chocolate pie

Thin Mint Cookie Pie

February 28, 2014

Yay!!! It’s Girl Scout cookie season!

I get Girl Scout cookies every year. Typically I order them from one of my coworker’s daughter but being out on maternity leave I missed my chance to order from her. I was a little afraid that I would totally miss out on the opportunity to get those addictive Girl Scout cookies. But then I saw that a local troop would be setting up a table in my office building. Perfect! So I ran down one day and loaded up on this annual treat.

Now Girl Scout cookies are great on their own but I’ve learned that you can enjoy them in a variety of ways, including in baked goods, like the Thin Mint Gooey Cake Bars I made last year. How can you go wrong with adding cookies to a dessert? You can’t! It just makes it better.

Well, I had a box of Thin Mint cookies staring me down daring me to get to work. I had plenty of things in mind like cookies inside of cookies, cupcakes, and ice cream but ultimately decided to use the Thin Mints in a pie recipe. A minty, chocolaty pie… yes!!

This pie uses the Thin Mints in the no bake crust and then the minty chocolate pudding filling is garnished with whole Thin Mints. A whole cookie with each slice!!

This is such a simple pie to whip up. It takes about 20 minutes of active cook time and, thankfully, you don’t dirty many dishes either.

Making the pudding filling is very easy but you can’t rush it or neglect it either. If you cook it on too high of a temperature or don’t mix it enough you run the risk of burning the mixture. If you burn it you have to start over again and use some serious elbow grease to scrub your pot. And you don’t want to go that. You want to eat pie.

Thin Mint Cookie Pie

Makes a 9″ pie, 12 slices

Ingredients

Pie Crust

24 Thin Mint cookies
4 tablespoons butter, melted

Pie Filling

2/3 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt
4 egg yolks
3 cup milk, any fat content (I used non-fat milk)
2 Tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon peppermint extract
1 3/4 cups dark chocolate chips

To create the pie crust:

Add the Thin Mint cookies to the bowl of a food processor and process until crumbs form.
Add the melted butter, mix well.
Firmly press the cookie crumb mixture into a 9″ pie plate.

To make the pie:

Sift together the sugar, cornstarch, and salt into a 2 quart saucepan.
In a medium sized bowl, combine the egg yolks and milk. Slowly pour milk mixture into sugar mixture and stir to mix.
Cook the mixture over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until mixture comes to a low boil. Continue to stir continually while it cooks for 1 more minute. Remove from heat and stir in the butter and peppermint extract. Add the chocolate chips and stir until chips are melted and the mixture is well blended. Let cool for 15-20 minutes, stirring it every 5 minutes.
Pour into the Thin Mint cookie pie shell. Lightly lay a piece of plastic wrap on top of pie filling before refrigerating for several hours until chilled.
Garnish with 8 Thin Mint cookies around the edge of the pie plate so that each slice would have a cookie.

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Looking for more Girl Scout Cookie Recipes?

Thin Mint Gooey Cake Bars

Samoa Cookie Cocktail

Chocolate Icebox Pie

January 10, 2014

When I was trying to think of the pie to make for this week I remembered how my best friend made this Chocolate Icebox Pie for their first Thanksgiving in Seattle this year. They enjoyed it so I wanted to give it a try myself.

I’m so glad I did since it was so good!!

I love pies with graham cracker crusts. And obviously a filling made of rich chocolate is gonna find a place into my heart. And stomach.

The pie doesn’t take much time or effort to make so it’s something that you can whip up quickly when you are craving some chocolate. The homemade graham cracker crust is so good but if you’re in a real rush then I’m sure that store-bought one would work as well.

There are not that many ingredients so be sure to use good quality ones, especially the chocolate. As well, if you are melting the chocolate in the microwave, be sure to do it slowly so that you don’t burn it. Burned chocolate makes me sad.

As well, for the crust I strongly suggest putting the cinnamon in as it add a really nice flavor that kicks up the chocolate. And to have a cleanly cut pie, I suggest you cut the pie when it is really cold. This helps get a nice smooth slice and helps the crust stay intact.

This is the kind of pie that is perfect to enjoy after dinner (or maybe before!) or to take to a dinner party. It is simple to make and would be a crowd-pleaser. It makes 8 generous slices but it is so so rich that I could easily see it being cut into 16 thin slices.

This was the first time I made an icebox pie and it won’t be my last. There are so many different varieties that I have plenty to pick from as well. 🙂

Chocolate Icebox Pie

Makes a 9″ pie

Ingredients

Crust

1 1/4 cups finely crushed graham cracker crumbs
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, optional
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Filling

1/3 cup hot water
2 tablespoons Double-Dutch Dark Cocoa
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 1/3 cups bittersweet chocolate chips, chunks, or disks
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt

Garnish, optional

Whipped cream
Chocolate shavings

Process

To make the crust:

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.
Combine the ingredients, and press the mixture into the bottom and up the sides a lightly greased 9″ pie pan.
Freeze the crust for 15 minutes (which will prevent over-browning).
Bake for 8-10 minutes, until it’s lightly browned around the edges. Remove from the oven and cool completely.

To make the filling:

In a small bowl, combine the hot water, cocoa, and vanilla extract and set aside.
Melt the bittersweet chocolate in a microwave or in a double-boiler. Stir the cocoa mixture into the melted chocolate, it will resemble a pudding when completely incorporated.
Whip the cream, sugar, and salt with a hand or stand mixer until soft peaks form.
Gently fold the chocolate mixture into the whipped cream with a whisk or rubber spatula until no white streaks remain.
Spread the pie filling evenly into the cooled graham cracker crust.
Refrigerate the pie for at least 1 hour before serving, or until the filling is set and firm.
Garnish with whipped cream and chocolate shavings prior to serving.

Sourced from King Arthur Flour

Brownie Pie

November 12, 2012

I love to get mail. I used to have pen pals when I was younger. One was from Finland and she used to write the date D-M-Y. I loved it for some random reason. Well now without pen pals I just get bills, magazines, and some packages. I love the arrival of my monthly Studio Calico kit. I just get so giddy with anticipation and once it gets here I love that the package holds so many creative possibilities Well, I was just as giddy for the arrival of Tate’s Bake Shop: Baking For Friends. As soon as I finished interviewing Kathleen King I bought her new book. I could not wait for it to come that I upgraded my prime and got it the next day. I just could not resist waiting to get my hands on that book.

Once I was able to browse the book I got myself into some trouble picking out what to make first. I was drawn to so many different recipes because of their ease. I love baking but I love to find simple recipes because I am so busy I just can’t spend so much time of something that I don’t eat. I’m glad Kathleen focuses on keeping her recipes simple but delicious. The book has over 120 recipes of muffins, scones, quick breads, pies, cupcakes, and cookies. Out of all of that I was really struggling to decide on Rocky Road Muffins (pg 31), Apple- Italian Plum Deep Dish Pie (pg 69), Brownie Pie (pg 71), and Pecan Squares (pg 138). I finally decided on the brownie pie and I think I made a great choice.

The Brownie Pie is a really simple, really rich dessert. Just a few ingredients and a few minutes of manning the mixer and you’re on our way to a chocolaty delight. This really works for any number of people as it’s great for sweets addicts to chocoholics and people who keep to a gluten free diet. It covers all bases and does so perfectly. The recipe calls for even more chocolate stating that a slice is to be served with a smear of nutella and whipped cream. I served this with some whipped cream and fresh raspberries and blackberries since I just wanted it to be a tad bit lighter when serving it as the pie is so rich. Grab yourself a glass of milk and a slice and enjoy!

Brownie Pie

serves 8 to 10

Ingredients

12 ounces of semi sweet chocolate chips
1 stick of salted butter, at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
5 eggs plus 4 egg yolks, at room temperature
1/3 cup packed dark brown sugar

Process

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Prepare a 9-inch glass pie plate by lightly buttering it.
In a microwave safe bowl combine the chocolate chips and pieces of the butter. Microwave on 50% power for 2 minutes, stir the chocolate every 30 seconds.
In a large bowl or stand mixer, beat the eggs on high until thickened and light in color, about 3 minutes. Add the brown sugar the mixture is light and fluffy. Incorporate the melted chocolate. Pour into the prepared pie plate.
Bake for 45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center is clean upon its removal. Let cool on a wire rack.
Serve with whipped cream, berries, caramel sauce, or nutella.