May Pie: German Chocolate Graduate

The time has come; 9 months of cookies, cobblers, cupcakes and–of course–pie.

I vowed to make a pie every month of my last year of college, and folks, this has been the last month. Time certainly flies when you’re baking. Now, just because I’ve reached the end of my [not-always-so] Easy Bake Adventure doesn’t mean the baked-goods stop here. You can take the baker out of the dorm kitchen, but not the dorm kitchen out of the baker. While my kitchen may change my heart remains in the oven. As they say, flour to flour, and salt to salt. But getting back to the pie at hand… All’s tasty that ends tasty and this pie one to take the cake. German Chocolate Pie by any other name would certainly taste as sweet. You could call it the apple pie of my eye. Okay, sorry, quitting with the woefully un-witty euphemisms now.

I wanted to end with something delectable and different, something new, but classic. After hearing about an experience involving an enigmatic German Chocolate Pie, I knew this was what I wanted to create.

I started, as I often do, from the crust up. Embellishing a traditional crust recipe I created a coconut, pecan crust.

CRUST Ingredients

1 1/2 C  flour

1/2 tsp.  salt

1/4 C  coconut oil

1/4 C  butter or coconut oil

1/4 C  ice water

1/4 to 1/3 C  shredded coconut

1/4 C  crushed pecans (rolled out)

1 1/2 Tbs. vanilla extract

3 Tbs. brown sugar

Directions

Stir together flour and salt and sugar. Cut in shortening and butter until it creates pea sized pieces. Sprinkle in the ice water 1 T at a time until whole mixture is moistened. Then mix in coconut, pecans, and vanilla. Roll out and place in pie pan.

For the filling I created a slight variation on a Rustic Chocolate Pie from the Better Homes & Gardens’ 365 Pies & Tarts cookbook.

FILLING Ingredients

6 oz.  German baking chocolate, chopped

2  egg whites

1/8 tsp.  cream of tartar

1/2 tsp.  vanilla

1/4 C  sugar

1/8 tsp.  salt

Directions

Melt chocolate. In medium bowl combine egg whites, vanilla, and cream of tartar. Beat in electric mixer on high speed until peaks form. Gradually add sugar and salt, beating until stiff but not dry. Fold melted chocolate into whites until fully mixed. Pour into pie crust and bake at 35o for 10 minutes. After 5 minutes sprinkle the pie with more shredded coconut, pecans, and brown sugar. Continue to bake for the last 5 minutes. Allow to cool for 45 minutes and then cover and chill.

April Pie: Easter Banana Cream

Not everyone can make it home for holidays, particularly holidays like Easter. There’s no school break aligned with it, and the last term of the school year is often the most hectic. Between final projects and papers, school events, preparing for graduation and all that entails–passing your classes, packing up your stuff, plans for the future, getting a job, finding a place to live…–and then, not to mention, trying to make the most of your final weeks of the school year, there really isn’t time to go home. The good news is when you have a kitchen, a few simple ingredients and some benevolent friends it’s easy to find ways to celebrate. We made a wonderful brunch with pancakes, biscuits, fruit, and eggs; and then, of course, pie.

For April and for Easter we made a tasty tasty Old Fashioned Banana Cream pie with peanut butter and chocolate, because what goes better with bananas than peanut butter and chocolate?

We followed a recipe from: http://www.food.com/recipe/old-fashioned-banana-cream-pie-14979

Ingredients:

1 (9 inch) pie crusts, baked (we used a pre-made Nilla Wafer crust)
3 cups whole milk (as always we used almond milk)
3/4 cup white sugar
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 egg yolks, slightly beaten
2 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 bananas

To prep the Nilla Wafer cust we had we first spread whipped peanut butter and then melted semi-sweet chocolate over the bottom of the crust. While that cooled we began making the filling!

 

Directions:

1. Have baked 9-inch pie shell ready.
2. In a large saucepan, scald the milk.
3. In another saucepan, combine the sugar, flour and salt; gradually stir in the scalded milk.
4. Over medium heat, stirring constantly, cook until thickened.
5. Cover and, stirring occasionally, cook for two minutes longer.
6. In a small bowl, have the 3 egg yolks, slightly beaten, ready; stir a small amount of the hot mixture into beaten yolks; when thoroughly combined, stir yolks into hot mixture.
7. Cook for one minute longer, stirring constantly.
8. Remove from heat and blend in the butter and vanilla.
9. Let sit until lukewarm.
10. When ready to pour, slice bananas and scatter in pie shell; pour warm mixture over bananas.
11. If desired, make a meringue (you’ll have 3 leftover egg whites) to top the pie, or just let the pie cool until serving.

 

March Pie: PI Day Pie, Cheddar Apple

In case you didn’t realize, March 14 is Pi day. Yes, ‘Pi’ as in 3.1415926… Because the date is 3/14…Get it? Yeah, it’s kinda nerdy clever. Anyways, the perfect way to celebrate Pi day, apart from solving many many mathematical equations, or reciting as many digits of Pi as you know, would be to bake a pie. And that is what we did. Bake a pie, I mean. We were craving something fruity and kinda classic, so we decided to make another apple pie; this time hitting up more of the savory side with sharp cheddar in the crust. We also wanted to put candied bacon on top…but the baking of the bacon didn’t go so well…It was mostly an experiment. We made crust from a box, which was a little difficult and didn’t yield as much crust as I had expected. The dough wouldn’t stick together but I eventually formed it into a base crust stuffed with shredded sharp cheddar. Then we sliced some granny smith apples and mixed them with brown sugar, a titch of flour, a splash of water, cinnamon, all spice, and a few tablespoons of maple syrup. Once we put it all together we popped it into the oven at 350 for about 35 minutes. After it came out we devoured that pie with some vanilla ice cream. Although the bacon did not turn out the pie was not to be beat. A perfect celebration of Pi day.

Bake Your Perfect Man

Although Valentines Day is over the struggle to find the perfect man (or woman) never ends. If only it were as simple as throwing ingredients into a bowl, mixing it a bit, and popping it into the oven for a hot minute. I mean, all it takes is a little sugar, spice, and everything nice, right? At least that’s how it worked for the gingerbread man. In any case, when you’re given the cookie cutter for the perfect man you can’t pass up the opportunity to possibly cook up the best man you’ve ever met. Who knows, it could be love at first bite!

We found a simple sugar cookie recipe online from Allrecipes.com, and we mixed up an original batch and a chocolate batch.

INGREDIENTS:

3/4 cup butter flavored shortening (we used a mix of butter and coconut oil) 1 cup white sugar 2 eggs 1 tablespoon milk 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon baking powder 1 teaspoon salt We added about a teaspoon of cinnamon to give it some tasty spice. (We also made a chocolate batch, for these we put in about 1/4 cup baking cocoa, a titch less flour, and a pinch more sugar)

Once your dough is all mixed up it’s good to cool it for about an hour (we skipped this step). Preheat the oven to 400. Then roll the dough out on a floured surface and begin shaping your men from the mass. Spread them evenly on a greased cookie sheet and bake for 6-8 minutes. Depending on your preference they are tasty frosted or simply nude.

If you’re looking for a tasty treat to accompany you for tea or coffee, these men fit the bill. Not only are they great listeners but their sweetness is the perfect complement to a hot beverage!

February Pie: Chocolate Dipped Strawberry Cheesecake

If you are searching for the perfect Valentines dessert, you have reached your destination. This month’s pie is not exactly a pie, it’s kind of a cheesecake…but it’s also not exactly a cheesecake, it’s kind of a pie…Either way it is more decadent than any love potion and more desirable than an arrow in the heart from cupid. The idea for this pie, as most of my random baking epiphanies hit me, came to me one night as I was lying in my bed preparing to slumber.  I couldn’t get chocolate covered strawberries out of my head, and then I just got this notion–a baking notion–a pie baking notion–and I wondered what about a chocolate covered strawberry pie?! I was quick to recognize the brilliance of this conception, but also quick to tell myself to reevaluate in the morning once my wits were about me. Morning came, and it was still a stroke of magnificence, the only trouble was figuring out exactly what Chocolate Covered Strawberry Pie was. I had many different ideas for what this could become (some of which I will hopefully attempt later…), but I decided to go with a sort of chocolate cheesecake base, with layers of chocolate dipped strawberries, all in a graham cracker crust. This was my first time making cheesecake, but I didn’t let that stop me.

Here’s the recipe I ended up with for the cheesecake mixture:

• In saucepan heat ¼ C heavy whipping cream and ¼ C chocolate chips. Remove from heat once melted.
• Beat 1 ½ 8-oz bars of cream cheese with ½ C sugar and ¾ of a can of condensed milk, add 1/3 C of cocoa powder add 3 eggs. Stir in 1 tsp vanilla extract and cooled chocolate mixture.
• Be sure to blend well. (This was a little difficult without a mixer, but I did my best with a spatula and my hands).

Then I sliced a container of strawberries and, with some help, dipped half in milk chocolate and half in dark chocolate. Next I layered together the strawberries and the cheesecake in the graham cracker crust and baked it all for 45-50 min at 325.

Once it was finished baking it had to refrigerate overnight. We got a little excited though and took it out early to try some. It turned out tremendously. I couldn’t have hoped for an experiment to go any better. It also made me all the more excited to try my other chocolate covered strawberry ideas! So whether you’re baking solo, for your Valentine, or for a whole host of ‘Galentines’ this is a perfect pie for the occasion.

Velvet Ice Cakes: Baking for a Frosty Day.

I awoke Saturday morning to discover that the quad outside my window had been turned into a crystallized countryside. Ice two inches thick covered everything. It was as if Queen Elsa of Arendelle paid a quick overnight visit to Columbia, Missouri (if anyone has seen the new Disney Movie Frozen they’ll understand my reference). Despite these treacherous walking conditions I was determined to bake cupcakes, so my friend and I braved the icy desert to walk to Lucky’s Market. It turned out to be quite the fun adventure; we skated our way down the sidewalk being careful not to slip into the road. We felt highly accomplished as we walked across the parking lot and into the store. We took our time wandering around finding what we needed and picking up a few other fun looking things, and then we had to make the trek back. We returned virtually unscathed, with only one little out of control skid and totter to the ground in the last block.

The plan had been to make red velvet cupcakes, but with a lack of red food coloring I decided they would simply be Velvet Cupcakes! I used a recipe for reference but made alterations where my ingredients were lacking, and I mixed up my own frosting. The recipe I referenced was from yourhomebasedmom.com:

NGREDIENTS

• 2 1/2 Cs cake flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
• 2 oz. red food coloring (2-3 bottles depending on size)
• 1/2 C butter, softened
• 1 1/2 C sugar
• 2 eggs, at room temperature
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 C buttermilk, at room temperature
• 1 tsp white vinegar
• 1 tsp baking soda

INSTRUCTIONS

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees
• Line two 12-cup muffin tins with cupcake papers
• Mix together the cake flour, baking powder, and salt into a medium bowl; set aside
• In a small bowl, mix food coloring and cocoa powder to form a thin paste without lumps; set aside (I skipped this step, seeing as I had no food coloring)
• In a large bowl, mix butter and sugar together until light and fluffy, about three minutes (I used coconut oil and organic sugar)
• Beat in eggs, one at a time, then beat in vanilla and the red cocoa paste, scraping down the bowl with a spatula as you go (this is where I added my cocoa, I also added a little extra because I love chocolate)
• Add one third of the flour mixture to the butter mixture, beat well, then beat in half of the buttermilk Beat in another third of flour mixture, then second half of buttermilk (I didn’t have buttermilk so I substituted almond milk and a little bit–about a tablespoon–of white vinegar. Lemon juice works too)
• End with the last third of the flour mixture, beat until well combined, making sure to scrape down the bowl with a spatula
• In a small bowl, mix vinegar and baking soda (I didn’t have baking soda so I used double 2.5 tsp of baking powder)
• Watch it fizz!
• Add vinegar mixture to the cake batter and stir well to combined.
• Bake for about 20-22 min on middle rack. Watch closely.

• While in the oven I mixed up some frosting. I mixed cocoa powder, confectioners sugar, butter, and milk. But you can make whatever frosting you like best.

The cake consistency turned out perfect. I was hoping to have some to take to a Super Bowl party, but they were quickly devoured by my friends before Sunday arrived.

Lemon Bars

A tart and tasty go-to treat; lemon bars are simple and sweet, like a spring day. I am all too aware that spring is still a couple months away, the weather won’t let me forget. The sun is a terrible tease, and the temperature is ferociously frigid, but I might as well let my baking be bright and sunny!

I had never made lemon bars before, but it was my friend’s birthday and I asked her for her favorite treat. If you didn’t guess, it’s lemon bars. I looked at a few different recipes, they were all very similar.

Ingredients

1/2 cup powdered sugar

1 cup butter (2 sticks), softened

2 cups plus 1/2 cup all-purpose flour

4 eggs

2 cups sugar

1/3 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice

1 heaping tablespoon grated lemon zest (optional)

Preheat the oven to 350. Mix 1/2 cup of powdered (or white cane) sugar with the butter until light and fluffy, or well mixed. Then add the 2 cups of flour; mix until smooth. Press mixture into the bottom of a 9 x 13 pan and place in the prepared oven for about 15 minutes. It should turn golden brown. I used my pie dish and my new tart pans, because I don’t have a square pan.

While the cookie/crust layer is baking beat together the eggs and 2 cups of sugar, along with the lemon juice (and zest). Slowly add the last 1/2 cup of flour until well blended. Pour lemon mixture over hot crusts and return to the oven for another 20-25 minutes. Allow your bars to cool before cutting and dusting with powdered sugar!

 

Reference Recipes:

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/The-Best-Lemon-Bars/Detail.aspx?soid=recs_recipe_seed
http://www.foodiecrush.com/2013/12/meyer-lemon-bars/#comment-27436

January Pie: Dirt Pie, AKA Oreo Goop

Well, after the wonderful holiday break it was back to the good ole dorm kitchen to launch my last semester of college with a pie. Sticking with the theme of chocolate that has developed I decided to make a variation on a no-bake Oreo pudding pie. Here’s where I found the recipe to base my pie off of: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/OREO-Triple-Layer-Chocolate-Pie/Detail.aspx?event8=1&prop24=SR_Thumb&e11=oreo%20pie&e8=Quick%20Search&event10=1&e7=Home%20Page

Ingredients:

• 1 pack of Oreos (we used double stuff)
• 2 pkg. instant pudding, chocolate
• 2 cups cold milk (we used almond milk)
• 1/4 cup butter/margarine (we used peanut butter)
• 8 oz. thawed cool whip

First take 24 of the cookies and crush them to a fine consistency. Then we chose to mix in some peanut butter to make the cookie crust stick together, instead of butter. If you’ve ever seen the Parent Trap you know that Oreos and peanut butter are the perfect pairing. Once it was nice and sticky we formed it to the bottom and sides of the pie pan.

Next mix the pudding packets with the milk and stir/whisk until completely blended. Scoop 1 & 1/2 cups of the pudding into your crust for the first layer. Then mix half of your whipped cream with the remaining pudding to create your second layer; pour that over the pudding layer. To create your last layer crumble and mix the remaining cookies with the last of the cool whip and spread that over the top.

Then let your pie refrigerate for about 4 hours before enjoying!

December Pie: Chocolate

Now, I know I’ve done a chocolate pie once before, but that chocolate buttermilk pie is nothing compared to the light yet rich, delightful creation that is this chocolate pie. This is hands down my favorite pie. Ever. It’s like a chocolate cloud in a graham cracker crust. And no, I’m not being facetious.

The recipe I use is an old family one that is very similar to this Hershey Fudge Bottomed Chocolate Layer Pie:

Ingredients

• 1-1/2 cups miniature marshmallows
• 1 tub (8 oz.) frozen non-dairy whipped topping, thawed and divided
• Additional whipped topping or sweetened whipped cream (optional)

• 2 tablespoonsplus 1/4 cup milk, divided
• 1 packaged chocolate crumb crust (6 oz.)
• 1 cup HERSHEY’S SPECIAL DARK Chocolate Chips, divided

In my recipe we use a combination of milk and dark Dove Chocolates. We also use a graham cracker crust, but I’m sure chocolate crumb would be tasty too.

Directions

1. Place 1/3 cup chocolate chips and 2 tablespoons milk in microwave-safe bowl. Microwave 30 seconds at MEDIUM (50%); stir. If necessary, microwave an additional 15 seconds at a time, stirring after each heating, until chips are melted and mixture is smooth when stirred. Spread on bottom of crust. Refrigerate while preparing next step.

2. Place marshmallows, remaining 2/3 cup chocolate chips and remaining 1/4 cup milk in small saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until marshmallows are melted and mixture is well blended. Transfer to separate large bowl; cool completely.

3. Stir 2 cups whipped topping into cooled chocolate mixture; spread 2 cups mixture over chocolate in crust. Blend remaining whipped topping and remaining chocolate mixture; spread over surface of pie.

4. Cover; freeze several hours or until firm. Garnish as desired. Cover; freeze remaining pie. 6 to 8 servings.

    –https://www.hersheys.com/recipes/recipe-details.aspx?id=6799&name=Fudge-Bottomed-Chocolate-Layer-Pie

Now once your pie has cooled serve up a slice and enjoy a little piece of Eden.

The Spillmeister Makes Spritzs

It’s getting close to Christmas time, and that means Christmas Specials on TV. Now, if you’ve ever watched any Christmas Specials I hope you know who Burgermeister Meisterbuger is; if not, no worries, I will tell you. Burgermeister Meisterburger is the mayor of Sombertown in the Christmas Special Santa Claus is Comin’ to Town. He is a small, grouchy, German man who takes the role of dictator in this bleak, grey village. He is subsequently the antagonist of this Santa Clause story, fighting in the name of gloom and melancholy, contrasting Kris Kringle’s bright and cheery outlook. He even has his own song about banning toys: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xn_p8Z8Ltng. I bring up the Burgermeister Meisterburger because when I was young I was also a ‘Meister,’ a Spillmeister to be exact. I would miraculously knock over virtually any container of liquid placed in front of me; I was a predictable chain of these inadvertent calamities. The moniker (Spillmeister) was quickly and irrevocably added to my list of nicknames. And to this day–although instances of my ineptitude are rare–at the smallest mishap of a tipped glass the sobriquet is delivered to me from the lips of my lineage without the slightest hesitation. You would think that with my terrible track record I would not be allowed around open containers, let alone be asked to assist in the kitchen, but amazingly my mother trusted me to help despite my innate knack for knocking things over.

The first Christmas cookies I made this season, like the Burgermeister Meisterburger, originate in Germany. Spritz butter cookies are a classic holiday treat made using a cookie press. While I was home for Thanksgiving I had access to a cookie press so I seized the opportunity! It was also very handy to have an electric mixer!

Here’s a basic recipe from allrecipes.com:

INGREDIENTS:

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 cup butter, softened 1 1/4 cups confectioners’ sugar

2 egg yolks 1/2 teaspoon almond extract 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

DIRECTIONS:

1.	Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Sift together the flour and salt; set aside.
2.	In a medium bowl, cream together the butter and sugar. Stir in the egg yolks, almond extract and vanilla extract.  Gradually blend in the sifted ingredients. Fill a cookie press with dough and shoot cookies about 1 1/2 inches apart onto an ungreased cookie sheet. If you like, decorate with sugar or sprinkles at this time.
3.	Bake for 6 to 8 minutes in the preheated oven. If you want to make shapes such as trees and wreaths add a little green food coloring to part of your dough and mix that in before you put it into the press. These are simple festive treats for the holiday season, and all year round. Enjoy!