Hey hey, everyone!  Or should I say Ho Ho Ho?  It is getting to be that time of year.  But first we must get through Thanksgiving.  I love Thanksgiving, although not as much as Christmas, because of the food, of course.  Not just the eating of the food but the cooking and baking as well.

We normally host the Thanksgiving feast for my family and will be doing so again this year.  I am not gonna tell a big whopping fib (Santa is watching you know) and say that I really enjoy hosting the big family meal.  I enjoy it once the food is all prepared and everyone is there having a good time.  But, the weeks leading up to the event are a royal pain in the butt.  I always over-prepare.  I stress about how clean the house is and worry too much about the tiniest details that no one notices anyway but that is how I roll.  I should be home right now doing some of that cobweb busting and carpet cleaning.  However, I am writing this while sitting in Union Station in Chicago waiting for our train to take us back home.  My husband had a school board conference in Chicago and asked me to come along.  I shouldn’t have because of all the work waiting for me at home but I decided to live a little.  So, I have been shopping and eating and walking my way up and down Michigan Avenue for 3 ½ days.  Oh my gosh, the walking. I kind of wish that I had a Fitbit so I could see how many millions of steps I have made this weekend.  I doubt that I lost any pounds because we have not dieted by any means but I probably came out about even.  I know that I burned some serious calories but I also indulged in some pretty good food.  Right now, I have a bag of “Nuts on Clark” caramel corn/popcorn mix and some fantastic Red Velvet Cherries to munch on while we wait.  Sooooo good.  I wasn’t going to buy anything to eat here at the station even though we are going to be here for about 3 hours waiting for our train but, dang, that popcorn place smelled too good to pass up.  And speaking of too good to pass up, I have a doozy of a dessert recipe to share with you today.  I am hoping to get this posted by Thanksgiving but no promises.

I want to share a recipe for Creme Brulee Caramel Pie.  My niece, Amber, has a serious addiction to Creme Brulee apparently.  She asked me last summer to bring Creme Brulee to some family gathering.  Well now, I have a large family and had to figure out a way to make a large batch rather than mess around with those little ramekins for everyone but I accomplished it.  My sons also love Creme Brulee but I don’t make it often, although I should.  They also love caramel pie.  So, when I saw a recipe for this pie, I had to try it. I tweaked the recipe a bit to suit my family’s tastes and this is the result.

This pie has a simple graham cracker crust.  Then comes a luscious layer of Dulce de Leche topped with a homemade cooked vanilla custard.  Add a bit of sugar to the top and burn it to a nice crispy and golden glorious finish.  Wow!  The velvety smooth texture between layers of buttery crunch and sugary crunch is unbelievable.  You are sure to impress with this pie and it is so very simple to make.

Hey Everyone!  Well, here I am again, apologizing for being away and neglecting my kitchen visitors.  I do have a pretty good excuse, though. Well, it is an okay excuse. You see, I have not had the time to devote to writing posts because I have started a new job.  Yep! I finally made the extremely frightening leap to search for, apply, interview and accept a new position. All of those things happened within the last 3 months.  Let me tell you, I have been all sorts of messed up. I knew that I needed more income, so I started looking around and applied for a few positions. But I think that in the back of my mind I did not expect to get anywhere.  I have applied for positions kind of randomly before but did not even get an interview. So, when I was offered the position, I was caught off guard. It is an amazing opportunity and I was, of course, thrilled to get the offer but I was/am terrified to make such drastic changes.  I was/am also devastated to leave my old position. I had been at Illinois College for nearly 13 years. That school is my alma mater and I watched my sons graduate from there. I literally cried at my desk at IC for days while performing my duties. But I pulled on my big girl panties (figuratively) and I started at my new position right after New Year’s.  It has been good so far! It is a very different atmosphere and my duties are centered around budgets rather than the wide variety of tasks that I had at IC. I am learning and adjusting. One of the biggest adjustments is the travel time. I was already driving about 50 minutes each way to work and now I have added another 30 or so to that. Yeah, that’s right.  I am on the road for about 3 hours a day. Ugh. And, I am one of those irritating people who has trouble sitting still. Talk about misery. So, the point to this story is to explain that my time has been monopolized lately with preparing to leave my old job, preparing to start a new job, learning a new job, adjusting my morning and evening routines, and trying to fit in a daily workout somewhere.  I just have not taken the time to write up any recipes for you all. I am about to remedy that situation.

So, with all of this upheaval, I have been in serious need of comfort and stability and normalcy.  What I really needed was my mom but since she can’t be here with me, I turned to my big sisters and food of course. During the holidays we made all of the great old family recipes and traditional cookies and candies.  That helped immensely. Because it was something that had not changed – and hopefully never will. I needed that. When I started thinking of my next recipe to share with all of you my mind immediately went to the dishes that reminded me of a happy time in the past.  This is one of those recipes for sure.

Now, you all know how I love my chocolate.   It is my very favorite flavor of anything. But, especially pie.  I am not a fruit pie lover. I like it but I don’t love it. I do love any kind of chocolate pie.  My very favorite is just a nice plain old chocolate cream pie. Nothing fancy but very rich and creamy and dark and delicious.  My mom would occasionally make chocolate pies and her pies were good. I like mine to be a little darker chocolate than she made. She loved dark chocolate too, but my dad does not, so she made the lighter version.  This recipe is quite simple. I used a pre-made refrigerated pie crust this time, but you could totally use a frozen shell or a homemade. I want to try to make a pie crust with lard. I received a cookbook for Christmas that has a lard-based recipe and it intrigues me.  I know some of you are thinking “eeeewww” but let’s not judge it too hastily. Afterall, it is what my grandmothers used. I admit that there is something very unappetizing about the name…. lard. Yeah, not an appealing word. But I plan on giving it a whirl and I will let you know how it turns out.  So, enough about the crust. That is not the best thing about this pie. The best thing is the creamy, dreamy splendiferous filling. It is to die for…trust me. I made this pie this time for a family dinner. So, I am ashamed to admit, I do not have pictures of the pie after it was cut. It was a thing of beauty though.  I served it with some whipped topping and no other adornment. Mmmmmm.

For this glorious pie you will need a pie crust which can be refrigerated or frozen or homemade.  Whatever the type, it will need to be baked according to the directions and cooled completely.  You will also need 3 cups of whole milk, 4 large eggs (yolks only), 6 ½ ounces chopped bittersweet chocolate, 2 teaspoons vanilla extract, 2 tablespoons butter, 1 ½ cups sugar, ¼ cup cornstarch and ¼ teaspoon salt.

My recipe says to go by weight for the chocolate.  The bars that I used were measured in weight so I just estimated how much I would need.  I used 1 ½ bars and then ½ of another section of the remaining bar. Does that make sense?  Anyway, it won’t matter that much if you are over or under a little bit. Don’t bother with getting the kitchen scale or anything. And, you can use semi-sweet or milk chocolate if you would prefer. You do you.

You don’t need to bake this pie once it is filled so no need to preheat the oven after you have your crust ready.

In a medium saucepan whisk together the sugar, salt and cornstarch.  Pour in the egg yolks and milk and whisk again. Place this on medium heat and stir constantly until the mixture comes to a boil.  Keep stirring and watch it closely. You want for the mixture to become thick like a custard or pudding. In this picture you can see how it coats the spoon well.  This will happen all of the sudden so don’t walk away. It seems like it will never thicken and then, WHAMO, there it is.

As soon as it reaches that point and starts to boil remove it from the heat.  Add in the chopped chocolate, butter and vanilla. Stir until the chocolate and butter are melted completely.  This is a crappy picture, I know, but you get the idea.

Pour the pudding mixture into the pie crust.  My crust held all of the pudding but if your does not then just fill to the top and save the rest to eat plain.  Or, eat it all out the pan while still warm while no one is watching. I’m not saying that I have ever done that and there is no evidence otherwise.  Just saying… Chill for at least 4 hours or until it is set up. Don’t rush it. You want for you slices to stay intact. But, if they don’t so what. It will still be delicious. 

Serve slices of this magnificent, dreamy, smooth dark chocolate cream pie with whipped cream or maybe some caramel or butterscotch ice cream topping.  Raspberries or strawberries in a syrupy sauce would be great too. The possibilities are endless, and your loved ones will adore you. Enjoy!

Print Recipe

Perfect Chocolate Pie

Serve slices of this magnificent, dreamy, smooth dark chocolate cream pie with whipped cream or maybe some caramel or butterscotch ice cream topping.  Raspberries or strawberries in a syrupy sauce would be great too. The possibilities are endless, and your loved ones will adore you. Enjoy!

Prep Time15 mins

Chilling Time4 hrs

Author: Wench Sherry

Ingredients

• 1 regular or deep dish pie crust baked and cooled completely
• 1/4 cup cornstarch
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 4 egg yolks
• 3 cups whole milk
• 6 1/2 ounces bittersweet chocolate chopped
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 Tablespoons butter

Instructions

• In a medium saucepan whisk together the sugar, salt and cornstarch.
• Pour in the egg yolks and milk and whisk again.
• Place this on medium heat and stir constantly until the mixture come to a boil.  Keep stirring and watch it closely. You want for the mixture to become thick like a custard or pudding.
• As soon as it thickens and starts to boil remove it from the heat.  Add in the chopped chocolate, butter and vanilla. Stir until the chocolate and butter are melted completely.
• Pour the pudding mixture into the pie crust.
• Chill for at least 4 hours or until it is set up.

Hey Everyone!  Long time, no see!  I am back at it! Sharing recipes old and new!  Today we have a new one! It is actually new because I made it up…sort of.  I created a recipe that is very similar to one that I found online a while back.  It was really really good but, for whatever reason, I didn’t make it again. Then, recently, I was trying out another new recipe that was in the same genre and was reminded of it.  I decided to give it another try with some tweaks of my own. And so, I came up with Sherry’s Cinnamon Donut Pie. Yep, you read that right! Cinnamon. Donut. Pie. A pie made from donuts.  I know, insane. Insanely delicious that is.

I gotta admit that I am not a huge cake donut fan.  I mean, I like them and all, but I don’t crave them and can even pass them up pretty easily  However when I put those same donuts, or in this case, donut holes in a pie shell and add a delicious gooey vanilla filling, I can’t resist.  

The original recipe came from The Domestic Rebel.  I am a big fan of her website and her recipes. Her original pie called for plain donut holes.  I decided that I wanted to have some cinnamon flavor and would use cinnamon sugar donut holes. But, when I went to the store to purchase said holes, I discovered a package that had three flavors, plain and cinnamon and powdered sugar.  Jackpot! This combination is heavenly. You can use any flavor that you like. I would say the chocolate-glazed kind would probably not work well. That waxy glaze would not allow the filling to soak in and create a beautiful moist cakey consistency.  I believe that you could also use mini donuts just as easily if you can’t find the holes or the flavor you want. Oh hey, that just gave me a thought. One of the brands of mini donuts in my local stores has a multitude of flavors like red velvet and carrot cake.  That would be an interesting experiment. I guess I will be adding those to my shopping list this week.

I also tweaked the filling and I added more so that most of the holes were covered in the shell.  I like the look of the bumps of donut arranged in the shell like some delicious lumpy cloud, however, I also like to have filling in every bite.

This pie is super easy and would be a great dessert for those times when you are having company but don’t have a lot of time to invest.  It can be made ahead and served at room temperature or warmed briefly in the microwave. Sherry’s Cinnamon Donut Pie is part pie and part coffee cake.  It has a wonderful moist center with a delicious vanilla and cinnamon flavor. The addition of glaze to the top of the pie adds a touch of elegance and another level of yum.

Don’t you just love recipes that are super easy but always have that “wow factor”?  I do. I really, really do. Whenever someone takes a bite of something that I have made and then show some immediate sign of appreciation it really strokes my cooking ego.  I don’t mean that they have to totally swoon. A smile or a simple, “mmmmmmm”, will do. I admit that I am all about making people happy with my cooking and I love the attention.  Does that make me needy and weird? Probably, but who cares.

The recipe that I want to share today is one of those easy recipes that never fails to get a smile.  It is no secret that I have an absolute love for chocolate chip cookies and this recipe takes those flavors to a more adult and dressed-up level.  You probably already have the ingredients to make Toll House Pie in your kitchen. The only exception might be the pre-made pie crust, but you can certainly make a regular pie crust yourself.  This pie has all the wonderful iconic flavor of a chocolate chip cookie but in pie form. It is a buttery crust filled with a moist and soft cookie that is crammed with chocolate chips. I always use semi-sweet chips, but you can use your favorite or a mixture of chips.  This recipe can be easily personalized with different flavors of chips and can be decorated with a little bit of buttercream frosting piped on top. I have used this pie as a substitute for birthday cake many times. It is one of Cody’s favorites, so I like to make it for his birthday.  It is a wonderful addition to a potluck table because it travels like a champ. There is no refrigeration required and the pie works well at room temperature. Warming your slice and adding whipped cream or ice cream takes it to the next level of delicious.

Now, I freely admit that I am no pie making expert.  In my house, the husband makes the fruit pies and does an outstanding job.  Fruit pies are not my favorite, although, soon I will be sharing a recipe with you for individual fruit pies that I do really like.  I am more of a cream pie, custard pie, pecan pie, chess pie, type of person. Someday soon I hope to conquer meringue and old-fashioned butterscotch pie.  I do have a very good crust recipe that I pull out occasionally but for this recipe, the store-bought version works very well. I always use the Pillsbury kind that comes in the little roll.  They are nice and buttery which works wonderfully with this rich filling. I crimp mine around the edge of the pie plate so that I can feel like I can take some credit for the crust anyhow. If you feel that you just have to have a homemade crust, I say, go for it.