POTLUCK PEANUT BUTTER PIE

If you are looking for a GREAT recipe for a holiday potluck, this is it. It is very quick and easy to make and disappears from the buffet table first, followed by lots of requests for the recipe.

You can double or even triple this recipe for a big crowd. These photos were taken recently when I made just 1/4 of the recipe since we are empty nesters. You'll just have to use your imagination for the 9 x 13 size.

CRUST
2 1/2 cups chocolate graham cracker crumbs
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup melted butter

Combine all crust ingredients and press into a 9 x 13 pan (pushing up the sides a little) and bake in preheated 375° oven for 10 minutes. Cool on wire rack before you add the filling.

FILLING
(2) 8 ounce packages of cream cheese, softened
2 cups creamy peanut butter  (see note)
2 cups sugar
2 tablespoons soft butter
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 cups whipping cream

In your stand mixer, beat the cream cheese until it is smooth, then add the peanut butter, sugar, butter and vanilla.  Beat until the mixture is very well mixed and smooth.

In a separate bowl, whip the cream until you get stiff peaks, then gently fold it into the peanut butter mixture by hand, making sure that it is well mixed and you don't see any streaks of white.

Pour filling over the baked crumb crust. Frost with additional whipped cream and chill the whole thing for 3-4 hours.

NOTE: OK......here's a warning.... if you are like me and you like to lick the beaters and spoons, you will notice sugar grains in the filling.....don't freak out. After it chills in the fridge for a couple of hours, they will totally disappear and the filling will be SILKY SMOOTH!! I promise.

 

 

ANOTHER NOTE: You would think that a recipe with TWO CUPS of peanut butter would be very heavy, but this dessert is light as air!!

NOTE: HALF of this recipe will fill a 9" pie plate perfectly.

This stuff is totally addicting!!

ENJOY !!!

NO WEEP MERINGUE

We love lemon meringue pie, but since we are "empty nesters" it takes us several days to eat the pie, and by then my meringue starts to "weep" a clear liquid that makes everything.......well, we throw it away when that happens.

Recently, I found a recipe online for a "No Weep Meringue" and it truly is, just that, it doesn't weep!! Not only does it taste excellent, but the pie has been in the fridge for three days now and not a DROP of liquid has appeared!! 

For the life of me I can't remember where I found this recipe, so I apologize to the original author. Where has this recipe been all my life!?!?!?

 

NO WEEP MERINGUE

1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons cold water

Bring this to a boil (whisking all the time) and cook until it gets very thick.  Remove from heat and set aside to cool to lukewarm.

In a large glass or stainless steel bowl (NO PLASTIC) beat three egg whites until they are thick and foamy (they shouldn't hold a peak yet).

With mixer on high, add 6 tablespoons sugar (one tablespoon at a time) beating well in between each addition. Add 1 teaspoon vanilla extract + a pinch of salt and beat until stiff and glossy.

With mixer running, add the lukewarm cornstarch mixture and beat on HIGH for 3-4 minutes.

Spread on filled and cooled 9" lemon pie.  Bake at 350° for about 10 minutes or until meringue peaks begin to turn golden.

Keep finished pie in fridge.

POT LUCK MINI CHERRY PIES

These "Grab-and-Go" mini cherry pies are perfect for large gatherings and family or church potluck dinners. The dough can be made days ahead and baked off when you have some "extra" time, which is a big help.

Guests (at least mine) seem to appreciate PIE at a potluck, but traditional pie can be messy to serve, especially for children. These little "two bite" beauties are perfect. This recipe makes 24 pies, but the recipe doubles easily.

 

 

CRUST

1/2 cup butter  (room temperature)
3 ounces cream cheese (room temperature)
1 cup flour

Mix with electric mixer (I use my stand mixer with paddle attachment) until you get a smooth dough. Wrap it in plastic and chill for about an hour (will also keep well in fridge for several days).

FILLING

(1)  14½ ounce can tart pie cherries packed in water
3/4 cup granulated sugar (divided)
2 tablespoons + 1 teaspoon corn starch
pinch of table salt
1/4 teaspoon almond extract (do not leave out)
1 teaspoon butter

Drain the cherries, reserving the liquid. Pulse the cherries in the food processor until fairly well chopped then drain again (I even press on the cherries a little to remove excess liquid): set aside.

 In a saucepan, combine 1/2 cup of the reserved cherry juice, HALF of the sugar, the cornstarch and a pinch of salt. Whisk till smooth and bring to a boil. When this mixture gets super thick (it will happen FAST once it starts to thicken), remove from heat and stir in the rest of the sugar, the chopped cherries, the almond extract and butter. Stir until well mixed; let cool while you form the crusts.

 Preheat oven to 375°. Cut the chilled dough into 24 pieces and roll each piece into a ball. Place one ball in each mini-muffin cup (no need to grease the pan).

Now, you have to use your fingers and push the dough across the bottom and up the sides of each mini-muffin space.  Better yet, if you have tart tamper or something similar, this step will go MUCH faster (just dip it in a little flour between each use).  I use the rounded end of the wooden tool that came with my Kitchen Aid meat grinder, it works absolutely perfectly. Try and get the crust edges just a little taller than the edges of each muffin cup (see 2nd photo).

Fill each mini-crust 2/3 full of the cherry filling. Bake at 375° for 20 minutes on the TOP RACK of your oven.   When the edges of the crust are light golden brown, they are done. 

IMPORTANT:
Don't try to remove the cooked pies from the pan right away. The filling stays hot for a while, so let them cool for a good 25 minutes or so. You can use a butter knife to help "lift" the pies out of the pan. 

BETTER YET: line the mini-muffin pan with mini-cupcake papers and that should solve any/all problems.

 

Delicious and FUN to Serve!!

BUTTERSCOTCH CREAM PIE

Picky-Picky husband has declared this pie his all time favorite. I like it because of the sweet and flaky crust, the true butterscotch flavor and the stabilized whipped cream topping (I guess it is my favorite too).

BLUE RIBBON SWEET AND FLAKY PIE CRUST  (three 10" crusts)

4 cups all purpose flour
1 3/4 cups butter flavored Crisco
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 egg  lightly beaten
1/2 cup cold water

Cut the butter flavored Crisco into the flour (I have never made this with butter, so I can't comment on that). When the Crisco is about the size of a small pea, add the rest of the ingredients and mix with your hands until it comes together in a ball. Cover and let sit on the counter for about 15 minutes before you roll it out.

Roll one third of the pie dough out and fit it into a 9" pie plate. Cut off excess and crimp the top edge. Prick the bottom of the pie dough with a fork (see note). Bake in pre-heated 425°F oven for 15-18 minutes or until golden.  Remove from oven and let cool.

BUTTERSCOTCH FILLING  (fills one 10" pie)

1 1/2 cups brown sugar (I use dark brown)
1/4 cup + 1½ teaspoons cornstarch
5 egg YOLKS only
3/4 teaspoon salt
3 cups milk (I use 2%)
3 tablespoons butter
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract


In a saucepan that has a heavy bottom, mix the brown sugar and cornstarch FIRST. Next add the egg yolks, salt, and milk.  Whisk until smooth and run a spatula around the edges of the pan to make sure you get everything out of the corners.

Cook, stirring constantly with a whisk, until the mixture is thick and bubbly (once it starts to thicken, it will thicken quickly). When it's nice and thick, remove from heat and add butter and extracts and mix well. If you don't have rum extract, just use all vanilla.

Pour into baked pie shell and place plastic wrap directly on the surface of the hot pudding.  Chill for several hours or overnight before cutting.

STABILIZED WHIPPED CREAM TOPPING

2 cups heavy whipping cream
1/4 cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon unflavored gelatin powder
4 teaspoons cold water

In a small cup, mix the unflavored gelatin powder and cold water until dissolved. Let this sit on the counter until it turns fairly solid.  After it turns fairly solid (takes a couple minutes) reheat the mixture until it turns back to a liquid. I do this in my microwave and it takes 2 or 3 seconds ONLY...don't let it get hot!!  Set it aside to cool off a little, you don't want it hot, but don't let it cool so much that it gets thick again.

Next Whip the heavy whipping cream, powdered sugar and vanilla until you get very soft peaks. With the mixer still running, dribble in the softened gelatin and continue whipping until you get stiff peaks (this happens pretty quickly). 

Spread on top of the pie. I top mine with toasted sliced almonds.

NOTE: Make sure you use a fork to poke holes in the bottom of the crust before you bake it, this is called "docking" and it will help your crust bake flat. I usually just press the tines of the fork through the raw crust about an inch apart all over the pie bottom.

NOTE: I've always made this pie crust with butter flavored Crisco. I have no idea how it would turn out using butter.