Mile High Mississippi Mud Pie

Remember how I said I was horrible at making layered cakes? Ok, so maybe just ones that involve various types of layers. When Stephen begged me to make this Mississippi Mud Pie from the Baked Explorations cookbook, I was really hesitant! It's not often that he requests that I make a dessert for him, or at least a very specific and complicated one :) But I wanted to give it a try, so I shopped for the ingredients and told him that if he would help me tackle it, I'd be happy to do it. The book has the recipe split up it steps, but I've made some adjustments to help things flow a little more smoothly (I love to simplify recipes and make it easier on home cooks). I also added a few ingredients and cut down the portions of others. I think that with these changes it turned out to be one tasty pie! I mean, look at all of those layers, how could you go wrong?! Oreo crust, flourless chocolate chip cake, dark chocolate pudding, marshmallows and homemade whipped cream... mmm. Stephen loved how dark and rich it was and I did too! I know the picture above is a little less than perfect, but it's mud pie right? It's bound to get a little messy when you cut into it!

Mile High Mississippi Mud Pie
Ingredients
Crust:

2 c. (16 oz.) Oreos, about 40 individual cookies, finely crushed
6 tbsp. butter, melted

Flourless chocolate chip cake:

1 c. sugar

6 oz. dark chocolate (60-70%), chopped
¼ c. warm water + 1 tbsp. espresso powder (dissolved in water)

4 tbsp. (½ stick) butter
6 eggs, separated

¼ tsp. salt

1 tbsp. vanilla

½ c. semi-sweet chocolate chips

Dark chocolate pudding:

¼ c. + 2 tbsp. sugar

¼ c. dark unsweetened cocoa powder
2 tbsp. cornstarch
1½ tbsp. butter
2 egg yolks

1¼ c. milk

¹⁄₈ tsp. salt
1 tsp. vanilla
1½ oz. dark chocolate (60-70%), chopped

1½ c. miniature marshmallows, set aside for assembly

Homemade whipped cream:

1 c. heavy cream

1 tbsp. granulated or powdered sugar

½ tsp. vanilla

pinch of salt

DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Lightly spray a 9" springform pan with baking PAM, then line with parchment paper, lightly spray again with PAM, set aside.
2. In a food processor or blender, grind cookies until they become fine crumbs. Place crumbs into a medium size mixing bowl and pour melted butter over top. Mix with a spatula until the crumbs are coated.
3. Firmly press crumb mixture into the bottom and sides of the springform pan, leaving about ½" inch between the top of the crust and top of the pan. It may take several minutes, but you want to make sure it's thin, even and it climbs up those sides! Place crust in oven and bake for 8 minutes, remove and allow to cool.
4. Meanwhile, to make the flourless cake, increase oven to 350 degrees.
5. Using a double boiler, melt butter and chocolate, mixing until smooth. Remove from heat and set aside to cool.
6. In a 1 c. glass measuring cup, dissolve espresso powder in warm water. Add salt and vanilla, set aside.
7. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment (note: I have two KitchenAid bowls so I used one for the whites and one for the yolks), beat the egg whites until foamy, about 2 minutes. Gradually increase speed to high and slowly add ½ c. sugar, beating until soft peaks form. If you've got the ice cream cone top when you lift your whisk out, you've gone too far! Set aside.
8. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, beat the egg yolks with the remaining ½ c. sugar until the eggs are light and have almost doubled in volume, about 3-4 minutes. Add the cooled chocolate mixture and beat until just combined. Scrape down sides and bottom of bowl and with mixing speed on low, add the coffee mixture. Beat until just combined.
9. Remove the bowl from the stand and gently fold in 1 c. of the beaten egg whites. After about 30 seconds of gentle folding, add remaining egg whites and continue folding until almost completely combined, do not overmix.
10. Pour the batter into the cooled crust, gently sprinkle chocolate chips over top and place in oven to bake for 38 to 40 minutes. The cake will have a semi-crisp top and will still jiggle a bit. Remove from oven and allow to cool to room temperature. The center and edges of the cake will fall- this is normal. Once the cake is cool, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 hours.

11. While the cake is baking, to make the pudding, in a medium saucepan, whisk together sugar, cocoa powder, cornstarch, salt, egg yolks and milk. Whisk until no clumps remain. Set pan over medium heat. Whisking constantly, bring mixture to a boil. Once the mixture has boiled it will begin to thicken immediately. Cook for one minute then remove from heat. 

12. Whisk in chocolate chunks, butter and vanilla. Pour into a bowl and let sit for 15 minutes before covering with plastic wrap (directly onto the surface of the pudding to prevent a skin from forming) and placing in the refrigerator for 2 hours.

13. While cake and pudding are cooling, to make the whipped cream, in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat together all ingredients for 1-2 minutes until soft peaks begin to form. We like our whipped cream extra firm so we go until stiff peaks. Remove whipped cream from bowl, transfer to a smaller bowl, cover and refrigerate until needed.

14. Once the cake and the pudding have cooled for two hours (really you can let them go longer if you want), remove from refrigerator and spread the pudding over the top of the cake in an even layer. Gently press the marshmallows into the top of the pudding. Spread the whipped cream over the marshmallows, filling in the cracks and spreading until smooth. Refrigerate for 2 more hours before serving.

Adapted from Baked Explorations, Mississippi Mud Pie | Makes one 9" round cake or approximately 8-12 servings

Maple Pecan Pie Bars

Well, the big day is almost here! Thanksgiving is tomorrow and I've been running around like crazy trying to get things ready. Tonight after work I'm coming home and making croissants, apple pie and mini chocolate raspberry cheesecakes (per Stephen's request). So much to do, so little time. Isn't that how it always is? I decided to start my baking early this year, mainly because of work and other obligations, but also because I don't want to wake up at 6am tomorrow just to spend the rest of the day in a hot kitchen. I love to bake, but I love to sleep even more. With that said, I made these maple pecan pie bars a few days ago. I figured we could snack on them throughout the week and then really savor the pie and cheesecake come turkey day. This recipe is great because you don't have to worry about making the perfect crust (kind of a big deal if you are like me and hate to flute the edges). I decided to add maple syrup to these to give them a little extra flavor and I think it did the trick! If you're looking for a quick & easy alternative to pie, give these a try, I think you're going to like them!

Maple Pecan Pie Bars
Ingredients
8 tbsp. (1 stick) butter
1 cup packed light brown sugar
¼ c. corn syrup

2 eggs
2 tbsp. heavy cream

3 tbsp. maple syrup

1 tsp. vanilla bean paste

Pinch of salt
2 c. pecans, chopped

For the crust:

2½ c. all-purpose flour
⅓ c. sugar
⅓ c. brown sugar, packed
16 tbsp. (2 sticks) butter, softened
½ teaspoon salt

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9x13" pan with foil, leaving a 2" overhang on all sides, this will help you remove them from the pan.
2. In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat together butter, sugars, and salt until fluffy. With mixing speed on low, gradually add the flour and mix until it resembles coarse crumbs. Press the crust into the prepared pan. Prick a few times with a fork. Place in oven to bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown.
3. Meanwhile, to prepare the filling, in a medium size saucepan over low heat, melt butter. Once the butter has melted, add brown sugar, corn syrup, heavy cream, vanilla, maple syrup and salt. Turn heat up to medium and cook for 2-3 minutes (or until the sugar has dissolved and it begins to simmer). Remove from heat and allow to cool for 5 minutes. Once mixture has cooled, add eggs and pecans. Mix until combined.

4. Pour the mixture into the hot crust. Bake for 20-22 minutes (be careful not to over-bake or the sides will get burned). Remove from oven and allow to cool in pan for 30 minutes. Transfer to the freezer to chill for an additional 20 minutes. Remove, cut and serve.

Adapted from Epicurious, Pecan Pie Bars | Makes approximately 12-16 bars, depending on how you cut them

Apple Pie Cupcakes

 
This recipe is brought to you by yet another Willow Bird Baking challenge! This time we had to come up with a stuffed and frosted cupcake. Since it's fall and the husband and I both love pie but baking an entire one is just too much for us, I thought I'd make a cupcake version of an apple pie! Perfect, right?! I started off by using a cinnamon spiced cake, filling it with soft apples and topping it with some vanilla ice cream frosting and a crust crisp. These cupcakes are absolutely to die for! I don't know why I didn't think of this sooner. I love love love the snickerdoodle cupcakes I made a while back, and these are just a new and improved version of them! If you're curious about the vanilla ice cream frosting, I just melted a little bit of our favorite french vanilla bean ice cream and used it in place of heavy cream or milk. It adds a little something extra to it! Enjoy!

Apple Pie Cupcakes

Ingredients

¾ c. all-purpose flour

¾ c. cake flour
¾ c. + 2 tbsp. sugar

½ c. (1 stick) butter, room temperature

⅔ c. whole milk

2 eggs

1½ tsp. baking powder

¼ tsp. salt

1¼ tsp. cinnamon

¼ tsp. allspice

1¼ tsp. vanilla extract

For the filling:

2 apples, peeled and diced

1 tbsp. brown sugar

1 tbsp. butter

¼ tsp. lemon juice

¼ tsp. cinnamon

For the vanilla ice cream frosting:

3 c. powdered sugar

½ c. (1½ sticks) butter, room temperature

¼ c. vanilla ice cream, melted (just let it sit at room temperature)

½ of a vanilla bean, scraped (or ½ tsp. vanilla bean paste)

pinch of salt

For the pie crisps:

Packaged pastry crust (not puff pastry), thawed

Turbinado sugar

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat the oven to 350° F.
2. Combine flours, baking powder, salt, allspice, and cinnamon in a medium bowl and whisk to combine.
3. In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the butter and sugar on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Beat in the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Blend in the vanilla.
4. With the mixer on low speed, add in the dry ingredients in three additions alternating with the milk, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients. Beat each addition just until incorporated.
5. Divide the batter evenly between the prepared cupcake liners, filling each three-quarters full. Bake, rotating the pans halfway through, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 16-18 minutes (do not over-bake or your cupcakes will be dry). Remove from oven and place tin on a wire rack. Allow to cool in tin for 5 minutes before transferring cupcakes to the wire rack.
6. Cut out circles from pastry, place on a parchment lined baking sheet. Sprinkle with turbinado sugar and bake for 8-12 minutes or until golden brown in color. Remove from oven and let cool on sheet.
7. Meanwhile, combine all filling ingredients into a medium saucepan over low heat. Cook apples until soft, about 6-8 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool.
8. To prepare buttercream, in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat together butter, vanilla, ice cream, and salt until smooth. With mixing speed on low, gradually add powdered sugar. Once the all of the powdered sugar has been added, turn the speed up to high and beat for 4-5 minutes until fluffy.
9. To assemble, using a cupcake corer or a knife, remove a chunk from the center of each cupcake- enough to put a generous amount of filling in there. Fill cupcakes with cooled apple mixture, then using a large ice cream scoop, place a scoop of frosting on top. Garnish with a pie crisp.
Adapted from Recipe Girl, Snickerdoodle Cupcakes | Makes 12 cupcakes

Mini Apple Pie A La Mode

After a few days of unpacking and cleaning, things are finally looking and feeling like home. We invited Stephen's brother over for dinner this past Sunday to enjoy our new space with us. I asked him what he'd like for dessert and he said something involving either ice cream or apple pie. So I broke out my Breville mini pie maker and went to work. I was a little unsure about how to make the filling tender, so I precooked it for 10-15 minutes until the apples began to soften. I scooped the filling inside, cooked the pies for about 10 minutes and they were ready to eat! These little guys are simple, delicious and absolutely perfect with a scoop of vanilla ice cream!

Mini Apple Pie(s)

Ingredients

1 package (2 rounds) Pillsbury pre-made pie crust

2 large Granny Smith apples, peeled and diced

2 tbsp. butter

1 tbsp. sugar

1 tbsp. brown sugar

¼ c. + 2 tbsp. heavy cream

¼ c. whole milk

¹⁄₈ tsp. vanilla

½ tsp. corn starch

½ tsp. cinnamon

¹⁄₈ tsp. ginger

¹⁄₈ tsp. nutmeg

¹⁄₈ tsp. all spice

DIRECTIONS:

1. In a large skillet over low heat, melt butter. Add apples and cook for 8-10 minutes. Sprinkle corn starch over top. Turn heat up to med-low. Add cream, milk, vanilla and sugars. Cook for 3-4 minutes until mixture begins to thicken.

2. Once mixture has thickened, add spices. Keep mixture over low heat while preparing pie crust.

3. Cut out shapes (4 tops, 4 bottoms). Place bottoms into heated pie maker. Press. Scoop ⅓ c. of mixture into each well. Place a top on each, close and bake for 10-12 minutes. Remove from pie maker and let cool for 5 minutes before serving.

Stephen + Natalie | Mini Pie Maker Recipe | Makes approximately 4 mini pies

Mini Banana Cream Pies

Banana cream pie is something I've never been a huge fan of, mainly because I prefer to eat bananas as a snack or in bread. But when I married my husband I discovered a new found love for banana pudding. His grandpa searched long and hard to find the perfect recipe, and he did. It doesn't have any artificial banana flavoring in it which is a huge plus in my book. The other day I decided to make mini banana cream pies using/adapting his recipe. Instead of layering wafers throughout, I opted for a Nilla wafer crust. They turned out perfect- sweet, creamy and full of real banana slices. Yum! Note: I used my mini tart pan to make my pies, but this recipe is for a standard 9" pie.

Banana Cream Pudding Pie

Crust:

3½ c. Nilla wafers

8 tbsp. (1 stick) butter, melted and cooled

2 tbsp. all-purpose flour

2 tbsp. sugar

Pinch of salt

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Place the wafers into a large ziplock bag and pound them with a rolling pin until they become coarse crumbs. 

3. In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine wafer crumbs, flour, sugar, salt and butter. Mix on low speed for 1 minute. 

4. Press moistened mixture into the bottom and up the sides of a 9" pie dish. Bake for 6-8 minutes or until golden brown. Remove and let cool completely before filling.

Filling:
1 (3 oz) pkg instant vanilla pudding
1 c. milk
½ can condensed milk
1 c. cold whipping cream
1½ bananas, sliced

Topping:

½ banana, sliced

¼ c. Nilla wafers

Whipped cream (optional)

DIRECTIONS:

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer with the whisk attachment on, whip cream until soft peaks begin to form. Remove from bowl and place in refrigerator.

2. Pour pudding package into the bowl, add milk and condensed milk. Beat for 1 minute on medium or until the mixture becomes smooth. Remove bowl and place in refrigerator for 10-15 minutes. 

3. Once mixture has set, fold in whipped cream. Pour ⅓ of the mixture into the pie dish. Place ½ of the bananas on top of the mixture. Pour another ⅓ and cover with bananas. Pour the remaining mixture over and smooth with a spatula.

4. Chill until ready to serve. Top with desired toppings and serve immediately.

Stephen + Natalie | Makes approximately 6-8 servings