Peanut Butter Pie Throwback Thursday

This is my all time favorite pie. Why you ask? Lets start off with the vanilla wafer crust. This is slightly different from your traditional graham cracker crust and totally delicious with the peanut butter chocolate combo. Next we have the layer of chocolate ganache. Need I say more? HEAVEN! Finally, the "meat" of the pie or the creamy peanut butter filling. I really think that this filling would be fantastic for so many reasons: this pie filling, dip for apples (or any other fruit really), smeared on a graham cracker, eaten with a spoon... You get the idea.

Anyways, I have made this on numerous occasions and taken it to quite a few events. This pie disappears just about as fast as you can put it on the dessert table. Basically, it comes down to this. If you are looking for a never fail recipe that everyone will love no matter what time of year it is, this is the recipe for you. Everyone is always asking me for this recipe and I have yet to see someone not go back for seconds.

Note: I usually make mine in a spring form pan rather than a pie pan. It ensures every piece that you cut will be perfect and the crust will remain intact.

Adapted from one of my FAVORITE recipe magazines: Paula Deen's Best Desserts.

Ingredients
2 cups vanilla wafer crumbs
1/2 cup butter, melted
1/4 cup firmly backed brown sugar
1 cup semisweet chocolate morsels
3/4 cup heavy whipping cream, divided
2 tablespoons confectioners' sugar
1 - 8 ounce package cream cheese, softened
3/4 cup creamy peanut butter
1 14 ounce can sweetened condensed milk
Extra sugar and heavy whipping cream (whipped together until stiff peaks form) and chocolate shavings for garnish

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a medium bowl, combine vanilla wafer crumbs, butter, and brown sugar. Press evenly into bottom and up sides of a 9-inch deep-dish pie plate. Bake for 8 minutes.
3. IN a microwave-safe bowl, combine chocolate morsels and 1/4 cup cream. Microwave on high, in 30-second intervals, stirring between each, until chocolate is melted and smooth. Spread chocolate mixture evenly over crust; set aside.
4. In a small bowl, beat remaining 1/2 cup cream at high speed with an electric mixer until thickened. Gradually add confectioners' sugar, beating until stiff peaks form; set aside (I added more sugar to sweeten it up a bit, but that is up to you).
5. In a medium bowl, beat cream cheese and peanut butter at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy. Beat in condensed milk. Gently fold in whipped cream.
6. Spoon peanut butter mixture into prepared pie shell. Cover, and refrigerated overnight (or at least for a couple of hours because waiting a whole night for this delicious pie probably wont happen). Garnish with whipped cream (I usually coat the pie completely with the extra whipped cream as if it was supposed to be another layer in itself).

Real Taco Pie

Do you have leftover potatoes and no taco shells or tortillas? Then this is your recipe! I always have leftover mashed potatoes and now I know a way to use them! I love this because it is so simple, different, but tastes absolutely delicious!

Ingredients
1/4 cup butter
2/3 cup milk
1 package taco seasoning mix
2 1/2 cups mashed potato flakes (you could also use left over mashed potatoes and omit the butter and milk)
1 pound ground beef
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup salsa
1 cup shredded lettuce
1 medium tomato, chopped
1 cup sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
Sour cream, optional

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium sauce pan, melt butter. Add milk and 2 tablespoon taco seasoning. Remove from heat and add potato flakes until incorporated. Press mixture into the bottom of a 10-inch pan.
2. Bake for 7-10 minutes until it just BARELY turns golden brown.
3. In a medium skillet, cook beef and onions until beef is browned and cooked through. Drain. Add Salsa and remaining taco seasoning. Cook until bubbly.
4. Pour into crust. Bake for 15 minutes, or until crust is golden brown.
5. Let cool for 5 minutes. Top with cheese, lettuce, and tomatoes. Cut and serve with sour cream.

Pecan Pie Pockets

Another fantastic recipe from my Paula Deen Best Desserts magazine. Her magazines are so great; fattening but great! And if you can imagine, pictures for EVERY recipe. Desserts, pictures, and delicious ... my kind of cookbook.

Last year, when one of my best friend's families was in town and we decided to give these a go. Let me just say, everyone loved them and went back for more. My mouth is watering just looking at the picture.

Ingredients
1 cup sugar
2/3 cup light corn syrup
1/3 cup butter, melted
2 large eggs
1 1/2 cups chopped pecans
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 15 ounce packages refrigerated pie crust
1 egg yolk, beaten
Vegetable oil for frying

Directions
1. In a medium saucepan, combine sugar, corn syrup, melted butter, and eggs. Stir in pecans, vanilla, and salt. Bring to a boil over medium heat; reduce heat, and simmer for 10 minutes.
2. On a lightly floured surface, unroll 1 pie crust. Cut out rounds using a very large cookie cutter (or a bowl, which is what I used). Reroll dough as necessary. Repeat procedure with remaining pie crusts.


This is my best friend, Brynn and I, being silly while rolling out the pie crust.

3. Place 1 pie crust round on a clean, flat surface. LIghtly brush edges of crust with beaten egg yolk. Place 1 heaping teaspoon of pecan mixture in center of round (I use more mixture than a heaping teaspoon but not too much that it just oozes out). Fold dough over filling, pressing edges with a fork to seal. Repeat with remaining rounds and pecan mixture.
4. In a large pan, pour oil to a depth of 2 inches. Heat oil to 350 degrees. Fry pies, in batches, for 1 or 2 minutes per side, or until lightly browned. Drain on paper towels (You could also bake these at 350 degrees if you do not want to fry them and they will still be delicious). Serve with ice cream, if desired.

Sweet Cherry Pie

It was one of our friends birthdays and instead of your traditional cakes, we opted for a pie! This was the first time we had ever attempted to make a pie, pie crust, or lattice (the over-under basket weaving top). To our surprise, it was not that difficult. It came out GREAT and if you follow the directions, this is practically fool proof. This is sure to please any pie lover!

Ingredients for Pie Crust
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled), plus more for rolling
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
1 cup (2 sticks) cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1/4 to 1/2 cup ice water
All-purpose flour, for rolling
1 large egg yolk, beaten with 1 tablespoon water, for egg wash
5 tablespoon granulated sugar, for sprinkling

Ingredients for Pie Filling
2 pounds Bing cherries, pitted and halved
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
4 tablespoons cornstarch
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Directions for Pie Crust
1. In a food processor, combine flour, salt, and sugar; pulse briefly. Add butter; pulse until mixture resembles coarse meal, with a few pea-size pieces of butter remaining. Sprinkle with 1/4 cup ice water. Pulse until dough is crumbly but holds together when squeezed (if necessary, add up to 1/4 cup water, 1 tablespoon at a time). Do not overmix.
2. Divide dough in half, and turn out onto two large pieces of plastic wrap. Fold plastic over each portion of dough; press to shape into two 3/4-inch-thick disks. Refrigerate until firm, at least 1 hour (and up to 3 days); dough can also be frozen up to 3 months (thaw before using).
3. On a floured piece of parchment paper, roll one disk of dough to a 14-inch round. Wrap dough around rolling pin; unroll over a 9-inch pie plate. Gently fit into bottom and sides of plate (do not stretch dough). Using kitchen shears, trim dough to a 1-inch overhang all around. Reserve and refrigerate remaining disk of dough for top crust.


Directions for Pie Filling
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees, with rack in lowest position.
2. Place pitted and halved cherries in a medium sauce pan. Cover and cook until they lose a considerable amount of juice (a few minutes) Remove from Heat. (Tip for doing cherries: Use a knife to circle the cherry pit, twist like an Oreo, pull off one side, and remove the pit from the other)
3. In a small bowl, mix the sugar and cornstarch together and add to the hot cherries. Mix well. Add the lemon juice. Return the mixture to the stove and cook over low heat until thickened; stirring frequently. Remove from heat and let cool. (if the filling is too thick, add a little water; too thin, add a little more cornstarch).


Directions for Assembly
1. Pour cooled mixture into crust.
2. On a floured piece of parchment paper, roll second disk of dough to a 14-inch round. Cut into eight 1/4-1/2 inch-wide strips. Weave strips over filling to form a lattice (Tip for latticing: Lay one piece across the pie in the middle, lay another perpendicular to the first also in the center. You now have a cross. Place another piece along side the first and over the second. Now this is where it becomes tricky! Fold the first strip back and place the second perpendicular strip down and then fold the first one back into place. Fold back the second piece you put down and place the next one along side the third piece you put down. Fold the second piece back into place. Continue this pattern of folding back pie dough to make an over-under basket-weaving lattice). Using kitchen shears, trim strips so they hang over rim by 1 inch. Tuck strips under rim of bottom crust; press to seal. Crimp with a fork all around the edge.


3. Using a pastry brush, lightly brush lattice with egg wash, and sprinkle with granulated sugar (get your hands dirty and use your fingers if you do not have a pastry brush).


4. Place pie on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake until filling is bubbling rapidly all over, 50 minutes (tent with aluminum foil when crust starts to brown, about 30 minutes). Transfer pie to a wire rack, and let cool to room temperature, at least 3 hours.

Turtle Pumpkin Pie

We love the flavor of pumpkin pie, but hate the texture. Thank you Turtle Pumpkin Pie! So easy with all the pumpkin flavor but no nasty pumpkin texture. This is one that MUST be made each and every holiday season! A great holiday dessert that everyone is sure to love!

Ingredients
¼ cup caramel ice cream topping, plus 2 tablespoons divided
1 6 ounce honey maid graham pie crust
½ cup pecans
1 cup cold milk
2 packages jell-o vanilla flavor instant pudding and pie filling
1 cup canned pumpkin
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 8 ounce cool whip tub, thawed

Directions
1. Pour 1/4 cup caramel topping into pie crust and sprinkle with 1/2 cup pecans.
2. Beat milk, dry pudding mixes, pumpkin, and spices with a whisk until blended.
3. Stir in 1 1/2 cups whipped topping and spread into the crust.
4. Refrigerate for 1 hour and top with remaining whipped topping, caramel topping, and pecans.