Pie # 23: Frozen Mud Pie

I've been making this pie with my best friend since we were in high school. It has four ingredients so it's foolproof. It's also the perfect addition to any movie night or a girl-sesh with too much wine.

Frozen Mud Pie

(Printable version)

1 pre-made oreo crust

peanut butter

1 pint ice cream (you can use anything: chocolate, peanut butter, etc. I chose Starbuck Mocha Frappuccino)

Hot fudge sauce

Melt peanut butter. (I never measure this, but if I were to guess, I would say 3/4 - 1 cup peanut butter) Pour into pie shell and freeze for 1 hour.

Allow ice cream to thaw on the counter for 15 minutes. Spread the ice cream over the peanut butter, smooth with a spatula and freeze for another hour.

Warm up fudge sauce and pour over mud pie right before serving.

Pie # 22: Apple Cranberry Pie

The holidays are over and I feel like I can finally get back to my normal routine! I have a pile of laundry to finish, too much vacuuming, and the dishwasher needs to be run. That can all wait until after I introduce you to Apple Cranberry Pie; or as Rose Levy refers to it: Rosy Apple Pie.

This recipe comes from Rose Levy Beranbaum's The Pie and Pastry Bible. She makes it much more complicated than it needs to be. Her version requires lots of extra mixing, melting stuff on the stove, and remixing what you already mixed. My recipe is simple and tastes exactly the same. (Printable version)



Crust:

All Shortening Crust

Ingredients:
6 cups sliced apples
1 tablespoon lemon juice
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon salt
4 teaspoons butter
2 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch (I used 3 for good measure)
2 cups fresh or frozen cranberries





Roll out bottom pie crust and place in 9-inch pie plate.

Mix together apples, lemon juice, sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon, salt and cornstarch. Once everything is mixed, add the cranberries.

Pour filling into the unbaked pie shell. Dot with butter. Cover with lattice top or decorative crust. Brush with melted butter and sprinkle with raw sugar.

Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 350 for another 45-60 minutes. Let cool and enjoy!

Pie # 21: Sweet Potato Pie (with cinnamon roll crust)

I have never eaten sweet potato pie. We'll find out tomorrow if I like it :) From what I understand, sweet potato pie tastes very similar to pumpkin pie. This recipe came with the Cinnamon Roll Crust recipe that was pinned on Pinterest - I can't wait to sample it after dinner!


Sweet Potato Pie
(Printable version)

Crust:
Cinnamon Roll Crust

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups cooked, mashed and cooled sweet potatoes
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup half & half
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon salt
large marshmallows (cut in half for topping)

Prepare crust and brush with 1 egg white whisked with 1 teaspoon water. Set aside.

 

Peel, cut, boil, and mash sweet potatoes. Mix with brown sugar, heavy cream, half & half, eggs, vanilla, cinnamon, cloves and salt. Beat until smooth.

 

Slowly pour filling into pie crust.

Bake at 400 degrees for 40 minutes or until filling is puffed up and inserted toothpick comes out clean.

Remove from oven. Turn on broiler and place halved marshmallows on top of pie. Place pie under broiler until marshmallows are toasted (about 1 minute). Cool and serve.

Cinnamon Roll Pie Crust

I found this recipe on Pinterest (I'm officially obsessed with that website) and couldn't wait to try it out! I went ahead and made the complete recipe for Sweet Potato Pie; don't worry - I'll post that in a day or two. Consider this your sneak peek.

Cinnamon Roll Crust
(Printable version)

Ingredients:
1/2 recipe of All-Shortening Crust
Melted butter (2 tablespoons is fine)
Ground cinnamon

Make pie dough as explained in this recipe. Or, go ahead and buy pre-made pie dough - everyone will still think it's homemade, I promise!

Roll out dough on well-floured surface. Brush with melted butter and sprinkle with cinnamon.

Tightly, roll up dough as if you're rolling a cinnamon roll. Cut into 1/2 slices.







Press sliced dough into 9-inch pie plate, make sure there are no cracks or holes in the crust - you don't want any spaces between the rolls.

This is not a crust that you need to prebake. However, since it is multiple sections pressed together, make sure you brush the crust with 1 egg white and 1 tablespoon water (beaten together) before pouring the filling into the crust.

I can imagine that this crust would be great for all sorts of pies: Pumpkin Pie, Apple Pie, and of course, Sweet Potato Pie.