Sweets For My Sweetie

Guess who is getting a special Valentine's treat?

Cookie Dough Cream Pie

For crust:
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1 1/2 cups chocolate wafer cookie crumbs,
         finely ground in a food processor

Mix together with a fork and press into the bottom 
and up sides of a 9" pie pan. Bake 8 minutes at 350
degrees. Cool completely.

For Cookie Dough:
1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed
2 tablespoons milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup mini semisweet chocolate chips

Beat butter and sugars with an electric mixer for 2-3 minutes, until light and fluffy. Add milk and vanilla. Add flour and salt and mix on low until incorporated. Stir in chocolate chips. Press cookie dough into cooled crust to about 1/2 inch thick. (You will have extra dough to bake as cookies) Refrigerate pie while preparing cream filling.

For cream Filling:
3/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
1/3 cup flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups whole milk, divided
3 egg yolks
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Whisk together brown sugar, flour, and salt in a saucepan. Add 1 cup of the milk and whisk until smooth. Bring mixture to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. Continue to stir until mixture is smooth and thickened, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat. In a heatproof bowl, beat egg yolks with the remaining 1 cup milk. Temper the yolks by adding the warm milk mixture to the eggs, a little at a time, stirring after each addition. Repeat until about half of the milk mixture has been added and egg mixture is warm to the touch. Pour into saucepan and stir to combine. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly; reduce heat to low and simmer until mixture has the consistency of thick pudding, about 1 minute. Remove from heat and stir in butter and vanilla. Let cool 5 minutes. Pour filling over chilled cookie dough, leveling the top. Refrigerate until set, at least 3 hours.

For Whipped Topping:
1 cup heavy cream
3 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Whip heavy cream with an electric mixer until it begins to form soft folds. Add sugar and vanilla and beat until cream holds stiff peaks. Spread over chilled filling. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

There are a lot of steps to making this pie, 

but isn't your Sweetie worth it? 

Happy Valentines Day!

 
Recipe from The Cookie Dough Lover's Cookbook by Lindsay Landis

No "Pie Gene" From Me

My family takes turns hosting the holidays, and it's my sister that gets the honor this year. Since my sister is the hostess, she assigns what each of us brings to the table. This year I bring hot vegetables and a pie. If you read Santa Lives In Our Neighborhood (posted August 9, 2012) you know we have the vegetable taken care of, now on to the pie. I have accumulated a pretty vast collection of cookbooks and I chose a recipe from The Hershey's Homemade cookbook. Since my family did not aquire the "I like pie gene" from me, most pies were out of the question, but anything chocolate is a hit with my gang.

Chocolate Marble Cheesepie

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup Hershey's Cocoa
• 1 can (14 oz.) sweetened condensed milk (not evaporated milk), divided
• 3 teaspoons vanilla extract, divided
• 4 packages (3 oz. each) cream cheese, softened, divided
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
•   CHOCOLATE CRUMB CRUST (recipe follows)
•   Chocolate curls (optional)

1. Stir together cocoa and 2/3 cup sweetened condensed milk in small saucepan. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until mixture is smooth and very thick. Remove from heat; stir in 1 teaspoon vanilla.
2. Beat 2 packages cream cheese in small bowl until fluffy; add cocoa mixture, beating until well blended. Cool thoroughly.
   
3. Beat remaining 2 packages cream cheese in medium bowl until fluffy. Gradually beat in remaining sweetened condensed milk, lemon juice and remaining 2 teaspoons vanilla. Alternately spoon vanilla and chocolate mixtures into prepared pie crust; gently swirl with knife or spatula for marbled effect. Refrigerate 8 hours or until firm. Garnish with chocolate curls, if desired. 6 to 8 servings.
   
   CHOCOLATE CRUMB CRUST: Stir together 1-1/4 cups graham cracker crumbs, 1/4 cup HERSHEY'S Cocoa and 1/4 cup sugar in medium bowl. Stir in 6 tablespoons melted butter or margarine. Press mixture firmly on bottom and up sides of 9-inch pie plate; refrigerate about 2 hours before filling.