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.
Dorm Bakery 