Crack pie

I was super excited for this recipe. I mean, read the name. Crack. Pie. But I didn't even take a picutre of it because I took one bite and threw it out. I know there's an entire stick of butter in the recipe, but that's all I tasted when it was done. I have no clue what went wrong. If anyone has any thoughts, I'd be happy to try again!

Crack pie-found on Savory Simple, original recipe from Christina Tosi at Momofuku Milk Bar
Total time: 1 hour, 30 minutes, plus chilling time overnight
Serves 8
Crust

• 9 tablespoons butter, softened and divided
• 5 1/2 tablespoons brown sugar, divided
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 large egg
• 3/4 cup plus two tablespoons old fashioned oats
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/8 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/8 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon sea salt

Filling

• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon nonfat milk powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup butter, melted, slightly
• 6 1/2 teaspoons heavy whipping cream
• 4 egg yolks
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Powdered sugar, for dusting

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat a 9x9 inch baking dish with cooking spray. Combine 6 tablespoons butter with 4 tablespoons brown sugar and sugar in a medium bowl. With an electric mixer, mix until light and fluffy, about two minutes. Add egg and mix until pale and fluffy. Add in oats, flour, baking powder, baking soda and sea salt until well blended. Turn out into greased baking dish and bake for 18 minutes or until top is golden brown. Let cool completely on a wire rack.

Once cookie is cooled, crumble into a medium bowl with the remaining brown sugar and butter until moist enough to stick together. Press into a 9-inch pie pan that has been greased with cooking spray. Be sure to press the cookie up the sides of the pie dish. Set aside.

For the filling, whisk the sugars, milk powder and salt until well blended. Add the butter and whisk until well blended. Add the cream, egg yolks and vanilla extract and whick until well blended. Pour into crust and place pie dish on a rimmed baking sheet before placing in the oven and baking at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Reduce heat to 325 degrees and cook for another 20 minutes or until filling starts to brown and is set. Cool pie for 2 hours on wire rack. Chill overnight. Sprinkle with powdered sugar.

Berry Custard Pie

This pie was tasty, but nothing crazily amazing to write about. I used some frozen blueberries and strawberries I had on hand, but you could probably use any extra fruit you have on hand.

Berry Custard Pie-adapated from One Hundred Dollars a Month
Total Time: 1 hour
Serves 8

• 1 pie crust
• 2 cups fruit (blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, etc.)
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1 1/4 cup low fat milk
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Fit the pie crust into a 9-inch pie dish. Fill with berries and top with 1/4 cup sugar.

In a medium bowl, combine remaining ingredients until well mixed. Pour over berries. Bake at 450 degrees for 15 minutes, then reduce heat to 350 and bake for another 30-45 minutes or until custard is set.

S'mores Pie

I made this pie for Pi Day in March. There has been a lot of s'mores stuff going around online that I had been wanting to try, so this was the best one to start with! It was ridiculously sinful, but definitely tasty! It's also quite messy-I listened to the original poster and didn't try to cut into it when it's still warm. If you even attempt, you'll see how messy it is.

Before:

After:

S'more Pie-adapted from Tasty Kitchen

Total Time: 25 Minutes

Serves 6

• 1 stick butter, softened
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 cup flour
• 1 cup graham cracker crumbs
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 7 ounces marshmallow creme
• 8 chocolate bars
• 1 cup miniature marshmallows
• 1/4 cups chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and spray a 9 inch pie pan with baking spray.

In a large bowl, beat butter and sugar until combined. Add in egg and vanilla. Stir in flour, graham cracker crumbs and baking powder.

Divide the dough in half, and press half into the bottom and up the sides of the pie pan. Evenly spread the marshmallow creme over the bottom crust. Separate the chocolate squares and place on top. Sprinkle with miniature marshmallows.

Using the remaining crust pat sections of dough on top and around the marshmallows. Sprinkle with chocolate chips and bake 20 minutes until lightly browned. Cool completely before cutting.

Triple Berry Pie

I asked if there was anything my dad wanted me to make him for Father's Day and of course he asked for a berry pie! For as long as I can remember, he has loved a good berry pie. I always used to take day-old pies home from Perkins for him when we were going to throw them out! The pie crust needed 2-5 more tablespoons of water than originally mentioned, but I made it work!

Triple Berry Pie

Triple Berry Pie-adapted from AllRecipes
Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
Serves 8
For Double Pie-Crust

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2/3 cup shortening, chilled
• 8-10 tablespoons cold water

Three-Berry Filing

• 1 cup fresh strawberries, halved
• 2 cups fresh raspberries
• 1 1/2 cups fresh blueberries
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 3 tablespoons cornstarch

Combine the flour and salt. Using a pastry blender, cut in the shortening until the pieces are the size of small peas. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon of the water over part of the mixture, then gently toss with a fork. Repeat, using 1 tablespoon of water at a time, until all is moistened. Divide the dough in half. Form each half into a ball and flatten slightly and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

Transfer one piece of dough to a lightly floured surface. Roll the dough from the center to the edges to form a 12-inch circle. Place on a 9-inch pie plate. Ease the crust into the pie plate, being careful not to stretch it. Trim the bottom crust evenly with the rim of the pie plate, and return the pastry-lined pie plate to the refrigerator.

In a large mixing bowl, stir together the sugar and cornstarch. Add the strawberries, raspberries, and blueberries; gently toss until berries are coated. Allow fruit mixture to stand for about 15 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Place a baking sheet in the oven to preheat. Keep this under where you will have the pie pan to prevent any berries from spilling over and burning in your kitchen!

Roll out the remaining pastry for the top crust. Stir the berry mixture and pour the filling into the pastry-lined pie plate. Place the top crust over the pie and trim the edges, leaving a 1/2-inch overhang. Fold the top crust under the bottom crust, pressing lightly to seal. Crimp the edges of the crust and cut vents in the top to allow steam to escape. To prevent over-browning, cover the edge of the pie with foil.

Bake in the preheated oven for 25 minutes. Remove the foil. Bake for an additional 20 to 30 minutes, or until the filling is bubbling and the crust is golden. Cool on a wire rack.

Almond Streusel Apple Pie

Apple pie isn't my favorite pie in the world. But caramel apple pie is close. The one from Perkins with the streusel on top was amazing when I used to work there. This pie perfected that recipe but with almond as the added toping. I actually think I might add almond extract to all my apple pies! It was great!

Almond Streusel Apple Pie-Adapted from Betty Crocker's Fall Baking
Total Time: 2 hour, 5 minutes
Serves 8

• 1 refrigerated pie crust
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon almond extract
• 7 cups (about 7 medium) thinly sliced peeled apples

For the Streusel

• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/4 cup cold butter, cut into pieces

Heat oven to 425 degrees. Place pie crust in 9-inch glass pie plate. In large bowl, mix all filling ingredients except apples. Stir in apples until coated. Spoon into crust-lined pie plate.

In small bowl, mix all streusel ingredients with pastry blender until crumbly. Sprinkle over apples.

Bake 35 to 45 minutes, covering entire surface of pie with foil for the last 15 to 20 minutes to prevent overbrowning, until apples are tender and juice is bubbly. Cool completely, about 1 hour.

Pastry for Double Crust Pie

This is the homemade crust for the apple pie I made tonight. I don't think it was too hard, and when I have the time, I plan on making my own crust for pies!  I didn't have a pastry blender, so I just used my hands. They are apparently pretty inexpensive, so I will probably go buy one in the near future! This is also from Better Homes & Gardens.

Pastry for Double Crust Pies
Total Time: 15 minutes
Servings: 2 9-inch pie crusts

• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 2/3 cup shortening
• 8 to 10 tablespoons cold water

In a medium bowl stir together four and salt. Using a pastry blender, cut in shortening until pieces are pea size.

Sprinkle 1 tablespoon of the water over part of the flour mixture; toss with a fork. Push moistened pastry to side of bowl. Repeat moistening flour mixture, using 1 tablespoon of the water at a time, until flour mixture is moistened. Divide pastry in half; form halves into balls.

On lightly floured surface, use your hands to slightly flatten one pastry ball. Roll it from center to edges into a circle 12 inches in diameter. 

Wrap pastry circle around the rolling pin. Unroll pastry into a 9-inch pie plate. Ease pastry into pie plate without stretching it. Trim pastry even with rim of pie plate. Transfer desired filling to pastry-lined pie plate.

Roll remaining ball into a circle 12 inches in diameter. Cut slits in pastry. Place pastry circle on filling; trim to 1/2 inch beyond edge of plate. Fold top pastry under bottom pastry. Crimp edge as desired. Bake as directed in recipes.

Apple Pie

I don't know if I have ever made a pie before by myself. As I was making this pie, I was reminded of the fifth grade. One of the perks of being a 5th grader at Greenwood Elementary was that you spent a whole day making apple pies. You and a few classmates did all of it with the help of some parents. I specifically remember my mom was one of those parents, and part of her duties was to take some of the pies home and bake them for us. In doing this, some of the juice from the apples got onto our oven and caught fire!  I honestly don't remember what our pie tasted like, but I remember that part of the story!

As far as this pie goes...like I said I've never really made one completely from scratch before. I even made the pie crust! If you didn't have the time, or didn't want to make a pie crust from scratch, you can buy the pre-made stuff form the grocery store. I think this all turned out phenomenal, and I'm super proud of myself!  Yeah, it takes a little while, but I would definitely make it again! I didn't use the lemon juice or the cranberries in this recipe. Below are also instructions if you would like to freeze the pies (before or after baking!). This is from Better Homes & Gardens New Cookbook.

Apple Pie
Total Time: 1 1/2 hours
Servings: 8 slices

• 1 recipe pastry for double-crust pie
• 6 cups thinly sliced, peeled cooking apples (about 2 1/2 pounds)
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice (optional)
• 3/4 cups sugar
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/3 cup dried cranberries (optional)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Prepare and roll out pastry for double crust pie. Line a 9-inch pie plate with a pastry circle.

If desired, sprinkle apples with lemon juice. In a large bowl stir together sugar, flour, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Add apple slices and, if desired, cranberries. Gently toss until coated.

Transfer apple mixture to the pastry-lined pie plate. Trim bottom pastry to edge of pie plate. Cut slits in remaining pastry circle; place on filling and seal. Crimp edge if desired.

If desired, brush top pastry with milk and sprinkle with additional sugar. To prevent over-browning cover edge of pie with foil. Bake for 40 minutes. Remove foil. Bake 20 minutes more or until fruit is tender and filling is bubbly. Cool on wire rack. To sere warm, let pie cool at least 2 hours.

To freeze a baked fruit pie: Let it cool completely. Place it in a freezer bag for up to 4 months. To serve, thaw the pie at room temperature.

To freeze an unbaked fruit pie: Before assembling, treat light-color fruit with ascorbic-acid color keeper. Assemble pie in a metal pie pan. Place in a freezer bag; seal, label, and freeze for up to 4 months. To bake, unwrap frozen pie; cover with foil. Bake in a 450 degree oven for 15 minutes. Reduce temperature to 375 degrees; bake 15 minutes. Uncover; bake for 55 to 60 minutes or until filling is bubbly and crust is golden.