Tag Archives: pie

Mile High Key Lime Pie

Posted on October 1, 2015 by Ruthanne

A Nilla Wafer crust filled with a creamy key lime pie and topped with piles and piles of sweet whipped key lime topping. If you love key lime pie, this is your new favorite recipe for it!!

I adore key lime pie. I love that tart and smooth pie filling. Whenever I get the opportunity, I try key lime pies, and I can honestly say that this is the best I’ve had…so far! This recipe is courtesy of my friends Chuck and Heather Lane. They pinched it from a newspaper article years ago that claimed it as the recipe of one of the fancier restaurants in Fort Wayne. We were out for dinner one night not long ago, and they started talking about this pie and I (of course!) asked for the recipe. They had made a few “tweaks” to it, and I honestly think it is perfect. My only disappointment with this recipe is the pictures I took of it. I wish I’d waited to cut it until it had chilled completely. It is BEAUTIFUL when it is cut chilled. Perfect layers of happiness.

Anyway. I digress. Here’s the recipe~ I hope you love it as much as I do! (printable version)

INGREDIENTS:

6 Tablespoons of butter, melted
2 cups of finely crushed Vanilla Wafers
2 3/4 cups of sweetened condensed milk (divided)
3 egg yolks
1 cup of key lime juice (divided)
1 large (16 oz) tub of Cool Whip (softened in fridge)

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 350F degrees
Mix together crushed vanilla wafers and melted butter until well combined. Press into a greased pie pan.
Beat egg yolks and add 1 3/4 cups of sweetened condensed milk and 1/2 cup of key lime juice.
Mix well and pour into crust.
Bake at 350F degrees for 20-25 minutes. Cool completely.
Beat together Cool Whip, 1 cup sweetened condensed milk, and 1/2 cup of key lime juice until smooth. It should have a nice shiny look.
Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
Top cooled pie with whipped topping and chill for several hours before cutting and serving.
Enjoy!

My thoughts: With the exception of squeezing a million little key limes, this is such an easy recipe~ and oh so delicious! My only tip: don’t cut into it until it is cold! 🙂 Enjoy! ~r

Other bits of key lime joy (click on photo to see recipe)

6 Comments

Posted in Pies and tagged best, easy pie recipe, fresh, key lime, key lime pie, key lime whipped topping, nilla wafer, Nilla wafer crust, pie, recipe, summer. Bookmark the permalink.

Pumpkin Pie Spice Cookies

Posted on November 15, 2014 by Ruthanne

These cute little pumpkin cutout cookies are chock-full of pumpkin spices and capture the tastes of fall in every bite!

I really dislike pumpkin pie. This time of year it is found everywhere! I’ve discovered that it is truly the pumpkin I dislike though- not the spices. These cookies offer all the yummy spices of pumpkin pie without a hint of actual pumpkin… plus they are cute as can be! These cookies can be cut into any shape you like and decorated accordingly. I had a hard time not eating them all up before I decorated them- so use frosting…or don’t…. maybe just cut them in circles and add a few sugar sprinkles to make them really easy!

Here’s how we made the cookies- and how we decorated them. (printable recipe)

INGREDIENTS:

2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter (softened)
1 1/2 cups of granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon of vanilla
1 teaspoon of butter flavoring
3 cups of flour
1 teaspoon of baking powder
1/2 teaspoon of salt
2 Tablespoons of pumpkin spice seasoning

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 350F degrees.
In a large mixing bowl, cream together butter and sugar until smooth.
Add eggs, vanilla and butter flavoring and mix well.
Add all dry ingredients and mix until able to knead into a firm ball of dough (add additional flour if necessary).
Roll out on a floured counter with a flour coated rolling pin to desired thickness.
Cut using a large (I used a 6″) round cookie cutter
Use a knife or pizza cutter to divide circle into even triangle “pie” pieces.
Place cookies on ungreased cookie sheets and bake at 350F degrees for 8 to 10 minutes.
Slide baked cookies onto parchment paper to cool completely.
To decorate, use royal icing (so it will harden into a firm shell) my recipe for that is here.
Use thicker icing to outline the shape of the cookie and then flood the inside of the outline with thinner icing.

Allow icing to harden up and then make the “crust” by using royal icing colored to match the cookies and swirling a loose “m” pattern across the end of each cookie.
Use a star tip to add a little white icing as “whipped cream”

Note: I wanted to add some cute factor to these yummy cookies and saw sugar cookies done as slices of pie on a REALLY fun blog called sweetsugarbelle.com. She does a GREAT job of showing the decorating process step-by-step, and I highly recommend you visit her site if you decide to make these cookies in slice form. The hardest part is the crust. I’m NOT a cake decorator and I really had to practice to get the crust to look acceptable. Her pictures and instruction were a big help! Plus the rest of this site is so addictive. Beautiful creations! Love it!

My thoughts: YUM. Seriously yummy cookies. If you are up for a challenge make them into pie slices, but if you just want some simply delicious and EASY cookies just cut these into fun fall or Christmas shapes and sprinkle with a little colored sugar. Don’t omit that butter flavoring- you can find it with other flavors and extracts at the grocery- it adds such a yummy flavor! Hope you get a chance to try these!!! Enjoy! ~r

Other fun Thanksgiving recipe ideas~ click on a photo to see the recipe:

16 Comments

Posted in Cookies and tagged autumn, cutout cookies, dessert, fall, pie, pie slice cookies, pumpkin, pumpkin pie, pumpkin pie cookies, pumpkin spices, recipe, royal icing, sugar cookies, thanksgiving, whipped cream. Bookmark the permalink.

Kool Aid Pie!

Posted on August 15, 2014 by Ruthanne

With a fruit cereal crust and sweet, creamy Kool Aid filling, this cake will have you and every child in your life asking for seconds!

This recipe is made in a springform pan- like a cheesecake. The crust is made of crushed Trix Cereal and I made my filling with watermelon Kool Aid. It was perfect with the sweet crust and slightly tart filling. The cool thing? You can use ANY flavor of Kool Aid you want! Blue Raspberry, Green Apple, Cherry, Grape, Strawberry….ANYTHING!

So. Much. Fun!!!!!!!!!

Here’s how we made it: (for a printable recipe, click here)

INGREDIENTS:

6 cups of Trix Cereal (crushed into about 3 cups)
1 stick (1/2 cup) butter (melted)
3 Tablespoons of sugar
1 package (8 oz) of Philadelphia Cream Cheese (softened to room temperature)
1 packet of Kool Aid drink mix (any flavor~ if you use a lemonade, add it to taste, as it will be more tart than the other flavors)
1 (13 oz) jar of Jet-Puffed Marshmallow Creme
1 tub (8 oz) of Cool Whip (thawed in refrigerator)

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 350F degrees
In a large mixing bowl, combine crushed cereal, sugar and melted butter. Mix until well- combined,
Press into an un-greased, 8″ springform pan, pressing crumbs up sides and into bottom.
Bake at 350F degrees for 15-18 minutes.
Leave sides on pan, and cool completely.

Make filling by creaming together the cream cheese with the Kool Aid. Add Kool Aid according to how much flavor, color and tartness you enjoy. I added the whole packet, and YUM!
Mix in the entire container of Marshmallow Creme and blend well.
Fold in 1/2 of the Cool Whip until well blended.
Carefully spoon filling into cooled cereal crust, and very gently (as to not pick up crumbs of cereal), spread it to the edges.
Spoon remaining Cool Whip on top.
Store chilled, and just before serving remove sides of pan, and sprinkle extra cereal on top.

My thoughts: The only thing even a tiny bit hard about this recipe is pressing that crust into a springform pan. The rest is just mixing and pouring. So easy- but such a pretty and fun dessert. The watermelon version I made got RAVE reviews and it was gone in one evening. Almost everyone had seconds! I wasn’t sure how well the watermelon flavor would go over, but it was so refreshing! I loved it! I hope you get a chance to try this easy summer recipe! Enjoy!!! ~r

More recipes that kids will love:

13 Comments

Posted in Cakes, Pies and tagged cake, cereal, cereal crust, cool whip, dessert, fun, idea, kids, kool-aid, party, philadelphia cream cheese, pie, recipe, springform pan, summer, Trix cereal. Bookmark the permalink.

Mini S’mores Pies

Posted on July 18, 2014 by Ruthanne

Rich dark chocolate pie in a graham crust, topped with marshmallow meringue. S’mores with a new, fun look!

Everyone loves these flavors together.

Don’t they?

It just occurred to me that someone might hate s’mores.

Ok, well I don’t personally know anyone who doesn’t just adore this flavor combination. I LOVE them, and crave them, and sometimes cheat by making them in the microwave when it’s snowing and a campfire is out of the question!

These little pies capture the flavor of a s’more, but add a rich chocolate flavor that is incredibly delicious, and can’t be had with just 2 squares of Hershey’s chocolate. Or four squares… sometimes I use four. Don’t tell.

Here’s how these simple little treats are made: (printable version)

INGREDIENTS: (makes 12 mini pies)

12 pre-made mini graham cracker crusts.
1 cup of Ghirardelli Bittersweet chocolate chips (melted)
1 cup of Ghirardelli Semi-sweet chocolate chips (melted)
8 eggs (divided)
5 Tablespoons of heavy whipping cream
2 Tablespoons of vanilla
2 cups of granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon of cream of tartar

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 350F degrees.
Divide eggs, keeping ALL of the 8 egg whites and only 5 of the yolks.
Place the melted chocolate, 5 egg YOLKS, whipping cream and vanilla in a large mixing bowl and stir until well combined.
Evenly divide among all twelve mini pie crusts.
Bake (I put them all on a baking sheet) for 14-16 minutes, until the middle of each pie is set.
Make meringue while these bake, by adding all of the 8 egg WHITES, sugar and cream of tartar together in a medium heat-proof bowl that will sit on the top of a sauce pan of boiling water without touching the water. (I had to experiment a bit to find a good fit.)
Bring water to a boil in the saucepan and set the bowl on top.
Whisk ingredients together for about 3-4 minutes. Sugar will be dissolved and egg whites should be heated to 145F degrees.
Remove bowl from top of sauce pan and beat on low until the mixture thickens a little, then beat on high for about 10 minutes. The meringue will become the most beautiful, white, glossy mixture. It should form stiff peaks before you stop beating it.
Spoon all that wonderful marshmallow yumminess into a bag fitted with a decorating tip.
Once mini pies are removed from the oven, let them cool completely.
Pipe marshmallow meringue on the top of each pie and toast it with a kitchen torch.
Add a few graham cracker crumbs if you want, and enjoy!!!!

My thoughts: These are delicious. You can see from my pictures that I didn’t beat my meringue as long as I should have. The are not the tall swirls of happiness I wanted them to be…. it was only my second time making meringue though, so I guess I won’t beat myself up too much. My 1st time was perfect. If you want to see how fluffy it SHOULD be, click here. I LOVE this meringue. When you read the instructions you might think it is too hard to make- but once you do it, you will realize that it isn’t hard at all. Just a lot of time with a mixer in your hands. I hope you get a chance to try this recipe out! Enjoy! ~r

We like our chocolate and marshmallow here at easybaked… here are other recipes that feature that yummy combo:

13 Comments

Posted in Candy, Pies and tagged baking, best, chocolate, cream, desert, easy dessert, graham crackers, marshmallow, mini dessert, pie, recipe, s'mores, summer, sweets. Bookmark the permalink.

Christmas Eve Caramel Pecan Pie!

Posted on December 21, 2013 by Ruthanne

This easy pecan pie is full of warm and creamy caramel and nuts. A Christmas tradition at our house, it’s sure to be a big hit with your family!

Our family has had some odd Christmas eve traditions. Most notable among them: eating dinner at Arby’s before the Christmas Eve service at church. I’m not sure how that one got started, but it just wasn’t Christmas Eve without a roast beef sandwich in a cold and relatively lonely Arbys. Looking back, it was a little depressing I guess… empty restaurant, workers ready to go home, elevator-style Christmas music… but as a kid it was magical. Our whole family together on the eve of so many exciting things… eating roast beef.

After I left for college, my parents got new neighbors and this wonderful lady would knock on our door every year on Christmas Eve and bring us this pie, piping hot and oozing caramel. It became a new tradition and we all called it “Christmas Eve Pie”.

The neighbors have since moved, but whenever I taste this pie I am transported to happy memories of Christmas Eves past, enjoying this dessert with my family around me, watching “It’s a Wonderful Life” by the fire. As you enjoy your Christmas traditions with your family, I pray you are blessed with beautiful memories and delicious food! Merry Christmas dear friends!!!!
Here’s the recipe: (printable version)
INGREDIENTS:

one pie crust (use your own or get pre-made)

2/3 cup granulated sugar

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter (melted)

3 eggs

1 (12 oz) jar of caramel topping

1 1/2 cups (8 oz) pecan halves

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 350F degrees

Press pie crust into pie plate

In a large mixing bowl, beat eggs slightly with a fork.

Add sugar, stirring until dissolved

Stir in caramel topping and butter

Stir in pecan halves

Pour filling into pie shell

Bake at 350F degrees for 45 minutes, or until a knife inserted off-center comes out clean.

Serve warm, but chill to store.

Other Christmas recipes at Easybaked:

7 Comments

Posted in Pies and tagged baking, best, caramel, caramel sauce, christmas, dessert, family, holidays, pecan, pie, recipe, tradition, warm. Bookmark the permalink.

Creamy Chocolate Pie

Posted on November 16, 2013 by Ruthanne

This is a new take on a chocolate pudding pie. So incredibly rich in chocolate flavor that you will never go back to just plain pudding!

This week’s family recipe comes to us from Florida…or Yellowstone…or Peru….or wherever my wonderful adventurous Aunt Paula might be. She and my Uncle Jim have literally travelled the world and done the most interesting things. They are great story tellers and a family meal with them is a treasure.

I had never tried this recipe before, but Paula and Jim submitted it to our family cookbook and titled it “The Best Chocolate Pie in the World”. How can you resist trying a pie with a name like that?!??

The chocolate flavor in this pie filling is extraordinarily good. Very rich and dark. I’m really not a pie person (check the rest of this blog….not too many pies…) but this one is worth trying, it’s very yummy!

Here’s is the recipe: (printable version)

INGREDIENTS:

1 1/2 cups sugar
2 tablespoons cornstarch
5 tablespoons of cocoa
3 egg yolks, beaten
2 cups hot milk
1 stick (1/2 cup) butter. melted
1 1/2 teaspoons of vanilla

DIRECTIONS:

Prepare a graham cracker or a plain baked pie crust. Since I rarely make pie, I just used a refrigerated pie crust and baked it according to the package. If you have a favorite crust recipe, now’s the time.
In a large, heavy saucepan, combine dry ingredients together.
Heat milk over stove or in the microwave and add it gradually to the dry ingredients, stirring as you add.

Add butter and egg yolks and mix well.
Cook on stove over low heat until thickened, stirring constantly. (I did not allow mine to cook long enough the first time I made this and it didn’t firm up very well. Cook it until it is a very thick custard like consistency. Mine actually boiled before it thickened enough.)
Remove from heat
Mix in vanilla.
Pour into prepared pie crust and chill several hours or overnight.
Enjoy!

My thoughts: Such an easy way to get your chocolate fix! This pie is soooo good with a cup of coffee and a little whipped cream on top…YUM! Thank you for sharing your wonderful dessert with us Aunt Paula! Enjoy your latest Caribbean adventure!! ~r

The other lonely (yet yummy!) pie recipes of Easybaked:

14 Comments

Posted in Pies and tagged baked pie crust, baking, chocolate, chocolate flavor, chocolate pudding pie, christmas, cocoa, creamy, custard, dessert, family recipe, holiday, pie, pie crust, pudding, recipe, thanksgiving, whipped cream. Bookmark the permalink.

German Chocolate Pie

Posted on January 11, 2013 by Ruthanne

This rich chocolate pie is filled with creamy chocolate and coconut, and it is SO easy to make!

My apologies to those of you who have commented or asked questions here in the past few weeks~ the holidays got the better of me this year. I got terribly sick on Christmas day and my sweet little Casper got sick a week later. We are both still recovering, but SO much better! As one of my friends said, “You can tell she’s really sick when she doesn’t even want to bake!”

Poor Casper in his cone of shame!

This recipe just couldn’t be easier, and easy is what I needed this week! Our family likes to eat at a wonderful Amish restaurant called Das Dutchmen Essenhaus and they have a german chocolate pie there that is AMAZING. It is by far my favorite pie. I’ve been looking for recipes that come close to recreating this pie and so far I’ve had no luck duplicating it. This recipe is worth noting though, as it is easy and really yummy. It is sooooo rich- serve it with ice cream or whipped topping, and in small slices.

(this slice is too big!!!)

INGREDIENTS: (recipe taken from here)

1 8-ounce package Baker’s semi-sweet chocolate
1/4 cup butter or margarine
1 13-ounce can sweetened condensed milk
1-1/3 cups shredded coconut
3 eggs, slightly beaten
1/2 cup sugar
1 9-inch unbaked pie shell (you’ll need a deep-dish)
whipped cream or ice cream (optional, but this is so rich, you’ll need it)

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 400F degrees.
In a saucepan, melt chocolate and butter over medium heat.
Add sweetened condensed milk, coconut, eggs and sugar. Stir until blended.
Pour into unbaked pie shell (I used a frozen one, and the filling came all the way up to the top!)
Set pie on a cookie sheet and bake in a preheated 400 deg oven for 30 -40min.
Cool or serve warm with a dollop of whipped cream or ice-cream.
Store in refrigerator.

German Chocolate Pie!

My thoughts: A simple and delicious dessert, this is a great “need something at the last minute” recipe to have on hand. Enjoy!!!! ~r

Other pie recipes you might enjoy from Easybaked: (click on the image to be taken to the recipe)

33 Comments

Posted in Pies and tagged baking, chocolate, coconut, Das Dutchman Essenhaus, das dutchmen essenhaus, dessert, food, german chocolate, german chocolate pie, ice cream, pie, pie crust, rich chocolate pie, semi-sweet chocolate, unbaked pie shell, whipped topping. Bookmark the permalink.

Peppermint Ice Cream Pie

Posted on July 27, 2012 by Ruthanne

Creamy ice cream in a rich chocolate crust- a cold, refreshing and easy summer treat!

I love ice cream pie. My mom has been making these since I was little. It is less of a recipe and more of an idea because there is absolutely no baking involved. By far, this is the easiest dessert ever posted on this blog. Are you ready?

INGREDIENTS:

One half gallon of ice cream (any flavor- I used peppermint stick)
2 pre-made chocolate graham cracker crusts.
One jar of hot fudge sauce
Cool Whip topping (if desired)

DIRECTIONS:

Spoon all of ice cream into a large bowl and mix until softened.
Divide the ice cream evenly between the 2 pie crusts, spreading it in evenly to fill each crust.

Cover and freeze overnight.
Top with drizzles of Hot fudge and some Cool Whip topping when you serve it!

My thoughts: This is such an easy recipe to make ahead and keep in the freezer for a time when you need a dessert but don’t have time to make one. Quick and easy and so refreshing and yummy! Enjoy!!!!! -r

NOTE: This recipe will be automatically posted for me as I will be out of the country for a few weeks. I will be unable to answer your questions or respond to your comments during this time– my apologies ahead of time! I will catch up with all of you when I return! -r

5 Comments

Posted in Frozen desserts, Pies and tagged chocolate, chocolate graham cracker crust, dessert, hot fudge, ice cream, ice cream pie, party dessert, peppermint, peppermint ice cream, pie, summer dessert. Bookmark the permalink.

Chocolate Pecan Tart

Posted on June 2, 2012 by Ruthanne

This pecan tart with a hint of cocoa was inspired by my recent vacation to South Carolina.

I just got back from a trip to my cousin’s wedding in Raleigh and a family vacation in Myrtle Beach. Besides the pralines (MUST learn to make these), I was tempted by all the varieties of pecan pies in each restaurant we visited (bourbon, chocolate chip, caramel, cheesecake….)

I’m visiting dear friends tomorrow afternoon and since I’ve been obsessing over pecan pies I thought I’d better give in and make one tonight to share with them. I really think you’ll love this recipe. The tart pan makes it beautiful and the cocoa makes it so rich and flavorful. Plus it is really easy. Enjoy!

INGREDIENTS:

Refrigerated pie crust (or your own favorite recipe!)
4 T. butter
2 T. cocoa powder
1 c. corn syrup
3 eggs
1/2 c. dark brown sugar
2 T. vanilla
2 c. pecans (one cup chopped, one cup halves)

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Lightly grease a 9 inch tart pan with removable bottom. Line the pan with your crust, pressing it into the bottom and sides of pan and pricking the bottom a few times with a fork.
Melt butter on the stove in a saucepan.
Turn heat off and add the cocoa and corn syrup.
Lightly beat the eggs with the sugar and vanilla.
Stir egg mixture and one cup of chopped nuts into syrup.
Pour into crust and arrange the remaining pecans over the top.
Bake on a cookie sheet for 35-40 minutes (until the filling is just set).
Serve warm (with ice cream, I think!) or at room temperature.

My thoughts: This is a quick dessert and it is SO yummy! I’m laughing a little about how I have to cut a piece out of everything I make (for photography purposes, of course…) and how nothing I bring to share at a dinner ever looks pretty anymore. My friends look at my chopped up dessert, roll their eyes and say– oh yeah….BLOG photos… I hope you enjoy making this recipe. I’ll leave you tonight with a couple of beach photos. Enjoy!

My favorite pier at sunset….happy moment….

Appreciating the beach. Enjoy your week, friends!

14 Comments

Posted in Pies, Tarts and tagged chocolate, creative pecan pie, dessert, pecan and chocolate tart, pecan pie, pecan tart, pecans, pie, pie crust, recipe, sweets, tart. Bookmark the permalink.

Blackberry Tart

Posted on August 26, 2011 by Ruthanne

There’s nothing like fresh blackberries in August! I grew up picking berries in the woods behind our house- 4 cups made a pie. I loved berry picking and HATED the pie (I can’t stand my fruit cooked!) When I was home visiting family a week ago my mom and I went picking and I came home with a big bowl of fresh blackberries. I wanted to see if I could make a fresh (UNCOOKED!) berry pie with them and it turned out wonderfully! YUM!!!! I used a tart pan and had LOTS of filling left over since it was so shallow- I recommend making 2 tarts or a pie with this recipe.

INGREDIENTS:

Blackberries! (aren’t they beautiful?)- about 4 cups.
One refrigerated pie crust (for pie). (Two pie crusts for tarts.)
One small box (3oz.) of Jello- I used Blackberry Fusion- it was amazing- I’m sure Raspberry would work just fine if you can’t find the Blackberry.
One small box (3.4oz.) of Jello instant vanilla pudding
2 1/4 c. cold water
Cool Whip

DIRECTIONS:

Spread pie crust into the bottom of a pie plate or tart pan and cook as directed on package. Cool completely. (I really think this pie would taste great in a pre-made graham cracker crust if you want to make this recipe REALLY easy!)
In a medium saucepan mix together the jello, pudding and water. Cook over medium heat.
Bring mixture to a boil, stirring constantly.
Cool in refrigerator until slightly set.
Add berries and mix until all berries are incorporated (save a few out to decorate the top!!)
Spoon pie filling into crust(s) and chill overnight.
Before serving, spoon cool whip on top and decorate with fresh berries. YUM!!

My thoughts: You are going to LOVE this pie 🙂 Our berries were fairly tart and this pie was so sweet and tangy it was perfect! Since I had only prepared one tart crust I had left over filling that I spooned into cups. Just added Cool Whip and granola for a yummy breakfast treat. I love how firm the pie got– no runny cooked fruit here!

On a side note: My new obsession with food photography makes me laugh sometimes. I was trying to catch some natural light staying INSIDE (since it was hot enough to actually cook my fruit pie outside). I cleaned my kitchen floor, found a pretty placemat and a patch of good light and started taking pictures. When I finally looked up I had to laugh –and take a picture of my VERY obedient puppy: