Category Archives: Desserts

Crack Pie

Posted on by

2

Crack Pie

Back in September, Bon Appetit published a recipe from Momofuku Milk Bar (which is on my list of must-try restaurants next time I’m in NYC). This pie is named for its addicting quality. And believe me, it lives up to its name. I’ve adapted it just a little bit here.

It has an oatmeal cookie-like crust. The filling is basically brown sugar and butter. Plus, it has a little bit of that salty-sweet combination that is just so great.

I used steel-cut oats instead of the old-fashioned kind. It makes things more crunchy than chewy, which I prefer. In addition, steel-cut oats are a tad bit better for you (like you care if you’re going to go ahead and make this).

I took this pie to a little picnic outing on one of DC’s last warm days. There were six of us and I didn’t take a single bit home. Not one little crumb.

The cookie crust dough will be thick and tough to spread.

Put a little muscle into it and things will be just fine.

Once the dough is baked and cooled, crumble it up, add some butter and brown sugar for your crust.

Here’s where life gets really good…the filling.

Bake it, cool it, chill it, powder it, and enjoy.

 

You’ll Need::

  • parchment paper

Ingredients::

Crust

  • Nonstick spray
  • 9 tablespoons (1 stick plus 1 tablespoon) unsalted butter, room temperature, divided
  • 5 1/2 tablespoons (packed) golden brown sugar, divided
  • 2 tablespoons sugar
  • 1 large egg
  • 3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons steel-cut oats
  • 1/2 cup all purpose unbleached flour
  • 1/8 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/8 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/4 teaspoon (generous) salt

Filling

  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 1/2 cup (packed) golden brown sugar
  • 1 tablespoon milk
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted, cooled slightly
  • 6 1/2 tablespoons heavy whipping cream
  • 4 large egg yolks
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • Powdered sugar (for dusting)

Directions::

Crust

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Line 13x9x2-inch metal baking pan with parchment paper; coat with nonstick spray. Combine 6 tablespoons butter, 4 tablespoons brown sugar, and 2 tablespoons sugar in medium bowl. Using electric mixer, beat mixture until light and fluffy, occasionally scraping down sides of bowl, about 2 minutes.
  2. Add egg; beat until pale and fluffy. Add oats, flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt and beat until well blended, about 1 minute. Turn oat mixture out onto prepared baking pan; press out evenly to edges of pan. Bake until light golden on top, 17 to 18 minutes. Transfer baking pan to rack and cool cookie completely.
  3. Using hands, crumble oat cookie into large bowl; add 3 tablespoons butter and 1 1/2 tablespoons brown sugar. Rub in with fingertips until mixture is moist enough to stick together. Transfer cookie crust mixture to 9-inch-diameter glass pie dish. Using fingers, press mixture evenly onto bottom and up sides of pie dish. Place pie dish with crust on rimmed baking sheet.

Filling

  1. Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 350°F. Whisk both sugars and salt in medium bowl to blend. Add melted butter and milk and whisk until blended. Add cream, then egg yolks and vanilla and whisk until well blended.
  2. Pour filling into crust. Bake pie 30 minutes (filling may begin to bubble). Reduce oven temperature to 325°F. Continue to bake pie until filling is brown in spots and set around edges but center still moves slightly when pie dish is gently shaken, about 20 minutes longer.
  3. Cool pie 2 hours in pie dish on rack. Chill uncovered overnight.
  4. Sift powdered sugar lightly over top of pie. Cut pie into wedges and serve cold.


Apple Crumb Pie

Posted on by

0

Photo: Nicholas Donner

Labor Day is upon us. For anyone outside of Florida, it means the last days of summer are almost here.

What better way to celebrate than with some good old fashioned apple pie?

As much as I wish I was talented like my grandmother, I haven’t mastered the lattice crust yet. Instead, I went the crumb topping route. It tastes like almonds and butter mostly, but when it mixes with the apples and cinnamon underneath…so much goodness! This apple crumb pie is adapted from Martha Stewart’s Baking Handbook.

I strongly recommend buying an apple corer/peeler/slicer for this, if you don't already have one.

The makings of a crumb crust...

Pile the apples nice and high in the middle so your pie achieves that "domed" look.

Let this pie cool completely before digging in. It needs time to set up before being served so it all sticks together.


Ingredients:

  • Almond Crumb Crust (recipe follows)
  • 3 1/2 lbs assorted apples (I used Granny Smith and Fuji), cored, peeled, and sliced into half-moon pieces
  • 2 TBS lemon juice
  • 1/3 c sugar
  • 3/4 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/4 tsp nutmeg
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 2 TBS unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Press 2/3 of crumbs into bottom, up sides, and onto rim of a 9-inch glass pie plate. Freeze pie shell for about 15 minutes.
  2. In large bowl, stir together apples, lemon juice, cinnamon, nutmeg, sugar, and salt. Pour mixture into chilled pie shell, mounding apples in center. Dot with butter. Sprinkle remaining crumbs in clumps over apples to cover completely.
  3. Bake, rotating halfway through, until crust turns golden and juices begin to bubble, 45 min – 1 hour. Cool on rack, completely.

Almond Crumb Crust:

In large bowl, stir together, 1 1/2 c all-purpose flour, 1 c + 2 TBS almond meal, 1/2 c +2 TBS sugar, and 1/4 tsp salt. Using a pastry blender, cut in 1 1/2 sticks (3/4 c) unsalted butter, room temperature, until the mixture looks like coarse crumbs with a few larger clumps remaining. Using your fingers, squeeze the mixture together to create pea-size pieces.

Four Way Brownies

Posted on by

1

Time is a hot commodity for many of us. Ok, all of us. Staying creative while using convenience foods is difficult!

Problem solved: Four Way Brownies.

The beauty of these is that there are no rules and the different flavors will please everyone in your crowd. Just open up your cabinets and pull out what you see. Does it go well with chocolate? If yes, bring it out.


This is my spread. I had a box of brownie mix and my other random ingredients.


Pretzels.


Dark chocolate.


Walnuts.


Candied ginger.

  • Follow directions on brownie package. Pour the mix into baking pan. I used a 9×13 pan for mine, because it gives more room for different ingredients.
  • Chop brownie mix-ins and sprinkle them into each quadrant of brownie batter.
  • Using a wooden spoon, carefully stir mix-ins into each quadrant. Use a motion similar to smoothing out cake batter. Like this:: ~~~~
  • Bake brownies according to directions on box.


In order from top to bottom:

  1. Pretzel Brownies
  2. Ginger Brownies
  3. Walnut Brownies
  4. Dark Chocolate Chunk Brownies

Mint Oreo Pie

Posted on by

2

I think I might be aching for summer. My dessert choices lately have all reflected warmer days and cool treats. Remember the strawberry tart last week? And coming up, we’ll have key lime cookies.

Yet another case in point: Mint Oreo Pie.

This isn’t your normal, run-of-the-mill oreo pie. This is dense, creamy, minty oreo pie. The kind you can’t get enough of.

It was 46 degrees when I left to walk to the Metro this morning. Until it gets be 80, I’ll be eating this and dreaming of Florida.

First, you want to get all your ingredients together. Pretty simple: sugar, whipped cream, cream cheese, mint oreos, and a ready-made pie chocolate pie crust (not pictured).

Crush up the oreos in a food processor. Alternatively, you can release all your life frustrations by placing the cookies in a heavy-duty freezer bag and crushing them up with a rolling pin, meat tenderizer, or other heavy object of choice. I like to leave mine a bit chunky. This way, as you eat the pie, you’ll find heavenly surprises of cookie chunks.

Next, use a stand mixer or hand mixer to blend the whipped cream, cream cheese, and sugar together. This will look like glue. Seriously. Gently mix in your crushed oreos.

Pour the pie filling into the pie crust and smooth it out. Put the pie in the freezer for at least a couple hours. I left mine in overnight.

Let it thaw for about 20 minutes before serving. When you’re ready to showcase your amazingness, top the pie with oreos in whatever fashion you want.

Make your friends very happy.

Ingredients::

  • 1 ready-made chocolate pie crust
  • 16 mint oreo-type cookies
  • 8 oz. 1/3 less fat cream cheese
  • 1 tub lite cool whip
  • 1/4 c. sugar

Instructions::

  1. Pulse oreos in food processor until roughly chopped.
  2. Using a hand mixer or stand mixer, blend cream cheese, sugar, and cool whip on medium-low until well mixed and smooth.
  3. Gently fold in crushed cookies. Pour cream mixture into pie crust, spreading evenly over crust.
  4. Freeze for at least 2 hours or until chilled through and frozen. Thaw for about 20 minutes before serving.

Strawberry-Almond Cream Tart

Posted on by

3

Today’s recipe is courtesy of Cooking Light, with a few small changes.

As strawberries come back into season, this recipe will get better as you make it later in the spring and summer. Mostly though, I loved how thin the layer of cream was on the tart shell, not too overpowering yet still rich enough to make it seem like you were eating more.

Be careful with the glaze and measure out your cornstarch very carefully. Cornstarch is way more powerful than flour as a thickening agent. My “glaze” was more like jam!

As far as how good it tastes, let’s just say this: I let Ryan take the leftovers to small group and he came back with a very empty tart pan. Try it out!

Ingredients:

Crust:

  • 36  honey graham crackers (about 9 sheets)
  • 2  tablespoons  sugar
  • 2  tablespoons  butter, melted
  • 4  teaspoons  water
  • Cooking spray

Filling:

  • 2/3  cup  neufchatel cheese (1/3 less fat cream cheese), room temp
  • 1/4  cup  sugar
  • 1/2  teaspoon  vanilla extract
  • 1/4  teaspoon  almond extract

Topping:

  • 6  cups  small fresh strawberries, divided
  • 2/3  cup  sugar
  • 1  tablespoon  cornstarch
  • 1  tablespoon  fresh lemon juice
  • 2  tablespoons  slivered almonds, toasted (optional)

Instructions:

  1. Preheat oven to 350°.
  2. To prepare crust, place crackers in a food processor; process until crumbly. Add 2 tablespoons sugar, butter, and water; pulse just until moist. Place mixture in a 9-inch round removable-bottom tart pan coated with cooking spray, pressing into bottom and up sides of pan to 3/4 inch. Bake at 350° for 10 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool completely on a wire rack.
  3. To prepare filling, combine cream cheese, 1/4 cup sugar, and extracts in a medium bowl; stir until smooth. Spread mixture evenly over bottom of tart shell.
  4. To prepare topping, place 2 cups strawberries in food processor; process until pureed. Combine strawberry puree, 2/3 cup sugar, and cornstarch in a small saucepan over medium heat, stirring with a whisk. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Reduce heat to low; cook 1 minute. Remove glaze from heat, and cool to room temperature, stirring occasionally.
  5. Combine 4 cups strawberries and juice; toss to coat. Arrange berries, bottoms up, in a circular pattern over filling. Spoon half of glaze evenly over berries (reserve remaining glaze for another use). Sprinkle nuts around edge. Cover and chill 3 hours.










What NOT to do this Thanksgiving

Posted on by

3

Of all the things I have ever told you, taught you, or asked of you, this is the most important thing.

Ever.

Last time, for the pumpkin pie, I told you, “Line shell with parchment paper, leaving a 1-inch overhang. Fill shell with pie weights or dried beans.”

And I meant it, people. Please (please!) do not forget to place the parchment paper over the crust before you add the beans.

Case in point::


That’s right, go ahead and laugh. But I’m pointing the finger at Ryan on this one. He came over while I was baking and we were talking, and I just didn’t pay attention. I actually put the crust in the oven to bake before I realized what I had done. It’s like I’ve always said, behind every major cooking mistake there’s a good-looking man responsible for things. Sort of.

After I pulled it out, I thought maybe I could salvage things. No, no. There were beans definitely baked into the crust. Forever.

Thankfully, I had an extra crust in the freezer. Thirty minutes later, we were back in business. However, this little situation was a solid reminder to triple-check the directions and send your boyfriend out for a round of golf while baking.

Please make an example out of me. And in the spirit of Thanksgiving, I’m thankful for all of my readers – the ones who continue to like my recipes, ask questions, and forgive me when I make ridiculous mistakes.

Now stop laughing and start baking.

Pumpkin Pie

Posted on by

1

100_2205

I’ve recently discovered something.

I am terrible at making pumpkin desserts. I don’t know what it is, but I must have some deep-seated subconscious issue with pumpkins that makes me sabotage my desserts every time.

For example, last week I went to make pumpkin mousse at my friend Suzzette’s house. I botched the recipe so bad, we had to use an ice cream maker to save things (Thanks Suzz. You’re the best!). Remember. When all else fails, try freezing it.

Ok, not really. But thankfully, because the mousse was cream based, we could make pumpkin ice cream out of it. Believe it or not, it’s not so bad.

This week, to continue with the holiday baking posts, I thought pumpkin pie would be a great choice. And it definitely was. I almost redeemed myself from last week’s mousse debacle. Except…the middle wasn’t quite cooked all the way. That can easily be remedied in your own kitchen by leaving it in 5 minutes longer than I did (in other words, follow the recipe). All-in-all, this pie was pretty good. Top it off with some homemade whipped cream (1 c heavy cream, 1 tsp vanilla extract, and 1 TBS sugar, beat on high til thickened and forming stiff peaks) and you’ve got yourself a holiday winner.

Clearly I won’t be bringing pumpkin based desserts to any parties anytime soon. I think I’ll stick to chocolate.

Makes 1 9-inch pie

Ingredients::

  • 1 basic pie crust
  • 1 can (15 oz) pure pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie mix)
  • 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
  • 3 whole eggs, plus 1 egg yolk for pie crust
  • 3/4 cup brown sugar
  • 1 1/2 cups (12 oz) evaporated milk
  • 1/2 tsp salt

Directions::

  1. On lightly floured surface, roll out pie dough into a 10-inch round. Fit dough into 9-inch pie plate, trim edges so there is almost no dough overlapping the edge of the plate. Chill pie shell for about 30 minutes until firm. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
  2. In a small bowl, whisk egg yolk and 1 TBS water. Brush chilled pie shell with egg wash. Line shell with parchment paper, leaving a 1-inch overhang. Fill shell with pie weights or dried beans. Bake until edges just start to turn golden, about 15 minutes. Remove parchment paper and weights. Return crust to oven, baking for 15 minutes more or until golden all over. Cool completely on wire rack.
  3. Turn oven down to 350 degrees F. In a large bowl, whisk (or mix on low) together pumpkin, brown sugar, cinnamon, ginger, salt, nutmeg, eggs, and evaporated milk until combined. Pour mixture into crust, and bake until filling is set around the edges but is still soft in the center, 40-45 minutes. If crust gets too dark, cover with foil or crust covers. Transfer pie to cooling rack to cool completely.

"pie weights"
100_2176
100_2177
100_2178
100_2183
100_2188
100_2189
100_2195
100_2196
100_2197
100_2201