Gluten Free Apple Cranberry Pie

Recently, my husband and I decided to try a Gluten Free diet.  Purely for experimental purposes.  Turns out, my husband has had amazing results.  He hasn't had any of the Asthma problems he usually has on a daily basis.  No inhaler needed for weeks. I haven't been on it as long so I haven't noticed anything yet but we'll see.

Anyways, we've gotten a couple of cookbooks to help us out and we've tried a couple of great recipes lately. Some of you might be wondering what Gluten is exactly.  Well here you go:

1. a substance present in cereal grains, especially wheat, that is responsible for the elastic texture of dough. A mixture of two proteins, it causes illness in people with celiac disease.

So, Gluten can also just be a sensitivity in some people which apparently it is in my husband and switching to non-gluten items is pretty easy. It's such a common problem now that there are Gluten Free items available everywhere. There might even be a "Gluten Free" section of your grocery store.

I did have to run out and get some new items to bake this pie but they are items I'll use over and over in the future.

The Pie was wonderful.  The flavor was just what you'd expect with the added benefit of those chewy cranberries.  The crust was a little difficult to work with.  It crumbled easier then a normal crust so I needed up adding a little water and making sure it was really cold before trying to work with it. Make sure your rolling pin is well gluten-free floured up. After moving most of it to the pie plate I ended up just pressing pieces into the dish to make a complete pie crust.  It worked well in the end, just be aware that it's much more crumbly. The flavor is great however, similar to a regular pie crust but the texture is more on the crumbly side as I just mentioned. I used Gala apples but you can use whatever apples you want, just adjust the sugar based on how sweet the apple is.

Gluten Free Apple Cranberry Pie

Recipe from 101 Best Gluten-Free Foods cookbook page 71

Ingredients

Filling

• 6 medium apples - peeled, cored and sliced
• 3/4 to 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup dried cranberries
• 2 Tbsp cornstarch
• 2 tsp lemon juice
• 1 Tbsp ground cinnamon

Crust

• 2 cups Gluten Free all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup sweet rice flour
• 1 Tbsp granulated sugar
• 1 tsp xanthan gum
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 3/4 cup cold butter
• 2 whole eggs
• 1 1/2 Tbsp cider vinegar

Cooking Directions

1. Make the dough first, so there's time to chill it. Add the first 6 ingredients to a bowl and use a pastry cutter to blend it until only small pieces of butter remain.
2. Make a whole in the center and add the eggs and vinegar, mix together just until incorporated.
3. Cut into two equal pieces and wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 45 minutes.
4. When the dough is chilled, start preheating the oven to 425º
5. In a large bowl mix the filling ingredients and stir together so it's all coated.
6. Roll out one of the crusts on a lightly floured surface and roll out to 1/4 thick and place in the pie dish. I found it easier to just press the dough into the dish since the dough can be crumbly.
7. Add the apple filling on top of the dough and then top with the other piece of dough that has been rolled out.
8. Cut the dough to allow for ventilation.
9. Bake at 425º for 12 minutes and then reduce the heat to 350º and bake for 30-40 minutes. Check the apples to make sure they have softened.

Peach Blueberry Pie

It's peach season in the South so naturally we've been eating all we can.  I love to can peaches but haven't had time this year, so we've just been eating them fresh.  However, to change things up a bit I decided to try a pie.  Blueberries are my husbands favorite so when I saw this recipe I thought it was perfect.  Also, I had a handful of raspberries in my refrigerator so I threw those in too.

I loved the flavor of this pie.  Sweet and interesting because of the multiple fruit flavors.  The mixture is perfect and held up very well when sliced and served up. Perfect with some ice cream or whipped cream.

I just used a store bought crust which is not what I normally do, but it was still delicious.  If you make a homemade crust it'll be the hit of dessert!  I hope you can try this one this summer with some of your local peaches.

Peach Blueberry Pie
Recipe from Taste of Home

Ingredients

• 1 cup sugar
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/8 tsp ground allspice
• 3 cups peaches, sliced and peeled
• 1 cup blueberries, fresh or frozen
• pastry for double crust 9 inch pie
• 1 Tbsp butter, at room temperature
• 1 Tbsp milk
• cinnamon sugar

Cooking Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 400º
2. Make the pie crust and put it in the pie plate (or use pre-made)
3. In a large bowl, mix together the sugar, flour, cinnamon and allspice and whisk. Add the fruit and stir to coat.
4. You can either top the pie with a full pie crust and cut to ventilate or create a lattice top.
5. After you've added the top crust, cut off the excess crust around the edges leaving about 1/2 an inch overhand so you can tuck it under the bottom crust and seal with your fingers or a fork.
6. Use a brush to spread milk over the top and then sprinkle with cinnamon sugar.
7. Bake for 40-45 minutes, until golden. Let cool slightly before serving.

Caramel Apple Pie Bombs

One of the things I love about apples is that they are abundant any time of the year (although not always locally grown) and I love apple desserts no matter what time of year.  They are the ultimate comfort dessert for me. 

I love apple pie, but it's not always the easiest thing in the world to eat without a fork, right? Hence, the apple pie bomb. The portable apple pie you can carry around unless you have issues with getting your hands full of caramel.  I guess you could skip that part and don't drizzle any over at the end.  That's an option of course. An insane option, but still. 

I loved the flavors you get with these sweet will bundles of deliciousness. The traditional apple pie flavors packed away in a soft, fluffy dinner roll.  I had some leftovers in the refrigerator for a couple of days and they were just as yummy after I warmed them for a few seconds in the microwave.  Such a good idea here. 

I hope you can find a reason to make some of these soon.  There are just a couple of steps involved but none of them are difficult or take that long.  Enjoy some apple pie bombs soon. 

Caramel Apple Pie Bombs

Recipe from Community Table

Ingredients

• 12 frozen dinner rolls (frozen and uncooked)
• 2 medium apples, I used granny smith but any kind should work
• 1 Tbsp ground cinnamon
• 2 Tbsp granulated sugar
• 30 vanilla caramels, unwrapped and divided
• 2 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 2 Tbsp heavy cream
• flour, for dusting

Cooking Directions

1. Use a microwave safe dish to unthaw the dinner rolls without cooking them. I found that about 6 minutes on the "defrost" setting worked.
2. Preheat the oven to 350º
3. Use non-stick spray to spray a small oven safe dish (about 9x6) and set aside.
4. Peel, core and petite dice the apples. Place them in a dish and cover them in the cinnamon and sugar mixture until fully coated. Reserve 1/4 cup of this mixture. 
5. Unwrap 18 caramels and cut them into quarters, set aside.
6. Lightly flour your work surface.
7. Squish a piece of dough onto the floured work surface so it's not sticky and you can begin stretching it out to about a 3" circle.
8. Take a Tbsp of apple mix and place it in the middle, then add 6 pieces of cut caramel pieces. Fold the dough ball around the filling and crimp the edges. Place in the prepared dish and finish the rest. You will have some leftover apple mixture and that's good.
9. Once all the dough balls are in the dish, pour the remaining apple mixture over the top. Top with the brown sugar and bake for 30-35 minutes.
10. During the last couple of minutes of cooking, put the rest of the caramel pieces in a microwave safe dish and add the heavy cream. Heat in 30 second intervals while stirring after each interval until smooth.
11. When the rolls come out of the oven, drizzle with the melted caramel and serve hot.

Sugar Cookie Pie Crust

A friend of mine told me she had this amazing apple pie with a sugar cookie pie crust.  Well, that was years ago and I sort of forgot about it until recently.

As it turns out, sugar cookie pie crust is a really good idea.

One thing I noticed is that this pie crust comes out of the pan easily if it's room temperature or warm but once you refrigerate it, it's difficult at best.  The taste is sweet and yummy.  You might want to use this one with a not so sweet pie filling or else you'll have a super sweet pie.

I'm really glad I tried this.  It's original intent is for a tart, which I might try next.

Sugar Cookie Pie Crust
Recipe from Baking Bites

Ingredients

• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 2 Tbsp milk
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Cooking Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 400º
2. In a large bowl, or your stand mixer, combine the butter and sugar. Mix until light and fluffy.
3. Add the flour and salt and mix, then add the milk and vanilla extract. Mix until it is moist and crumbly.
4. The mixture should crumble but still be moist enough to hold together when you make it into a ball. 
5. Press the dough into the pie or tart plate (9 or 10 inch).  Make sure the bottom is even. 
6. For a no-bake filling: Bake for 25-30 minutes, until light golden brown. Let cool.
7. For a filling that needs to be baked: Bake for 15-20 minutes before filling.  Let cool and then fill and bake as the recipe instructs. 

Chocolate Cream Pie

So there I was, trying to think of the next thing to put on this blog when it occurred to me that I hardly ever ask my daughter what SHE wants me to make.

So, of course it was chocolate.

And of course I was happy to oblige, even if it isn't even a week after Halloween and we have ton's of candy in the house.

I mean, who am I to say no.  Right?

Right.

Pinterest really comes in handy at times like these.  The original recipe uses a regular flour pie crust but I thought I'd like it more on a chocolate sandwich cookie pie crust.  So that's what I did.  When you make your own stuff from scratch you can do whatever you want. :)

The filling is super easy to make, just make sure to get it nice and cold before cutting so it doesn't slide all over the place.  The crust is super easy to make, and the whipped cream topping is super easy to make.  The longest part of making this pie is the time needed to refrigerate. Heck, you could even buy the pre-made Oreo pie crust and the pre-made whipped cream if you're really trying to save some effort but honestly, you'd be skimping on the flavor.  Homemade is best.

My whole family loved this pie, oh and we all loved it even more the second day.  Do yourself a favor and make it ahead of time so it can refrigerate for about a day.  It's amazing!!  The filling is super creamy and smooth, the whipped cream is light.  Add some mini chocolate chips to the top and you get that little texture every so often.  Just yum!

All you chocolate lovers will appreciate this recipe. Enjoy!

Homemade Chocolate Cream Pie

Pie Crust Recipe from What's Cooking America

Pie Filling Recipe from Cookie Madness

Ingredients

Chocolate Cookie Pie Crust

• 24 chocolate sandwich cookies (Oreo's)
• 1/4 cup butter, melted

Pie Filling

• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 3 1/2 Tbsp cornstarch
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 2 1/2 cups whole milk
• 4 large egg yolks
• 2 Tbsp unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 3/4 tsp chocolate extract (optional)
• 3 oz unsweetened chocolate, chopped
• 1 to 2 cups heavy whipping cream
• 2 to 4 Tbsp confectioners' sugar

Cooking Directions

1. You can also use a regular pie crust that has been pre-baked.
2. To make the chocolate sandwich cookie pie crust, place the cookies in a food processor and pulse until the cookies are finely ground. Drizzle in the melted butter and pulse a couple more times until it all comes together. Press the mixture into a deep dish pie plate and set aside.
3. In a medium saucepan that is on a COLD stove add the sugar, cornstarch and salt.  Whisk together. 
4. Add the milk and egg yolks and whisk together.  Turn the heat on medium. Whisk continually until the mixture has begun to thicken. 
5. Add the butter one piece at a time and whisk until melted before adding the other. 
6. Add the vanilla extract, whisk.
7. Add the chocolate pieces a little at a time, whisking until incorporated before adding more. 
8. Pour the chocolate mixture into the prepared pie shell, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for several hours until cold. 
9. In the bowl of your stand mixer or use a hand held beater with the whisk attachment.  Add the cream and whisk until stiff peaks begin to form. Slowly add the confectioners' sugar and whisk until incorporated. 
10. Spread the whipped cream onto the chocolate cream pie and top with shaved chocolate or mini chocolate chips if desired. 
11. Serve cold and refrigerate leftovers. 

Crusty Rhubarb Pie

The number one reason I liked this recipe was the fact that you don't have to make a pie crust.  Sounds lazy I know, but I just didn't feel like finessing a crust. After I made it, the taste made me want to make it again.  Love it.  Again, this recipe tasted like I had added some strawberries but there were none in there, I promise. Just sweet rhubarb.

Easy to assemble, it was a hit at the cookout I brought them too. Easy to eat because they stay together quite well in this bar form that we made them.  The recipe is usually for a pie but I like the bar idea too. We just used a small rectangular dish instead of a pie plate.

This is another great idea for an outdoor pool party or cookout.  Does great in the heat because there's nothing in it that will melt.  

Crusty Rhubarb Pie

Recipe on Relish.com by Barbara Maggs of Washington

Ingredients

Pastry

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 Tbsp sugar
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 2 Tbsp milk (I used 2%)

Filling

• 6 cups rhubarb, diced
• 2 cups sugar
• 6 Tbsp all-purpose flour
• 1 Tbsp butter, cold and cut into small pieces

Topping

• 1/4 cup butter, cold and cut into small pieces
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour

Cooking Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350º
2. In a medium or large bowl, combine the pastry ingredients and mix until smooth. Press into the bottom and sides of a deep dish pie plate.  A small rectangular or square dish will work also. 
3. Prepare the filling by mixing all the ingredients except the butter.  Pour it into the dish over the bottom crust and then dot with butter pieces. 
4. Mix the topping ingredients together in a small bowl using forks, pastry blender or your hands to break up the butter.  The mixture should resemble wet sand. Sprinkle over the top of the pie. 
5. Bake for 1 hour. 
6. Set aside to cool. 

Old Fashioned Sour Cream Raisin Pie

I can't believe I'm just getting around to making one of my dad's favorite pie's.  I've only made this one other time but it was many years ago. This isn't a pie I remember having very much when I was little.  My dad always tells the story of one of our neighbors who makes the BEST Sour Cream Raisin Pie.  I have no idea if this one would live up to hers, but it was still very good.

The filling is thick and full of flavor.  I chose not to use chopped nuts because my dad never mentioned the one he loved so much having nuts in it, and because I'm not a huge lover of nuts inside of desserts.  This pie reminds me of and old fashioned dessert.  I don't know how to describe it exactly except that it made me feel like I was home, cuddled up next to a fire with my family.

I think my dad would be proud of this recipe, I'll have to make it for him the next time I'm in town and get the comparison.  The spices make this a fall/winter dessert for me.  Maybe that's why it feels old fashioned to me.

Well, whatever the reason I'm so glad I tried this recipe.  This would be great for the holiday table!

Old Fashioned Sour Cream Raisin Pie

Recipe from Taste of Home

Ingredients

• 1 cup raisins
• 2/3 cup granulated sugar
• 3 Tbsp cornstarch
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 1/8 tsp. ground cloves
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 cup (8 ounces) sour cream
• 1/2 cup milk
• 3 egg yolks
• 1/2 cup chopped nuts (optional)
• 1 pie shell, baked

Meringue

• 3 egg whites
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 5 Tbsp granulated sugar

Cooking Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350º
2. In a small saucepan add the raisins and cover with enough water to cover.  Heat to a boil and then remove from the heat and let sit until needed. 
3. Use a large saucepan and add the sugar, cornstarch, salt, cloves and cinnamon. Whisk in the sour cream and the milk until smooth. Stir and cook over medium high heat until thick and smooth.  Reduce heat to low and cook for 2 minutes. 
4. Remove from the heat and stir some of the hot mixture in with the egg yolks to temper them.  Once tempered you can add the yolks into the saucepan with the hot mixture and turn the heat up until the mix is at a gentle boil and stir and cook for 2 minutes. Remove from the heat.
5. Drain the raisins and reserve 1/2 cup of the liquid.  Add the liquid and the raisins into the sour cream mixture and stir until smooth. Pour into the baked pie shell. 
6. For the Meringue. In the bowl of your stand mixer or using a hand mixer and a small bowl, beat the egg whites and the salt using a whisk attachment until it reaches stiff peaks. Add the sugar in 1 Tbsp at a time.  
7. Smooth the meringue over the top of the filling, bringing the meringue over to the edge of the crust. 
8. Bake for 15 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on a wire rack for 1 hour and then refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving. Refrigerate leftovers. 

Apple Pie Bars

Some of you might be inundated right now by pie recipes, I know I am.  My email is full of them!  They all look amazing but they aren't exactly easy to eat especially if you're holding a plate while standing up and trying to balance a drink in one hand.  This scenario makes these apple pie bars the perfect holiday party dessert.

I was a little curious how they might taste, truth be told I didn't even try one until I was AT the party.  Well, they are fantastic.  I'm an apple pie lover but I'm not necessarily a "crust" lover so I didn't know how I would feel about these. The little drizzle over the top puts these bars into the pastry column.  It adds just a little something that makes these irresistible for me.  The filling was perfect for my tastes.  I cut back on the sugar added to the filling and I used a Jonagold apple instead of a Granny Smith so I knew they weren't going to be quite as tart.  The result was amazing.  My husband is a very big believer in apple pie, it's one of his favorites and he loved these (gulp) even MORE than regular apple pie.

I know!!!

I was shocked too.  I guess I'll be adding this recipe to my favorites page. I love it when I find a new family favorite.  Too bad it wasn't for broccoli or something else I wouldn't feel guilty about eating all the time.

Apple Pie Bars

Recipe from Old-Fashioned Holiday Recipes (Favorite Brand Name) Cookbook page 326

Ingredients

Crust

• Milk
• 1 egg yolk (save the egg white)
• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 cup butter, softened

Filling

• 1 cup graham cracker crumbs
• 8 cups *tart cooking apples, peeled, cored, sliced to 1/4-inch thickness.
• 1 cup + 2 Tbsp *granulated sugar, divided
• 2 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon, divided
• 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1 egg white
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon

Drizzle

• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 1 to 2 Tbsp milk
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Cooking Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350º
2. For the crust, use a measuring cup to add enough milk to the egg yolk to equal 2/3 cup. Set aside. 
3. In a large bowl combine the flour and salt.  Cut in the butter using two forks or a pastry cutter. Add the milk/egg yolk mixture and mix with a fork until a dough ball forms. Divide the dough in half and put one half on a well floured surface. Roll the dough out to fit your jelly roll pan (make sure it has at least a 1 inch edge, approximately 15x10x1 in size). Place the dough into the jelly roll pan. 
4. For the filling. Put 1 cup of graham cracker crumbs over the top of the rolled out dough layer.  Sprinkle evenly. 
5. Place apples in an even layer over the top of the graham cracker crumbs. Use 1 cup of sugar, 1 1/2 tsp of ground cinnamon and nutmeg, stir together and sprinkle over the top of the apples. 
6. Roll out the second half of the dough to the same size as the first one, lay on top of the apples. Brush the top of the dough with the egg white that has been whisked until foamy.  Sprinkle the top with 2 Tbsp of sugar and 1 tsp of ground cinnamon. 
7. Bake for 45-60 minutes or until lightly browned. 
8. For the drizzle, stir together the three ingredients until smooth.  Drizzle over the top and then cut into bars. 

*I used Jonagold Apples which aren't super tart, therefore I cut back on the sugar added to the filling and only used about 1/2 cup. 

Key Lime Pie

I realize it's sort of a strange time to be posting key lime pie, I mean unless you live in Florida you're not even very likely to find key limes right?  Well, I didn't have key limes either and yet here I have this delicious pie.  Go to the juice section of your grocery store and look for "Nellie & Joe's Famous Key Lime Juice" and buy one regular fresh lime.  All your problems are now solved.  You're welcome.

As you can see by the picture above, I zested this time and then cut it up and made this nifty decoration on top of the pie.  No sense in wasting a perfectly good lime.

Flavor is an understatement here.  The key lime portion is creamy and smooth with a vivid lime flavor.  It'll make your mouth water, in a good way. The whipped cream is dreamy of course and the graham cracker crust is thick, buttery and delicious.  If you're not a huge graham cracker crust kind of person you can scale this one back a little or just use a store bought crust of your choice.

Freezing it for 20 minutes prior to serving helps to hold it's shape a little better.  I don't think you have to do it but you will have a little more "run" without the freezing step.

Key Lime Pie

Recipe from cook-eat-love

Ingredients

• 3/4 pound graham crackers
• 4 Tbsp sugar
• 2 sticks melted unsalted butter
• 1/4 tsp sea salt
• 4 large egg yolks
• zest of one lime
• 1 can (14 oz) sweetened condensed milk
• 2/3 cup key lime juice
• 1 cup heavy whipping cream, chilled
• 2 Tbsp confectioners' sugar
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 325º
2. Break up the graham crackers and place them into a food processor.  Pulse until they are finely crumbled and there are no large pieces. 
3. Add the sugar and sea salt and then drizzle in the melted butter while pulsing.  Make sure to watch the mixture, once the graham cracker crumbs look like wet sand you can stop adding butter, if there's any left. 
4. Press the mixture into a deep dish pie plate making sure the bottom and edges are as even as possible.
5. Bake for 10 minutes, then let cool on a cooling rack. 
6. While the crust is cooling, use the bowl of your stand mixer to add the egg yolks and lime zest.  Use the whisk attachment and whip the yolks on high speed for  5-6 minutes or until light and fluffy. 
7. Slowly add the can of sweetened condensed milk and mix for another 4-5 minutes until thick. 
8. Lower the speed to low and add the lime juice, mix until blended. 
9. Pour into the cooled pie crust and bake for 15 minutes, or until set. 
10. Let the pie cool and then refrigerate for about 20 minutes. 
11. To make the topping, place the ingredients into the bowl of your stand mixer, using the whisk attachment and whip until stiff peaks form. 
12. Spread over the cooled pie and refrigerate.  Freeze about 20 minutes before you plan to serve it. 

Chocolate Cream Pie

It's a classic, right? How can you go wrong with this pie? The best part is that it's made from scratch and it's not just a box of pudding mix (not that there's anything wrong with that).

This recipe does take a little time for chilling purposes so it's not going to be done in 30 minutes or anything.  But if you plan ahead you'll be glad you took the extra time.  It's so worth it.

The filling is a deep chocolate flavor, smooth and thick.  The whipped cream topping is a perfect compliment.  I added chocolate chips to the top for texture.  In my book, this is one of those comfort foods that just makes you feel happy.  We froze ours and loved how it tasted frozen as well.  The filling never gets super rock hard so it can be eaten frozen if you wish.

Maybe this pie will make it to your holiday table?

Chocolate Cream Pie

Recipe from King Arthur Flour

Ingredients

Filling

• 2 Tbsp unsalted butter
• 1 1/3 cups semi-sweet chocolate (chips or chopped bar)
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2/3 cup granulated sugar
• 3 Tbsp cornstarch
• 2 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 3 large egg yolks
• 1 cup heavy cream, divided
• 2 cups milk
• Pie crust - baked and cooled

Topping

• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1/4 cup sugar
• Chocolate chips/shavings optional

Cooking Directions

1. In a medium bowl, place the chopped chocolate, butter and the vanilla extract. Set aside.
2. In a medium saucepan (not over the heat) whisk the sugar, cornstarch, cocoa and salt.
3. Whisk in 1/4 cup of the heavy cream until smooth, then add the other 1/4 cup of heavy cream. Whisk in the egg yolks.
4. Place the saucepan over medium heat and gradually whisk in the remaining heavy cream and milk.
5. Bring the mixture to a boil and whisk constantly for 1 minute.
6. Remove the pan from the heat and pour over the chocolate mixture that you had set aside. Mix until smooth.
7. Pass the mixture through a mesh sieve to remover any lumps and then put plastic wrap on the surface of the mixture to prevent a skin from forming. Chill thoroughly.
8. Make sure you've baked and cooled the pie crust. 
9. To make the topping: Pour the heavy cream into the bowl of your stand mixer using the whisk attachment and turn on medium high.  Slowly add the sugar and whip it until you can see lines being left in the cream from the whisk. It will look fluffy.  
10. To assemble: Pour the chocolate cream mixture into the baked pie shell and smooth the top.  
11. Pour the whipped cream on top of the chocolate cream mixture and smooth out. 
12. To decorate you can either use a vegetable peeler on a semi-sweet chocolate bar to create a decoration or you can use a zester.  Top with chocolate chips if desired. 
13. Keep refrigerated or frozen. 

Chocolate Chip Pie

A funny thing happened to me while I was making this pie.  My oven stopped working.  Turned out to be a quick fix once my husband got home but unfortunately I couldn't wait that long to bake it. I had to text my neighbor and promise her half this pie if she'd let me bake it in her oven.  I mean, she was going to get half the pie anyway because I can't have all this temptation alone with me in my house.  I just can't be trusted with things like this.  She graciously allowed me to come over and smell her house up with yummy chocolate chip cookie smells.  Wasn't that nice of me? 

I wonder though, if my chocolate chips sunk to the bottom of the pie because it sat on my counter for about 20 minutes while I frantically tried to figure out what was wrong with my oven.  I guess I'll just have to make it again to be sure.  If you're worried about chip sinkage, you can always coat your chocolate chips with a little flour before putting them in the filling.  When I make this again, and I will, I will do that and post some nicer pictures. 

Also, I should note that I used a deep dish pie dish, you know the one I got while I was in Montana.  But this recipe doesn't really need a deep dish pie dish, just a regular one will work just fine. 

Lovely golden brown color on top after 40 minutes.

I let it cool completely before cutting.  I also refrigerated mine even though I'm not really sure you'd have to.  My husband likes his desserts cold, he even puts candy bars in the freezer.

If you're a lover of soft chocolate chip cookies then you'll love this.  I only got two tiny little bites between my husband and my daughter.  The filling stays very soft, much like a cream type pie in some ways. The top has a slight crunch to it and the chocolate chips add the texture.  You can't go wrong with this one.

Chocolate Chip Pie
Recipe from About.com

Ingredients

• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 large eggs, beaten
• 1/2 cup butter, melted
• 1 cup chocolate chips
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 pie crust, unbaked

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350º
2. In a medium sized bowl, combine the sugar and flour. 
3. Add the eggs and melted butter, mix well. 
4. Add the chocolate chips and vanilla and mix well. (try tossing your chips in flour first so they don't sink to the bottom)
5. Pour into a pie plate lined with an unbaked crust.  Bake for 40-45 minutes. 

Apple Crunch Pie and a Pie Plate!

See my Montana purchase?  I usually get jewelry at my favorite gift shop but this time I opted for this pie plate.  Isn't it beautiful? There were several different color combinations to choose from but this one just spoke to me. It's a nice deep dish pie plate, which I didn't have yet.

The gift shop I love is called Montana Gift Cabin and I'm sure they'd love to send you one if you wanted one. I didn't see an actual web page but they do have a Facebook page.

I also found a web page for the artist with more of their products, which I pretty much want one of each of these. Clay in Motion website.

Not only do you get the pie plate, you also get this Apple Crunch Pie recipe imprinted on the back. 

So I made it.

And it's Deeee-licious!

If you're thinking this might be like a usual apple pie, think again.  The apples are cooked down to applesauce consistency, not matter how big you slice the apples. I wasn't sure how I'd like that texture but it really works with the sweet crunch topping.

Since the recipe didn't specify a couple of things (like which type of apple) I just winged it.  But I loved the results!

Apple Crunch Pie

Recipe by Corina Neher

Ingredients

Filling

• 6 cups apples (I used granny smith) sliced and peeled
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 Tbsp flour
• 3 Tbsp water
• 1 Tbsp lemon juice

• 1 homemade or store bought crust

Topping

• 1 cup oatmeal (I used Old Fashioned)
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup flour
• 2 tsp Cinnamon
• 1 tsp ground nutmeg (I used 1/2 tsp)
• 2/3 cup butter, softened

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 375º
2. Place the crust in the pie plate. 
3. In a large microwave safe bowl, mix the apples, sugar, flour, water and lemon juice. Stir until coated. 
4. Microwave for 7 minutes, covered. 
5. Pour the filling into the crust lined pie plate. 
6. In a small bowl combine the oatmeal, sugar, flour, cinnamon, nutmeg and butter.  I used my hands to fully incorporate all of the ingredients together. 
7. Top the filling evenly with the crumb topping and bake for 35-40 minutes. 

Raspberry Pie

It's been raining so much here that I have actual moss growing in my backyard.  The weather has been so strange.  I'm not complaining though because this time last year I was confined to my house because of the soaring temperatures.

Needless to say we haven't done very many fun things.  We can't even get to our neighborhood pool without having to turn around and go home because of a stray thunderstorm.

I was in Wal-Mart the other day and saw school stuff out!  I'm NOT ready for this.  My little one will be in kindergarten and I'm not prepared to start thinking about that yet.

I will bake pie instead.  Makes perfect sense doesn't it?

I made this pie for my neighbor because she said it's her favorite.  Who am I to deny someone their favorite pie? That's why the picture above is not so great.  I apologize.
If you're a raspberry lover you will enjoy this pie immensely. Full of fruit flavor, not overly sweet. Add a scoop of vanilla ice cream or a dollop of whipped cream and you'll be in heaven.

Raspberry Pie

Recipe from AllRecipes

Ingredients

• 1 recipe double pie crust
• 4 cups raspberries
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 1/2 Tbsp quick tapioca
• 1 Tbsp lemon juice
• 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 4 tsp butter
• egg wash or cream

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 425º
2. In a large bowl, combine the raspberries, sugar, tapioca, lemon juice, cinnamon and salt and carefully mix together so you don't crush the berries. 
3. Line a deep dish pie dish with one crust and then fill with the berries. 
4. Dot the top with the butter and then add the top crust. 
5. Make slits in the crust for steam to escape and brush with egg wash or cream. 
6. Bake for 15 minutes and then reduce the heat to 375º for 25 more minutes.  Check the crust as it bakes and if it begins to look like it's getting too dark, cover it with tin foil. 
7. Let cool before serving. 

Shredded Wheat Pie Crust

From my dad's creative kitchen comes a new "healthy" pie crust.  No seriously, it's healthy.  Now what you fill it with might not be but I'm not judging you.

Can I also compliment the beautiful photograph that my sister took?  Seeing that I'm not in Montana to take such a picture, I had help from my sister, nephew and dad. I think that's my nephew's hand in the picture. You're all making me home sick!!!

This particular pie is filled with his Sugarless Sweet Potato Craisin recipe as I previously posted about here.

The shredded wheat adds a nice crunch to the crust and holds together well, great texture and taste.  Everyone who tried this recipe loved it.  Perfect for those people trying to add more fiber into their diet or just try something new.  I think he's really onto something here, great job dad!

Shredded Wheat Pie Crust

Recipe from John Frelich

Ingredients

• 5 shredded wheat biscuits, smashed
• 1/2 cup light margarine
• 2 Tbsp Truvia sweetener

Cooking Directions

1. Smash the shredded wheat very well.
2. Melt the margarine and add to the shredded wheat and Truvia and mix well.
3. Press into a deep dish pie dish.
4. Bake at 350º for about 5 minutes. Watch carefully so it doesn't over brown. 

Guest Post: Sugarless Sweet Potato Craisin Pie

My dad, as you may know, is a awesome cook who loves to experiment and come up with his own recipes from time to time. This is one of his creations.  He's been able to lose 75 pounds by modifying his diet over the last 10 months.  Sweet potatoes as you know, are extremely healthy.  He was living in the South for several years and came to love Sweet Potato Pie, but it's not exactly health food in it's true form.  He was able to come up with this recipe so he could still enjoy the taste of Sweet Potato Pie without all the calories added by using sugar.  He kicked it up again by adding the Craisins. You could top this with some Truvia sweetened homemade whipped cream and never miss any of those extra sugar calories.

He describes the taste to be very much like the original but the added Craisins add depth and texture that he loved.

Sugarless Sweet Potato Craisin Pie

Recipe by John Frelich

Ingredients

• 1 (1 pound) sweet potato
• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1/3 cup Truvia sweetener
• 1/2 cup milk
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 (9 inch) unbaked pie crust
• 1 bag Craisins

Cooking Directions

1. Boil the sweet potatoes in their skin for about 40-50 minutes or until tender.
2. Run under cold water to stop the cooking process and then remove the skins.
3. Smash the potatoes in a bowl and add the butter, mix with a hand mixer or use your stand mixer.
4. Add the Truvia, milk, eggs, Craisins, nutmeg, cinnamon and vanilla and beat on medium speed until smooth.
5. Pour the filling into an unbaked 9" pie shell.
6. Bake at 350º for 55-60 minutes or until a knife inserted in the middle comes out clean. Pie will puff up at first but will sink while cooling.

Sour Cream Blueberry Pie

This is the dessert I made for my husband for Fathers Day.  He liked it. He's a huge blueberry lover so I thought this would be a nice change from the blueberry pie I usually make. I think it was a refreshing change and I'm glad I tried it.  If you're not much of a sour cream fan then don't worry, it's not a overpowering sour cream flavor. The blueberries were definitely the star and the sour cream just added the creaminess.

I recommend refrigerating or even slightly freezing it so it cuts well, otherwise it did sort of spread out a bit.

I hope all you fathers out there had a great day!

Sour Cream Blueberry Pie
Recipe from Cinnamon Freud via Bon Appetite Desserts

Ingredients

• 1 fresh or frozen pie crust
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 2 1/2 Tbsp all-purpose flour
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• 1/2 tsp almond extract
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 2 3/4 cup fresh blueberries

Cooking Directions

1. Partially bake your pie crust for about 6 minutes. 
2. Turn the oven to 400º if it's not already there. 
3. Whisk all of the ingredients (except the blueberries) in a large bowl.
4. Fold in the blueberries.
5. Pour filling into the warm pie crust and bake for about 30-35 minutes.
6. The filling should jiggle slightly in the middle but be set on the sides.
7. Cool to room temperature.

Apple Hand Pies

I'm not sure why apple pie has been on my mind lately.  Well we had some company coming for the NASCAR race this past weekend and I was looking for some all American dessert to serve them.  I initially made an apple pie, it looked beautiful and I was full of hope for it....but sadly it didn't taste very old fashioned.  So out of panic I quickly found a couple of recipes online that I decided to make and I'm very happy with how it turned out.  Not only does it have a old fashioned taste, it is also portable.  It's a win win!

The filling was perfectly simple, apples, cinnamon and sugar that are sautéed in a pan with some butter before being added to a little round of crust and made into these cute little hand pies.

Old Fashioned All-American Apple Pie Filling
Epicurious

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 pounds Granny Smith Apples, peeled, cored and diced
• About 1/2 cup granulated sugar, depends on the sweetness of the apples
• ground cinnamon
• 5 or 6 tsp all-purpose flour
• 1 - 2 Tbsp butter

Cooking Directions

1. In a large frying pan add the butter and let melt over medium heat.
2. Add the diced apples and let cook for about 5 minutes.
3. Add the remaining ingredients and stir until the sauce begins to thicken slightly.
4. Remove from the heat.

Perfect Pie Crust
The Pioneer Woman

• Make the pie crust as instructed above with the link.  Refrigerate so it is very cold. 
• Roll out 1/3 of the dough and cut into round shapes, I used a 3" round cutter. 
• Use about 1 Tbsp filling for the middle. 
• Make some egg wash using 1 egg and 1 Tbsp of water and put some on the lower 1/2 of the round so the edges will seal better. 
• Fold over the other half of the round and crimp the edges with either a fork or your hands. 
• Place on a parchment lined cookie sheet. 
• Bake at 350º for 30 minutes. 

Strawberry-Rhubarb Pie

So, I have this aunt, whom I love a lot, she lives in Montana, she makes awesome food.  She makes this awesome strawberry-rhubarb pie, everyone loves it and everyone wants the recipe.  Everyone including me. So I asked her for it and she said....no!

So I was forced to find another recipe.  This one is pretty darn good and when you're in doubt about a recipe you're planning to make because you know it's going to be compared to another one that is super fantastic then you go with a trusted cook/baker.  In this case I went with Smitten Kitchen because everything I've ever made of hers has been amazing.  This recipe didn't disappoint!  I loved it! It is slightly different from my aunt's but since it doesn't look like I'll be getting that recipe anytime soon I'm quite happy with this one. 

If you've never had rhubarb before it's hard to describe, and you might be better off just trying a piece of strawberry rhubarb pie from your local bakery, it's fairly common.  Rhubarb by definition is a vegetable, however in 1947 it was decided in court to be identified as a fruit (in the U.S.) for the purpose of regulations and duties.  it is most commonly served in pies or jams and has sugar added to cut through it's sharp flavor. 

Cut up the strawberries and rhubarb into bite sized pieces. 

Use a large bowl to mix the ingredients before transferring to a pie plate. 

The butter makes the syrup that is created inside, nice and flavorful.

Doesn't that look beautiful? 

I love the little crunch that a sprinkling of coarse sugar adds.

By letting the pie cool completely you will be able to serve it without it spilling out all over the sides.  It's strawberry season here in the South but if it's not quite yet that time of year where you live you can do this entire recipe with frozen fruit.  At the very least you might have to use frozen rhubarb since sometimes it can be hard to find fresh.

I'm a huge fan of the sweet strawberries and the little tartness from the rhubarb.  This is one of my favorite flavor combinations!

Strawberry-Rhubarb Pie

Recipe from Smitten Kitchen

Ingredients

• 3 1/2 cups rhubarb (1 1/2 pounds) cut into 1/2 inch pieces
• 3 1/2 cups strawberries (1 pound) hulled and sliced
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup light brown sugar
• 1 Tbsp lemon juice
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 cup quick cooking tapioca
• 2 Tbsp unsalted butter, cut into pieces
• 1 large egg yolk with 1 tsp of water added for egg wash
• 1 recipe for double pie crust (or store bought)

Cooking Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. If you're using a fresh pie crust recipe, roll it out on a floured surface and then gently transfer to the deep dish pie plate.
3. In a large bowl add the strawberries, rhubarb, sugars, lemon juice, salt and tapioca. Stir together to combine.
4. Add the fruit mixture to the pie plate in a mound.
5. Dot the fruit with the butter pieces.
6. Top the fruit with the other crust that has been rolled out to form a circle that will overhang by about 1/2 inch.
7. Cut any dough that is longer then 1/2 inch and then tuck the remaining overhang under itself and crimp the edges.
8. Transfer the pie to a baking sheet and then use the egg wash mixture to brush over the top of the crust. Cut some slits for steam to escape. I used a little coarse sugar to sprinkle over the top of the crust as well but that is optional.
9. Bake for 20 minutes and then reduce the temperature to 350 degrees and bake for an additional 25 - 30 minutes until the pie liquid is bubbling and the crust is nicely golden.
10. Remove from the oven and let cool completely on a cooling rack. The liquid inside will be fully gelled when completely cool.