CHOCOLATE WALNUT PECAN PIE, PUMPKIN PECAN PIE & APPLE PUMPKIN PIE

CHOCOLATE WALNUT PECAN PIE

Say "good by" to your diet and treat yourself to this delicious, decadent dessert I promise you won't regret it.

INGREDIENTS:

single crust pie shell-see below for recipe

1/2 Cup chopped pecans
1/2 Cup walnuts
4 eggs
1/2 Cup corn syrup, light or dark
2 TB. (good squeeze) honey
1/3 Cup white sugar
1/3 Cup brown sugar
6 TB. melted butter
1/4 Cup bourbon
1 TB. PURE VANILLA EXTRACT
1 TB. flour
1 tsp. CINNAMON
1/4-1/2 tsp. GROUND NUTMEG
8 oz. bittersweet baking chocolate, broken/chopped into 1/2-inch chunks (too small and they disappear, too big and there isn't enough in each bite)

PIE CRUST

INGREDIENTS:

1/2 Cup butter (1 stick)
1 Cup flour
1 tsp. sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
1-3 TB. milk

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 350°. Toast the pecans and walnuts for 10 minutes in the oven. While they are toasting, in a mixing bowl combine the eggs, corn syrup, honey, sugars, butter, bourbon, VANILLA, flour, CINNAMON and NUTMEG and mix until smooth. Fold in the nuts and chocolate. Pour into an unbaked pie shell and bake at 350° for 40-50 minutes.

If you are making the crust: The butter should not be rock hard cold, but not completely softened either—somewhere in between. Cut the butter into pieces. Work the flour, sugar and salt in by hand or with a pastry cutter, then switch to a spoon to mix in just enough milk so that it holds together. Pat into a disc, cover in plastic wrap and chill for at least 30 minutes before rolling.

PUMPKIN PECAN PIE

No holiday meal is complete without pie, and this recipe makes two beautiful, delicious pies that will delight pecan pie lovers AND pumpkin pie lovers.

INGREDIENTS:

11/2 sticks butter, room temperature (3/4 cup)
11/2 Cups flour
1 TB. sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
3-5 TB. milk

PUMPKIN LAYER

INGREDIENTS:

1 16 oz. can pumpkin (not pie filling)
3/4 Cup sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. CINNAMON
1/2 tsp. GROUND ALLSPICE
1/2 tsp. PURE VANILLA EXTRACT
2 large eggs

PECAN LAYER

1 Cup white corn syrup
1 Cup dark brown sugar
1/3 Cup melted butter
1 tsp. PURE VANILLA EXTRACT
3 large eggs, slightly beaten
2 Cups chopped pecans

DIRECTIONS:

CRUST: Using a fork or your fingers, mix the butter with the flour, sugar and salt until it looks likes peas and crumbles. Drizzle the milk in bit by bit, using the fork or a spoon to blend the crust until it just sticks together. Divide the dough in half and pat into discs. Cover in plastic wrap and chill for 30 minutes before rolling out. On a well-floured surface, roll the discs from the center to the outer edges with a well-floured rolling pin. Add more flour if needed. Roll until the circles are larger than your pie pans. Gently ease the crusts into the pans.

PUMPKIN LAYER: Prepare the pumpkin layer while the crust dough is chilling. Preheat oven to 350°. In a mixing bowl, beat together the pumpkin, sugar, salt, CINNAMON, ALLSPICE and VANILLA until well mixed. Add the eggs and beat until combined. Divide the pumpkin mixture evenly between the two crust-lined pie plates. Bake at 350° for 15 minutes. Check the pies by jiggling them gently. You don’t want the pies to be completely set, you want them to still be slightly under-baked but not runny. Remove from the oven and let cool while you make the pecan layer.

PECAN LAYER: In a mixing bowl, combine the corn syrup, brown sugar, butter and VANILLA. Mix well. Add the eggs and mix to combine. Fold
pecans. Divide the pecan mixture between the two pies and return them to the 350° oven. Bake for 45 minutes

APPLE PUMPKIN PIE

Apple pie or pumpkin pie? Can't decide? This is the pie for you. A layer of tart apples in a caramel sauce covered with a layer of traditional pumpkin. Add some fresh whipped cream and you're in heaven.

INGREDIENTS:

CRUST: Makes one 9 inch crust

1/2 Cup butter or shortening
1 Cup all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. CREAM OF TARTAR
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 Cup milk

FILLING:

1/3 Cup brown sugar, firmly packed
1 TB. cornstarch
1 tsp. CINNAMON, divided
1/4 tsp. NUTMEG
1/4 tsp. ALLSPICE
1/2 tsp. salt, divided
1 tsp. PURE VANILLA EXTRACT
1/3 Cup water
2 TB. butter
3 Cups Granny Smith, Cortland or McIntosh apples, peeled and sliced about 1/8-inch thick (about 3 apples)
3/4 Cup canned solid packed pumpkin
3/4 Cup evaporated milk
1/3 Cup sugar
1 egg, beaten

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 375°. To prepare the crust, cut the butter into small pieces; it doesn't have to be cold, but it should not be warm to the point of melting. Add the flour, CREAM OF TARTAR, and salt, beat or mix by hand to combine. Add the milk in a thin stream, mixing until thoroughly blended. Sprinkle a wooden board or counter top with flour, place the dough on the board, and sprinkle the top of the dough with flour. Using short strokes with a rolling pin, roll it from the center to the edges until it is 1/8 to 1/4 inch thick. You will want to turn the dough over and re-dust with flour halfway through. Roll until the crust is about an inch larger than your 9 inch pie pan when inverted. Fold the crust in half and in half again so that it looks like a triangle. Place it in the ungreased pie pan with the point in the center. Unfold the crust and ease it into the pan. Roll the edges of the overhanging crust under so that you have a nice rim around the pie plate. Set aside.

In a roomy skillet, combine the brown sugar, cornstarch, 1/2 tsp. CINNAMON, and 1/4 tsp. salt. Add the PURE VANILLA EXTRACT, water and butter and bring to a boil, stirring constantly. The mixture will thicken, creating a caramel sauce. Add the apples and continue cooking over medium heat for 4-5 minutes, stirring constantly. Pour the mixture into the unbaked pie crust and set aside. In a mixing bowl, whisk together the pumpkin, evaporated milk, sugar, egg, 1/2 tsp. CINNAMON, NUTMEG, ALLSPICE and 1/4 tsp. salt. Pour over the apple layer. Bake at 375° for 50 minutes, or until a knife comes out clean. Check the crust occasionally; if it looks too brown, cover the edges with foil. Cool completely before cutting. This pie should be refrigerated.
Recipes from Penzeys