Chocolate Pie

Recipe put together by Grace Redwine Hall who Grandma taught personally how to make this pie. :)

Chocolate Pie by Hazel Redwine

1 ½ c Sugar

½ c Hershey’s Cocoa powder

½ t Salt

3 T Cornstarch

3 c Milk - divided 

3 Eggs

2 T Butter

2 t Vanilla

1. In a large bowl mix the sugar, cocoa powder, salt and cornstarch. 

2. In a small bowl mix 1 cup of the milk and the eggs. Pour into the large bowl of dry ingredients and mix well.

3. Place the remaining 2 cups of milk in a medium pot on the stove and bring to a rolling boil.

4. Once the milk is boiling pour the mixture in your large bowl into the pot, stirring with a whisk as you pour. *Your sugar mixture may have settled a bit so give it a quick whisk before you add it*

5. Stir the mixture on the stove continuously for about 5 minutes, it should be boiling but you can turn it down to a low boil so that hot pudding doesn’t splatter everywhere.

6. Once the pudding is no longer frothing and making bubbles when you stir, it is thickened properly.

7. Remove from heat and add the butter and vanilla. Stir until the butter is melted.

8. Pour into a prepared and baked pie crust.

9. Enjoy! 

Notes: This makes enough mixture for a deep dish pie. If you only have regular sized pie pans you’ll have a bit of filling left over which is delicious on it’s own!

I do not recommend doubling this recipe. If you want more than one pie (And why wouldn’t you?!) just make it twice. 

Make sure you buy Hershey’s Cocoa Powder, the off brands just aren’t the same. 

Mini Key Lime Pie

Allie made these delicious little Key Lime Pies after we finished studying Florida... aren't they cute!?!? And everyone gets their own!!!

No Bake Key Lime Mini Pies

•12 mini graham cracker crusts **see note

•6 oz reduced fat cream cheese, room temperature

•1 (14 oz) can sweetened condensed milk
•2/3 cup key lime juice
•1 1/4 tsp powdered gelatin
•1 tsp vanilla extract
•1 cup whipping cream
•2 heaping Tbsp powdered sugar
•key limes or limes for garnish

1.In the bowl, beat together the cream cheese, sweetened condensed milk, and 1/3 cup of the lime juice with a hand mixer. Beat until smooth.

2.In a small bowl, combine remaining lime juice, gelatin and vanilla extract. Heat in the microwave for 30 to 60 seconds, until juice is hot enough that the gelatin dissolves into it completely when you stir it.
3.Beat the gelatin mixture into the cream cheese mixture in very slowly stream.

4.Divide mixture in between pie crusts and refrigerate for 3-4 hours, until set.

5.Before serving, whip whipping cream and powdered sugar together until it forms firm peaks. Spoon or pipe the whipped cream onto the pie and garnish with a slice of key lime or wedge of lime. Serves 12

** Note: you can forgo the crusts if you want to and just serve them in custard dishes. Just sprinkle with some graham cracker crumbs instead. Enjoy!!!

Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Pie

We found this great recipe on the Jif website... and it is delicious!!! 

CRUST
No-Stick Cooking Spray
1 (7.4 oz.) package Chocolate Chip Muffin Mix
4 tablespoons butter, softened
1/3 cup salted peanuts, chopped

FILLING
1/2 cup Peanut Butter
1 (3 oz.) package cream cheese
1/3 cup sugar
3 tablespoons milk
2 cups frozen whipped topping, thawed

TOPPING
2 tablespoons Smucker's® Hot Fudge Microwaveable Topping, warmed (as you can tell from our picture we left this off;)

*HEAT oven to 350º F. Coat 9-inch pie plate with no-stick cooking spray. Combine muffin mix, butter and peanuts in large bowl. Blend with fork just until crumbly. Press evenly into bottom and up sides of prepared pie plate.

*BAKE 12 to 15 minutes or until light golden brown. If crust is slightly puffy, press down gently with back of a wooden spoon (do not press it down to much or you end up with a very thin crust like ours). Cool.

*BEAT peanut butter, cream cheese and sugar in large bowl with electric mixer at medium high speed until smooth. Beat in milk. Gently fold in whipped topping. Spoon into cooled crust. Drizzle warm fudge topping over pie. Chill 3 to 4 hours or until serving. Enjoy!!!

Freeze Your Pies

I was given this tip by my wonderful mother-in-law...

Next time you make a fruit pie (apple, peach, etc.) make an extra one in a foil pie tin and freeze it. They fit perfectly in a large ziploc and you will have one the next time you really are craving a 'fresh' pie. Bake your frozen pie like you would your unfrozen pie... just add more time to your baking time:) No need to thaw...

Four Layer Dessert

This is a recipe that I got from Drew's mom, Dorothy. It is so delicious and we make it quite a bit when we have people over or when I am taking a meal to someone:) We have also tweaked it a little to make a chocolate version that is delicious as well:)

Four Layer Dessert
~Layer in the following order...

• 1st Layer- Graham Cracker crust (or for chocolate version Oreo crust)
• 2nd Layer- 1 8oz pkg cream cheese, 1 c white Cool Whip (or for chocolate version chocolate Cool Whip), 1 c powdered sugar Mix and chill (while preparing third layer)...
• 3rd Layer- 2 pkgs chocolate pudding, 1 tsp vanilla, 3 cups milk Beat until thick. Add over second layer (You can chill it at this time but you don't really need to)...
• 4th Layer- Top with remaining Cool Whip (from a 8 oz tub) and grated chocolate (I just grate a chocolate bar with my veggie peeler). And Chill.

Double Layer Pumpkin Pie

This is one of the recipes I discovered on the Kraft website... it is a wonderful recipe to try when you want something different than the traditional pumpkin pie.

Double Layer Pumpkin Pie
1 pkg. (8 oz.) Cream Cheese, softened
1 cup plus 1 Tbsp. milk, divided
1 T. sugar
1 tub (8 oz.) Whipped Topping, thawed, divided
1 Graham Cracker Pie Crust
1 can (15 oz.) pumpkin
2 pkg. (3.4 oz. each) Vanilla Flavor Instant Pudding
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
1/4 tsp. ground cloves

~Beat cream cheese, 1 T. milk and sugar in large bowl with whisk until blended. Stir in 1/2 of whipped topping. Spread into crust.
~Whisk remaining milk, pumpkin, pudding mixes and spices for 2 min. (Mixture will be thick.) Spread over cream cheese layer.
~Refrigerate for 4 hours or until set. Top with remaining whipped topping just before serving.

Pecan Pie

This is the best ever pecan pie recipe- at least in my opinion:) It is from the kitchen of one of my grandmas... Hazel Redwine. It was one of those few recipes of hers that has been written down. She was always one of those cooks that just added a pinch of this and a dash of that, so it is especially special to have this recipe.

Pecan Pie
2 eggs
2 T butter, melted
1 tsp. vanilla
1/4 cup sugar
1 cup dark corn syrup
1 T. flour
1 1/4 cup pecans

Mix together the eggs. Add the rest of the ingredients and stir. Pour into an unbaked pie crust. Bake at 275 degrees for 1 hour or at 325 degrees for 45 minutes to 1 hour.

Peach Pie

I believe this was a Women's Day magazine recipe but I got it from Drew's mom... and boy is it yummy and super easy to make...

Peach Pie
1 qt. sliced, peeled peaches
1 T. cornstarch
1/2 tsp salt
3/4-1 cup sugar (depending on how sweet your peaches are)
1 tsp almond extract
2 Refrigerated pie crust

~Dust pie crust with sugar. Fill with mixed ingredients. Top pie crust gets sprinkled with a little milk and then cinnamon/sugar mixture. Cut holes in top before baking.
~Bake at 450 degrees for 10-15 minutes and the turn down the heat to 350 degrees for 45-50 minutes.