Pie Recipe #51 - Peppermint Brownie Pie

Today's pie involves one of those great duo's-peppermint and chocolate! Another great Christmas ending possibility. Ingredients: 1/2 cup butter, 3 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped, single-crust pie shell, 3 eggs, lightly beaten, 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar, 1/2 cup all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon vanilla, 1 cup mint-flavored semisweet chocolate pieces, whipped cream, miniature candy canes (optional). Instructions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a small saucepan, combine butter and chocolate. Cook and stir over low heat, until melted; cool slightly. Meanwhile, place pastry in pie plate. For filling, in a large bowl, combine eggs, sugar, flour, and vanilla. Stir in melted chocolate and the chocolate pieces. Pour filling into the pastry-lined pie plate. Bake in the preheated 350 degree oven for about 55 minutes or until filling is evenly puffed and edge of filling is slightly cracked. Cool on a wire rack about 20 minutes or until slightly warm (center will sink slightly as pie cools). Top each serving with whipped cream and, if desired, garnish with a mini candy cane. (I crushed my candy canes and sprinkled some on each piece). Makes 8 servings. Found on www.bhg.com. "As easy as pie!"

Pie Recipe #44 - Michael Symon's Chocolate Pumpkin Pie

The next month's worth of recipes will be variations of pumpkin pie because I found so many variations I thought needed trying (and tasting). I had my doubts about mixing chocolate with pumpkin but I should have known that chocolate mixed with ANYTHING is never a failure. This is a basic pumpkin pie with some luscious melted chocolate stirred in. A definite winner! Ingredients: Crust: 1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon sugar, 1/2 cup unsalted butter (very cold and cut into small pieces), 2-3 tablespoons ice cold water. Filling: 3 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped very fine, 6 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped (I used chocolate chips), 4 tablespoons unsalted butter (cut into small pieces), 1 14-ounce canned pumpkin, 1 12-ounce can evaporated milk, 3/4 cup packed brown sugar, 3 large eggs, 1 tablespoon cornstarch, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon, 3/4 teaspoon ground ginger, 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg, pinch of ground cloves. Instructions: Crust: Combine the flour, salt, sugar and butter in a food processor and pulse until coarse, with small marbles of butter remaining. Sprinkle 2 tablespoons of the ice water and pulse until crumbly, and dough holds when squeezed together. Add another sprinkle of water if too dry, but do not overmix. Transfer dough to a plastic bag, press into a disk, and refrigerate for one hour. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Roll out dough on floured surface. Press into pie plate, trim to leave 1-inch excess around edges, fold under and flute edges. Poke holes in bottom and sides with the tines of a fork. Bake until golden, about 15 minutes. Filling: In a double boiler, melt chocolate and butter, stirring frequently until smooth, and remove from heat. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. In a large bowl, mix together the pumpkin, evaporated milk, brown sugar, eggs, cornstarch, vanilla, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves. Fold in the chocolate mixture, and pour into pie crust. Place pie pan on a baking sheet. Bake in preheated 325 degree oven until center of pie has set, about an hour. Refrigerate until cooled completely to serve. Top with whipped topping and a sprinkling of cinnamon, if desired. This recipe is from the ABC TV show, "The Chew". "As easy as pie!"

Pie Recipe #38 - Pecan Chocolate Espresso Pie

Pecans are involved again this week but in a different combination. This pie contains chocolate and espresso for a lip-smacking combination. Ingredients: 1 (9-inch)pie crust, 1 1/3 cups pecan halves, 4 eggs, 1 tablespoon instant espresso powder, 1/3 cup butter, softened, 3/4 cup light brown sugar, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, a pinch of salt, 1 cup light corn syrup. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place pie crust in a pie plate, flute the edges and prick all over with a fork. Chill for 10 minutes while oven heats. Bake in preheated oven for 5 minutes (crust will not brown). Remove to wire rack and cool completely before filling. Break up pecan pieces and sprinkle them evenly on the bottom the cooled pie shell. Make filling: In a small bowl beat eggs to combine. Add espresso powder and beat to mix. Let stand at least 10 minutes, beating occasionally to dissolve espresso. Again preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a medium bowl cream softened butter, sugar, and vanilla until light and fluffy. Beat in cocoa and salt. Add egg/espresso mixture 1/3 at a time, beating after each addition, until smooth. Stir in corn syrup. This mixture will be like custard and it will be thick. Pour mixture slowly over pecans in pie shell. If any pecans do not get completely covered by the filling, submerge them until they do. Let stand 2-3 minutes; with toothpick or tip of a sharp knife, pierce any remaining air bubbles (during this standing period, pecans may rise to top of pie). Bake in preheated oven for 10 minutes. Reduce heat to 350 degrees and continue baking 33-37 minutes longer (or until edges are cracked and risen but center still quivers slightly when pie is shaken gently). Do not overbake! If pie begins to brown excessively, cover top lightly with foil. Remove from oven to wire rack and cool before serving. Submitted by MARBALET on allrecipes.com. "As easy as pie!"