Turtle Pie

Sometimes I get a hankering for pie. Pie is one of those desserts that you don't always have handy and is therefore put on a pedestal as a special treat. It takes a deliberate effort and timeliness in making. It's more casual than cake but more grandiose than cookies. In our book, it meets all of the criteria for a simply decedant dessert: Southern by nature, includes buttery flavors, makes the mouth water at just the idea of it. 

Turtle Pie

crust

1 1/4 cups pecan halves or pieces (6 to 7 ounces), toasted, divided

1 plentiful cup of finely crushed graham cracker crumbs

1/4 cup sugar

6 or 7 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, melted

sauce and filling

3/4 cup (packed) dark brown sugar

3/4 cup heavy whipping cream

3 tablespoons dark corn syrup

3 tablespoons unsalted butter

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 pints (4 cups) premium vanilla ice cream, divided

ganache topping

Almost 3 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped

Almost 3 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped

1/2 cup heavy whipping cream

1 1/2 tablespoons dark corn syrup

3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

Pinch of salt

Directios:

crust

• Preheat oven to 350°F. Using on/off turns, finely chop 1 cup pecans in processor; transfer to medium bowl. Mix in graham cracker crumbs and sugar. Drizzle butter over; blend until evenly moistened. Press mixture firmly over bottom and up sides of 9-inch glass pie dish (not on rim).
  
  
• Bake crust until golden brown, about 12 minutes (if crust puffs, press firmly back into place). Cool crust completely. Wrap in foil and freeze at least 1 hour.

sauce and filling

• Bring first 3 ingredients to boil in heavy medium saucepan over medium heat, whisking until sugar dissolves. Boil caramel 5 minutes, whisking occasionally. Turn off heat; whisk in butter, vanilla, and salt. Cool completely.

• Slightly soften 1 cup vanilla ice cream in microwave on low in 10-second intervals. Spread ice cream evenly in frozen pie crust; spread 1/4 cup caramel over. Freeze pie until ice cream and caramel are firm, about 1 hour. Repeat with remaining vanilla ice cream in three 1-cup portions and caramel in two 1/4-cup portions. Freeze pie overnight. Cover and reserve remaining caramel at room temperature.

ganache topping

• Combine chocolate, cream, and corn syrup in medium metal bowl. Place over saucepan of simmering water and whisk until melted and smooth. Remove from heat. Whisk in vanilla and salt. Cool ganache at room temperature until thick but still pourable, about 30 minutes.
• Pour ganache evenly over frozen pie. Sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup pecans **.
  
  

** I toasted these pecan halves but butter and 
brown sugar on broil for about 2 mins

• Freeze until ganache is firm, at least 45 minutes. Drizzle decoratively with 1/4 cup reserved caramel. DO AHEAD Can be made 2 days ahead. Cover and keep frozen. Cover and chill remaining caramel.

  
  

  

  
  

  

  
  
• Let pie stand 10 minutes at room temperature. Rewarm remaining caramel, stirring over low heat. Cut pie into wedges and serve with caramel.

Chocolate Chunk and Caramel Pecan Pie

You read that title correctly. Pecan pie in February. There is never ever ever a bad time to make a pecan pie. Ever. Never.

One of the best feelings, in my opinion, is curling up with a nice warm piece of pecan pie and a good book on a cold wintry night with a big fire roaring, and although it might not be too cold here in Alabama these days, eating a piece of pecan pie in warm weather is still a good feeling. So let me take this opportunity to share with you not only a pecan pie but a very extra ordinary pecan pie. You thought sugar covered pecans and a nice crispy pie crust was good, well add in some chocolate and caramel and you have something that might will become your new best friend. Be prepared to find yourself spending an inordinate amount of time with this pie.  

My parents went out of town this past weekend and left my brother and I twenty doll hairs to spend on dinner Saturday night. I wanted to make this pie though, you see, but we didn't have any pecans. So I quickly did some numbers in my head. "Okay, six dollars for pecans, and I need some whipping cream as well, which brings me to about eight dollars, then Joe wants Taco Bell...wait how much does a taco cost?... I'll give him six dollars...that should be enough to buy some chili chalupa burrito spicy chicken taco thingy...so that leaves  six dollars for me to get something to eat" Perfect. I can get the pecans. Yessss. 


Toasting the pecans really brought out their flavor and the sugary goodness that usually pulls the pecan pie together was replaced with the caramel sauce.I also made a braided pie crust but you can decorate the edge of the crust anyway you want. You definitely want to make this pie. 


Chocolate Chunk and Caramel Pecan Pie
From:Better Homes and Gardens
Ingredients for Pie Crust:
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 cup shortening
- 1/4 cup butter, cut up, or shortening
- 1/4 - 1/3 cup ice water

Ingredients for Filling:
- 1/2 cup butter
- 3/4 cup light-color corn syrup
- 2/3 cup granulated sugar
- 2/3 cup packed brown sugar
- 2 Tbsp. water
- 1/4 Tsp. salt
- 1 cup whipping cream
- 2 Tsp. vanilla
- 2 1/2 cups pecan halves
- 3 eggs, lightly beaten
- 6 ounces dark, bittersweet, or semisweet chocolate, chopped


Directions for Pie Crust:
1. In a medium bowl stir together flour and salt. 

2. Using a pastry blender or two forks, cut in shortening and butter until pieces are pea-size. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon ice water over part of the flour mixture; toss gently with a fork. 

3. Repeat with additional ice water, 1 tablespoon at a time, until all of the flour mixture is moistened. 

4. Gather mixture into a ball, kneading gently until it holds together. 

5. On a lightly floured surface, slightly flatten dough. Roll dough from center to edge into a 12-inch circle and unroll into a 9-inch pie plate. 

6. To make braided crust, roll out extra pie dough and cut in 1/4 of an inch strips. 

7.Take three strips of dough and connect them one end. 

8. Braid the three strips, cut off un-braided ends and put on the edge of the pie pan. Repeat until the entire pie crust edge is covered with braids. You will probably have to make multiple braids instead of one long braid. 

9. Fold under extra pastry even with edge of plate. Crimp edge as desired.

Directions for Filling:

For caramel sauce:

1. in a medium heavy saucepan, heat butter over low heat until melted, stirring frequently.

2. Stir in corn syrup, granulated sugar, brown sugar, the water, and salt. Bring to boiling over medium heat, stirring constantly; reduce heat. 

3.Boil gently, uncovered, for 10 to 12 minutes or until reduced to 1 3/4 cups, stirring frequently. Remove from heat. Carefully whisk in cream and vanilla. Cool for 30 minutes.

4. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spread pecans in a single layer in a shallow baking pan. 

5. Bake in the preheated oven for 8 to 10 minutes or until lightly browned, stirring once. Remove from oven.

6.For filling, transfer 1-1/4 cups of the caramel sauce to a large bowl.  

 7. Stir in eggs until combined. Stir in pecans and chocolate. Pour filling into pastry shell.

8. Cover edge of pie with foil to prevent over browning. Bake for 25 minutes. Remove foil. Bake about 25 minutes more or until filling sets. Cool on a wire rack.

9.To serve, reheat the remaining caramel sauce over low heat. Spoon warm sauce over pie. If desired, serve with whipped cream. Makes 8 servings.

-Sarah-

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Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie

Walking through the grocery store, I spotted it: Peanut butter filled Oreos. And at that moment, I realized my calling. A peanut butter pie had to be made with a peanut butter Oreo pie crust. Peanut butter is one of life's greatest gifts. Fact. There is really not much to say about this pie except it is delicious and rich. Fact. It is made with cream cheese so it has a little cheesecake taste to it, which I am obsessed with but people like my mom try to avoid because of the calories...like I really care about that. When a dessert has as much flavor as one tiny bite of this pie has, it is worth eating. Peanut butter pie might be one of my favorite pies after tasting this, although I want to try different recipes for this pie until the best one is found. I believe peanut butter pie is one of those staple desserts that the best recipe for it must be sought out. But this pie has a crunchiness that makes my head spin, not to mention the nice crunch that comes from the Oreo crust too. Peanuts and chocolate chips are added to the filling to balance out the sweetness of the pie and cool whip is spread over the top. Pretty much this pie tastes really good.

Ingredients:

For the crust:

- 32 Oreo cookies, finely processed into crumbs, I used peanut butter filled but you can use any kind you want
- 5 1/3 tbsp. unsalted butter, melted and cooled
- Small pinch of salt

For the crunch:
- 1 1/4 cups salted peanuts, finely chopped
- 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips
- 2 tsp. sugar
- 1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
- Dash of ground nutmeg

For the filling:
- Half a container of Cool Whip
- 1 cup confectioners’ sugar, sifted
- 12 oz. cream cheese, at room temperature
- 1 1/2 cups creamy peanut butter
- 2 tbsp. milk

For the Topping:

- Other half of Cool Whip

- Mini Reese's cups

Directions:

1. To make crust, preheat oven to 350. Butter a 9-inch spring form pan and place on a baking sheet. Mix oreo crumbs,  melted butter, and salt in a bowl. Make sure all crumbs are moistened. Press the oreo mixture onto the sides and bottom of prepared pan. Put in freezer for 10 minutes and the bake in preheated oven for 10 minutes. Let cool completely. 

 

2. To make the crunch, in another bowl combine 1 cup of the chopped peanuts, mini chocolate chips, sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg.  Toss with a fork to mix and set aside. (Resist snacking on this as it is addictive.)

3. To make filling, use the mixer with the paddle attachment and beat the cream cheese with  confectioners’ sugar on medium speed until the cream cheese is satiny smooth.  Beat in the peanut butter, milk, and 1/4 cup of the chopped peanuts until well combined.

4. Using a spatula, fold in the cool whip and peanut mixture. Once all ingredients are incorporated, scrape into cooled pie crust.  

5.  Refrigerate for about four hours or until the filling firms. Top the filling with cool whip and Reese's cups.

It got messy. 

-Sarah-

Adapted from: Annieseats