Fresh Peach Pie

If you love peaches (like me), you would love this pie. It makes my mouth water just thinking about it.  Me and the fam just finished it off on Sunday-I made it Saturday-sweets don't stay in our house for long.  The only thing that touches the oven in this pie is the crust, hence the "Fresh" in the "Fresh Peach Pie".  I personally prefer my peach pies like this.  If I am going to have my peaches cooked I would rather have them as a cobbler.  This pie is very good, I especially like to warm it up just for a few seconds and eat it with ice cream-Vanilla Bean ice cream to be exact.  Try it out, let me know what you think.  Oh, ps, this is a SWEET pie!

Ingredients:

5-6 Peaches, sliced (I blanch* then peel mine)
1 Cup Sugar
Water
2 Tbls Cornstarch
4 tsp. Dry Peach Jello
Cooked pie crust

Directions:

1. Sprinkle 1/2 cup of sugar over peach slices.  Let set for 1/2 hour. 
2. Drain juices off peaches until well drained.  Add enough water to make 1 cup liquid. 
3. Add the other 1/2 cup of sugar and cornstarch to the water/peach juice. 
4. Cook in sauce pan until think (over medium heat). 
5. Add 4 tsp. or dry jello. 
6. Let cool. 
7. Combine with fruit and poor into cooked pie shell. 
8. Refrigerate until cold-at least 1 hour.

*For blanching, I slice a criss-cross across the top of the peach, just enough to break the skin.  I then bring a pot of water to boil, turn of heat and add peaches.  I let them sit in that hot/boiling water for about 30 secs, then transfer them to a bowl of ice water for 10-20 seconds.  The peach peel should come off very easily afterwards.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Ice Cream Pie

I found this recipe on the Cake, Batter, and Bowl blog.  I just had to make it, and Troy seemed just as excited.  We love Ice Cream and Oreos, I love Cookie Dough, and who doesn't love pie!?  Now there is no need to worry, this is an egg free cookie dough, so it is completely safe!  Wahooo, just what everyone needs, and excuse to eat more cookie dough!  I made this earlier this evening and Troy has already literally eaten half the pie.  It is a fantastice recipe, one that I will for sure make again! 

Ingredients:

1/4 cup butter, softened
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1 tablespoon milk
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup mini semisweet chocolate chips
1 6-ounce Oreo pie crust
3 cups mint chocolate chip ice cream (or any of your favorite Ice cream), softened
1/2 cup hot fudge ice cream topping, warmed



Directions:
To prepare the edible egg-free cookie dough, mix butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar in a large bowl until creamy; add milk and vanilla and mix until well blended. Gradually mix in flour and salt; stir in mini chocolate chips.

Spread edible chocolate chip cookie dough evenly in the bottom of the Oreo crust. Place heaping spoonfuls of ice cream on top of cookie dough. Lightly press and smooth top with back of spoon. Freeze pie 2 hours or until firm.

To serve, set pie out at room temperature for 10 minutes to soften and cut into 8 wedges. Garnish each piece with warmed hot fudge ice cream topping. Makes 8 servings.

Best Ever Banana Cream Pie (according to me)

The is a recipe that my Mom would use (so if you are a Kohl and are reading this, you already have this recipe, move onto another post :) ).  I love it, and decided it was Eastery enough to have as dessert after our Easter dinner on Sunday.  It is very yummy.  It is more custardy than pudding like, good either way!

Banana Cream Pie

Ingredients:

¾ cup sugar

1/3 cup flour or 3 TBLS. cornstarch ( I use cornstarch)

¼ tsp. salt

2 cups milk

3 slightly beaten egg yolk

2 TBLS. butter

1 tsp. vanilla

2-3 bananas

Directions:

In a saucepan, combine sugar, flour or cornstarch, and salt; gradually stir in milk, Cook and stir over medium high heat till bubbly. Cook and sir 2 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir a moderate amount or hot mixture into yolks; immediately return to hot mixture; cook 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Add butter and vanilla. Slice bananas into cooled baked pie crust or graham cracker crust (I use graham cracker) and pour filling on top. Refrigerate.  Serve with whipped cream/cool whip.

Peanut Butter Trifle

Peanut Butter Trifle

We LOVED this trifle. So yummy, especially if you like the peanut butter and chocolate combination. We have yet to try the original recipe, I didn't truly follow it. There is a link for it at the bottom. Maybe we will save the "original" for another day...

Ingredients:

• 21 ounce package brownie mix
• 10 ounce bag of peanut butter chips
• 5 ounce package vanilla instant pudding mix
• 3 oz pkg Chocolate instant pudding mix
  
• 5 cups milk
• 1/2 cup peanut butter, creamy
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• Whipped Cream or Cool Whip
  
• 24 regular sized (about 2 inches in diameter) peanut butter cups, divided

Preparation:

Prepare brownie mix according to package directions. Add peanut butter chips. Bake for length of time required by package. Cool completely.

Cut brownies into 3/4 inch pieces, using sharp knife.

Coarsely chop 20 peanut butter cups; saving 4 for garnish.

Combine vanilla pudding mix and 3 cups of milk in large bowl. Beat at low speed for 2 minutes or until thickened. Add peanut butter and vanilla; beat until smooth. Set aside.

Combine chocolate pudding mix and 2 cups of milk into bowl. Beat at low speed for 2 min or until thickened. Set aside.

Layer Brownies, pudding, cool whip, and candy (first layer with peanut butter pudding, second with chocolate, then third with peanut butter). You will end up with 3 layers, ending with candy on top of cool whip.

Refrigerate

This is not the original recipe. Go here for the original.

Chocolate Mousse with Hazelnut Cookie Crust

Yum, that is all I have to say, I added some of the Hazelnuts I got from OhNuts! and some Nutella to put my own spin on things. I merged 2 recipes together to get this, and I sure did like it. The cookie crust and Nutella sweetened the Mousse just perfectly and it sure was good!

Chocolate Mousse with Hazelnut Cookie Crust

For the Crust:
Ingredients
1 1/4 cups flour
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup butter, softened (or margarine)
1/2 cup light brown sugar, loosely packed
1/2 cup finely chopped walnuts (pecans, black-walnuts or butternuts)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Directions
1. In a large bowl, combine the flour and baking soda.
2. Add the butter, brown sugar, walnuts and vanilla.
3. Blend well.
4. Press the mixture, a small amount at a time, into a 9-inch pie plate, building up the sides and fluting the edge.
5. Cover the fluting with a strip of aluminum foil to prevent over browning.
6. Cook at 350 for 7 min

For the Mousse:
Ingredients

6 ounces semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Pinch of salt
1 1/2 + 3/4 cups chilled whipping cream
1/8 cup sugar
Nutella
Chocolate shavings and/or chopped hazelnuts (optional)


Combine chocolate, vanilla and salt in processor. Bring 1/2 cup cream to boil in heavy small saucepan. With processor running, gradually pour hot cream through feed tube and process until chocolate is melted and smooth. Transfer mixture to large bowl. Cool to room temperature, stirring occasionally.

While cooling, melt some Nutella in the microwave, then poor over the the cookie crust to coat the bottom. Use as little or as much as you like :). Let cool.

Beat 1 cup cream and sugar in large bowl to stiff peaks. Fold into chocolate mixture.
Pour mousse into prepared crust. Chill until set, about 3-4 hours. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead.)

Beat remaining 3/4 cup cream in medium bowl to firm peaks. Transfer to pastry bag fitted with medium star tip. Pipe rosettes of cream around edge of cake. Garnish with chocolate shavings and/or Hazelnuts.

Apple PIe/Crisp

Boy was this a yummy yummy dessert tonight.  I don't have a baked picture because I didn't get a chance before it was eaten, but it sure was a lot of flavorful goodness!  Here is the recipe, and I have also added the pie crust recipe my family always uses:

Apple Pie/Crisp

1 pie crust

5-6 apples peeled and sliced

1 T lemon juice

¾ cup sugar

2 T flour

1tsp cinnamon

½ tsp ginger

½ tsp nutmeg

 

Preheat oven to 375

Sprinkle apples with lemon juice and stir together with above mixture

Gently toss until coated

Pour mixture into crust

Cover with crumb topping (see below)

Bake for 1 hour

 

Crumb Topping

½ cup flour

½ cup packed brown sugar

½ tsp cinnamon

¼ tsp nutmeg

Stir together then cut in 3 T cold butter and mix until mixture becomes crumbly...I did 1 1/2 this part of the recipe as was suggested by Jodi, which worked really well!  

Pie Crust

3 cups flour     

¼ cup margarine or butter  

1 cup shortening    1 tsp. salt

Cut shortening and margarine/butter into flour and slat mixture until it resembles course corn meal.

Add:  1 egg beaten     5 TBLS. water

      1 TBLS. vinegar or lemon juice

Mix the above into the flour mixture.  Mix together quickly.  Divide into three pieces.  Roll out between 2 sheets lightly floured waxed paper.  Makes 3 single pies or 1 double and 1 single. 

And what do you do with the leftover pie crust?  Make PIE CRUST COOKIES!  These are some of my very most favorite things.  I look forward to them and often hide them when I have made a pie or something and someone comes over (selfish, I know).  Good thing Troy doesn't have the same enjoyment for them as me!-he isn't a huge cinnamon fan.

Just roll out the leftover pie crust, sprinkle Cinnamon and sugar, then cut the uncooked dough into squares (I just run a knife along the flattened dough like a big tic-tac-toe board), then cook at 350 till done (usually about 12-15 min).  Enjoy!  It was a LOVELY fall day today, perfect for an apple treat!)