really says it all.  It's pure brown sugar and cinnamon cookie deliciousness. I totally winged it, and it turned out phenominal.  It has a perfect, smooth, rich filling and melts in your mouth. {It tastes exactly like a pecan pie but without the pecans.}  The only bad thing about it is....it looks disgusting.  The pie sinks in once you pull it out of the oven and looks like mush.  Not exactly a presentable pie...but once you get people to taste it, they will ask for the recipe for sure.

Yield: 1 9-inch pie, or about 8 servings

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups finely ground graham cracker crumbs
• 1/3 cup white sugar
• 6 tablespoons butter, melted
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1 teaspoon all-purpose flour
• 2 eggs
• 2 tablespoons milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup melted butter

Directions

1. Mix graham cracker crumbs, sugar, melted butter or margarine, and cinnamon until well blended . Press mixture into an 8 or 9 inch pie plate.
2. Bake at 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) for 7 minutes. Cool for at least 20 minutes.
3. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C.)
4. In a large bowl, combine brown sugar, white sugar, flour, eggs, milk and vanilla. Beat until smooth. Mix in the melted butter. Pour filling into pie crust.
5. Bake in the preheated oven for 35 to 40 minutes, or until filling is set.