This recipe is fun and full of bright flavor!  The crunch of the crust and the smooth filling is a nice combination!  This recipe comes from America’s Test Kitchen.

Raspberry Chiffon Pie

Easy Press-In Pie Crust

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

8 tablespoons butter, softened

2 ounces cream cheese, softened

Grease a 9-inch pie plate.  Whisk the flour, sugar and salt in a bowl.

In a large bowl beat the butter and cream cheese together, about 2 minutes.  Beat in the flour mixture until it resembles coarse crumbs, about 20 seconds.  Increase mixer to high speed and beat until the dough begins to dorm large clumps, about 30 seconds.

Transfer 3 tablespoons of the dough to a small bowl.  Turn the remaining dough clumps out onto a lightly four surface, gather into a ball, and flatten into a 6-inch disk.  Transfer to prepared pie plate.

Press the dough evenly over the bottom of the pie plate and up the sides with your hands.

Roll out the 3 tablespoons of remaining dough into a long rope.

Arrange the roll onto the top of the pie plate and squeeze to the pie shell to make a uniform edge.

Crimp the edges with fingers to finish.  Chill for at least 30 minutes before baking.

Heat the oven to 375 degrees.  Line the chilled crust with parchment and fill with pie weights.  Bake for 25 minutes.  Remove weights and parchment and continue to bake for 10-15 longer until golden brown.  Let cool to room temperature.

Fruit Layer

2 cups (10 ounces) frozen raspberries

3 tablespoons pectin

1 1/2 cups organic sugar

pinch of salt

1 cup fresh raspberries

Cook the frozen raspberries in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until the berries begin to release their juice, about 3 minutes.  Stir in pectin and bring to a boil, stirring constantly.  Stir in the sugar and slat and continue to boil, stirring constantly, until slightly thickened, about 2 minutes.  Strain the mixture through a fine mesh strainer into a medium bowl, pressing on the solids to extract as much puree as possible; discard the solids.

Transfer 1/3 cup of the raspberry puree to a small bowl and cool to room temperature.  Gently fold in the fresh berries into the remaining puree, then spread the mixture into the baked and cooled pie crust.

Chiffon Layer

3 tablespoons raspberry flavored gelatin

3 tablespoons boiling water

3 ounces cream cheese, softened

1 cup heavy cream, chilled

Dissolve the gelatin in the boiling water in a large bowl.  Add the cream cheese and reserved 1/3 cup raspberry puree and beat with an electric mixture on high speed until smooth.  Add the cream and beat on medium-low until incorporated, about 30 seconds.  Increase the speed to high and beat until very thick, about 2 minutes.  Spread the chiffon evenly into the pie on top of the fruit layer.  Cover pie loosely with plastic wrap and chill until the filling is set and firm, about 3 hours.

Topping

1 1/4 cup heavy whipping cream, chilled

2 tablespoons sugar

Before serving, whip the cream and sugar with an electric mixer on medium-high speed until frothy, about 1 minute.  Increase mixer speed to high and continue to whip until cream forms soft peeks. Spread whip cream over pie and serve.

Creamy and sweet with a hint of caramel makes this pie heavenly!  It’s chocolate cookie crust finishes it off with a delicious crunch!  This recipe is from Martha Stewart’s Pies and Tarts cookbook.

Chocolate Caramel Silk Pie

Rich Chocolate Pie Crust

1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/3 cup organic sugar

2 tablespoons Dutch processed cocoa

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

6 tablespoons cold butter, cut into small pieces

3 large eggs

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

In a food processor, pulse flour, sugar, salt and cocoa.  Add butter and pulse just until mixture resembles coarse meal.  Add yolks and vanilla, pulse until mixture just begins to hold together.  Shape dough into disk.  Wrap in plastic and chill until firm for 1 hour up up to 2 days.

Roll out dough onto floured surface into a 13-inch round, 18-inch thick.  Fit into 9-inch pie plate.  Trim dough, leaving a 1-inch overhang; tuck overhang under, flush with rim.  With the tip of an inverted spoon, press all along outer edge of dough.  Pierce bottom of shell all over with a fork.  Chill of freeze until firm, about 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line shell with parchment, and fill with pie weights.  Bake until edges begin to look dry, 20-22 minutes.  remove weights and parchment.  Bake until crust is darker around the edges and bottom looks dry, 10-12 minutes more.  Let cool completely on a wire rack.  Crust can be wrapped and stored overnight if needed.

For the Filling

3/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup cornstarch

3/4 teaspoon sea salt

2 1/2 cups milk

4 ounces bittersweet chocolate

4 large egg yolks

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 tablespoon water

1 1/4 cups cold heavy cream

Cocoa for garnishing

In a bowl, whisk together 1/2 cup sugar, the cornstarch,  and 3/4 teaspoon salt.  In a sauce pan over medium-high heat, combine milk and chocolate, stirring occasionally, until chocolate melts completely.   Whisk 1 cup hot milk mixture into sugar mixture until smooth.  Whisk milk-sugar mixture into remaining milk mixture in sauce pan.  Cook over medium, stirring constantly, until bubbly and thick, 4 to 5 minutes.

Whisk egg yolks in medium bowl until combined.  Whisk in milk mixture in a slow, steady stream.  return mixture to saucepan.  Cook over medium, stirring constantly, until it just begins to bubble, 1-2 minutes.  Pour through a fine sieve into a bowl and stir in vanilla.  Let custard cool, whisking occasionally, about 10 minutes.  Pour into crust.  Press plastic wrap on surface of custard.  Chill until set, 4 hours or up to 1 day.

Prepare an ice-water bath.  In a saucepan over medium-high heat, combine remaining 1/4 cup sugar, the water and a pinch of salt, stirring until teh sugar dissolves.  Cook, without stirring, until the mixture is amber.  Carefully pour 1/2 cup cream in a slow steady stream down the side of saucepan, whisking constantly, until smooth (caramel will bubble).  Place saucepan in ice-water bath, stirring occasionally, until cold, 20 minutes.

Beat remaining 3/4 cup cream until soft peaks form.  Gently fold caramel into whipped cream, and whisk until stiff peaks form.  Spread whipped cream over pie.  Garnish with a dusting of cocoa.  Serve of chill for up to 2 hours.

This is the ultimate apple pie!  It’s flavor beats all others!  I have many people tell me they don’t care for apple pie and then change their mind after eating a slice of this beauty!  There is something about baking it inside a brown paper bag that makes it taste so good!  Be sure to serve it with organic vanilla ice cream!

Brown Bag Apple Pie

Crust

1 1/2 cup flour

1 1/2 teaspoon sugar

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup organic canola oil

2 tablespoons milk

Mix all ingredients together in a medium size bowl.  Press into 9-inch pie plate.  Set aside.

Filling

4 cups peeled and sliced Granny Smith apples (about 6)

1/2 cup organic sugar

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

2 tablespoons flour

Mix all ingredients together, tossing lightly.  Pour into pie shell.  Heat oven to 350 degrees.

Topping

1/2 cup flour

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup butter

Cut butter into sugar and flour until crumbly.  Pour over apples in pie plate.

Place pie in large brown paper bag.

Seal bag by stapling shut.

Carefully place in heated oven.  Bake at 350 for 90 minutes.  Let cool on wire rack and serve.

These little devils are a divine knock off of Kneaders version!  I found the recipe from another blog called budgetgourmetmom.com.  I opted out of the red food coloring for the frosting and doubled the ganache topping to completely cover the brownies.

Chocolate Peppermint Brownies

Brownies

1 cup butter

1/2 cup dark chocolate chips

2 cups organic sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

4 large eggs

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350` and line a 9×13 pan with parchment paper.  Melt the chocolate and butter in a double broiler and cool.  Beat in sugar, eggs, vanilla and salt.  Whisk the flour and fold in the chocolate chips.  Pour into baking dish.  Bake for 25 minutes.

Frosting

1/2 cup butter, softened

2 cups powdered sugar

1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract or 10-20 drops peppermint essential oil

2 drops red food coloring, optional

While the brownies are baking mix all ingredients together for the frosting in a medium size bowl and set aside.  Once the brownies are completely cooled spread the frosting onto them.

Ganache

1 cup chocolate chips

1 cup heavy whipping cream

1/2 cup crushed candy canes

In a double broiler melt the chocolate and cream.  Take off heat and let cool slightly.  Spread onto the frosting covered brownies.  Sprinkle with candy cane.  Chill for 2 hours and serve.

Salted Caramels are my husbands favorite treat… or one of them at least.  I make these for neighbor gifts around Christmas time, but they are wonderful anytime of the year!  This recipe comes from the Barefoot Contessa.  It’s very simple and practically fool proof!  I am not a candy maker which says a lot about how easy it really is!  All you need is a candy thermometer which can be purchased just about anywhere for around $5.

Salted Caramels