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Archive for the ‘Pie’ Category

So simple, and yet so delicious, these wonderful treats aren't just kids cookies. Two chocolate cookies sandwich white, creamy decadence. Competition for the role of favorite cookie is fierce, but Oreo has earned itself a top spot in all of our hearts – and stomachs. The versatile cookie can be enjoyed by itself, of course, with a cold glass of milk or in milkshakes and ice cream treats. You can also crumble some Oreo goodness to make a wonderful crust. It’s easy, and you will be able to serve your guests a scrumptious dessert that is just a little out of the ordinary.

You will need:

• Oreos! And lots of them. This particular crust uses about 1 1/2 cups of crushed cookie crumbs, which is about 22 cookies.

• 3 tablespoons melted butter

An Oreo crust is a lot like a graham cracker crust and will be used for delicious dessert pies, like grasshopper pie or cheesecake. To make:

Use a food processor to crush the Oreo cookies. Again, you’ll need about 22 cookies for one crust. If you don’t have a food processor, you can put the cookies into a Ziploc bag and take your aggressions out on them with a rolling pin. This crumble mixture is the basis for your crust.

Next, mix the crumbs and the butter. You want the texture to be consistent, but it’s not going to be smooth. Press the mixture into a pie pan or springform pan. Now, the next step depends on what type of pie you’re making. For instance, if you are making a cheesecake, you will have to bake your pie, so you don’t need to bake the crust. Just fill it and then bake it as you would normally. If you are going to put in a filling that doesn’t need to be baked, such as a pudding or cream filling, simply bake the crust at 350 ° for 10 to 15 minutes. Now it’s ready to be filled and chilled.

It sounds good enough to eat already, doesn’t it? Here is a recipe from Cooks.com for Peanut Butter Fudge Oreo Cookie Pie. If you are having a dinner party, serve this! It is easy and quick to make, but it will taste like it took much longer. You’ll be hailed as a culinary genius.

You will need:

• Your Oreo cookie crust

• 1 4-ounce box of instant French Vanilla pudding mix

• 1 cup cold milk

• 3-4 tablespoons of creamy peanut butter (or more if you like peanut butter)

• 1 jar of chocolate fudge sauce (Dove or Smuckers work beautifully)

• Whipped cream, thawed

Frost the bottom and sides of the crust with the fudge sauce. You may need to microwave it for a few seconds if it is too thick. In a bowl, whisk the instant pudding and milk together. Add the peanut butter and continue to mix. If you have an electric mixer, now is a good time to break it out. The peanut butter will instantly thicken the mixture, so it can be difficult to do by hand. But not impossible. Where there’s a will, there’s a peanut butter fudge Oreo cookie pie.

Put the mixture onto the fudge-covered crust. Top with the whipped cream. If you have any extra cookie crumbs, use these as garnish. Refrigerate until you’re ready to serve.

This is only one of the great recipes starring the Oreo cookie crust, and each is more delicious than the next.

If you are diabetic or on a sugar-restricted diet, you don’t have to miss out on all the treats. Here are some recipes for sugar free applesauce cookies that taste delicious and are healthy. You won’t miss the sugar at all!

Sugar-Free Applesauce Cookies (Courtesy of Almanac.com)

Yield: 24 cookies

1-3/4 cups flour

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1 teaspoon baking powder

Pinch of kosher salt

1/2 cup of butter

1 tablespoon sugar substitute

1 large egg

1 cup unsweetened applesauce

1/2 cup of raisins

1 cup bran cereal (any type you have around)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line a large baking sheet with baking parchment. Mix the ingredients together until they are well combined. Drop spoonfuls of dough onto the cookie sheet depending on the size of cookie you are looking for. To make the sizes more uniform, I use an ice cream scoop to measure each cookie and then use a fork to flatten them. Bake in a preheated oven for 20 minutes.

Arrange them in a basket or box and they make a great sugar free cookie gift!

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APPLESAUCE COOKIES (SUGAR FREE)

Printed from COOKS.COM

1/2 c. butter

1/3 c. artificial sweetener

1 egg

1 1/2 c. all-purpose flour

1 c. All Bran cereal

1 c. unsweetened applesauce

1 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. cloves

1/2 tsp. salt

Cream butter, add artificial sweetener and egg. Mix well. Stir together dry ingredients and add alternately with the applesauce. Stir in cereal. Drop by level tablespoons onto greased cookie sheets. Bake in 375 degree oven for 10-12 minutes. (I often make fresh applesauce but canned works just as well.)

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And if you’re wondering how to make your own sugar free applesauce, it’s easy.

Sugar Free Applesauce (courtesy of grouprecipes.com)

Time 10 minutes

Serves 8

Ingredients

4 medium apples pared cored and quartered

1/2 cup water

2 sticks cinnamon

1/4 cup sweetener

How to make it

Combine apples, water, and cinnamon, then cover and simmer for 10 minutes. Remove cinnamon and mash apples until smooth, then stir in sweetener.

MORE SUGAR FREE DESSERTS:

If you want to try a scrumptious sugar free apple crisp recipe on one of those chilly fall nights, try this one.

SUGAR FREE APPLE CRISP

Printed from COOKS.COM

4 c. peeled, sliced apples

2 tbsp. water

4 packets Equal

1 1/4 c. Bisquick

1 egg

1/4 c. butter

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

Mix water and 2 packets Equal together. Place fruit in greased pan or baking dish and sprinkle with water. Thoroughly mix Bisquick, cinnamon, and 2 packets of Equal. Beat egg then slowly add Bisquick mixture until you have a crumbly dough. Sprinkle dough over fruit. Melt butter and pour over top. Bake at 400 degrees for 25 minutes.

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For a sugar free apple pie, try this recipe that uses alternatives to sugar.

Ingredients:

Sugar Free Apple Pie (Courtesy of lifeclinic.com)

Pastry for double-crust 9-inch pie

3 tablespoons cornstarch

7-1/4 teaspoons Equal® for Recipes OR

24 packets Equal® sweetener OR

1 cup Equal® Spoonful™

3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon salt

8 cups sliced, cored, peeled, Granny Smith

or other baking apples (about 8 medium)

Equal® sweetener can be substituted with other sweetener products.

Directions:

Roll 1/2 the pastry on floured surface into circle 1 inch larger than inverted pie pan. Ease pastry into pan.

Combine cornstarch, Equal®, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt; sprinkle over apples in large bowl and toss. Arrange apples in pie crust.

Roll remaining pastry into circle large enough to fit top of pie. If desired, cut hearts in pastry with cutters; place pastry on pie, seal edges, trim and flute. Press pastry hearts on pastry. Bake in preheated 425 F oven until pastry is golden and apples are tender, 40 to 50 minutes. Cool on wire rack.

Yield: Makes 8 servings.

If you can’t get enough of Oreos, you’ll want to order an Oreo dessert while you’re dining out. Many restaurants now offer Oreo desserts that are pleasing crowds from coast to coast.

Try the Domino’s dessert pizza. You can now order a pizza from your favorite 30-minute pizza place in the flavor of the beloved Oreo. It’s a thin crust pizza made of sugary dough with a vanilla sauce with chunks of Oreos on top. The company originally came up with the dessert because they needed one that would cook as fast as a pizza and at the same temperature as their pizza ovens are set to for their savory pizzas. And so the dessert pizza was born.

McDonald’s offers an Oreo caramel sundae that you can savor while you’re out. Grab one next time you go through the drive-thru.

Dairy Queen, the walk-up ice cream parlor, offers an Oreo Mint Blizzard. It took off right away. But that’s nothing new for Dairy Queen. They’ve been serving ice cream with Oreo accents for two decades. At first, they offered knock-off Oreo cookies, but then they realized that nothing can take the place of a genuine Oreo. Now they use only brand name Oreos in their creations.

Baskin Robbins ice cream offers Oreos as a mix-in for their ice cream concoctions. They also offer Jamoca Oreo ice cream. Their widely popular cookies and cream flavor is made with crushed Oreo cookies.

Another great pairing of ice cream and Oreos happens at the Cold Stone Creamery. They offer an Oreo Overload dish on their menu.

Nabisco wasn’t eager to enter the dessert market. But when they noticed how the sales of their crushed up Oreos were booming, they decided to join in the fun. Now Nabisco offers grinds of Oreos to be used by restaurants in their desserts. Restaurant owners can choose from a thin grind for milkshakes or a coarser grind for mixing into ice cream. Larger chunks of Oreos can be used for items like the Domino’s dessert pizza. There’s an Oreo pie crust that home bakers and restaurants alike make use of for whipped Oreo pies and other decadent desserts.

Smaller restaurants also make up their own recipes using Oreo cookies. No dessert can be bad if it has Oreos in it. The popularity may be due to the cookie’s ability to mix well with creamy treats. The smaller granules of the cookie once it is ground down make a nice add in and have a pleasant texture.

Next time you’re in the mood for an Oreo dessert, check the menu where you’re dining. Most places have a version of the Oreo sundae or Oreo pie. And, of course, you can always create your own recipes at home. Try dipping Oreos in molten chocolate or crushing them up as a cake topping. Try whipping them into a frozen dessert topping such as Cool Whip and see what you come up with. Once you mix it in, layer it into a brownie pan and refreeze it. You’ll come up with a dessert that’s hard to resist. You can also add in pudding or other sweets. Experiment and devise your own Oreo cookie dessert.

Buttermilk pie is one of the tastiest Thanksgiving treats out there. However, the surface of the pie can easily overcook. Be sure to check the pie after the first 10 minutes in the oven. If the surface has browned, immediately reduce heat and continue cooking as instructed. You can use either whole or low-fat buttermilk.

If using frozen piecrust, defrost the crust before baking.

Ingredients:

• 4 large eggs, at room temperature
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter; melted and cooled
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1 unbaked 9-inch deep dish pie shell

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
2. In a bowl, beat the eggs with an electric mixer on medium-high speed until lemon-colored and frothy. Gradually add the sugar, beating until thick.
3. Add the flour, melted butter, lemon juice, and vanilla, beating well after each addition.
4. Gradually add the buttermilk, beating on low speed until thoroughly combined.
5. Pour the filling into the pie shell. (You may have extra filling, which you can pour into individual custard cups and bake until set, if desired.) Bake 10-15 minutes, or until golden brown, then lower the oven temperature to 355 degrees F. Bake an additional35-40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted between the center and edge of the pie comes out clean.
6. Let the pie cool on a wire rack 10-15 minutes. Serve warm.

If you've tried pineapple chiffon pie, but have never made it, you're in for a real treat. The recipe itself is pretty simple, so don't waste any time, try it yourself! And if it doesn't turn out just how you want, well, you can always order cookies...

Ingredients:

• 3 tablespoons cornstarch
• 2 cups pineapple juice
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups crushed pineapple
• 4 egg whites
• A baked pie shell

Directions:

Mix the cornstarch with a little pineapple juice until smooth. Combine in a saucepan with the rest of the juice, half a cup of the sugar and the salt. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until thickened. Stir in the pineapple and cool.

Beat the egg whites until stiff but not dry; then beat in the remaining sugar. Fold into the pineapple mixture and fill the pie shell. Chill. Serves 6 to 8.

So you want to attempt to make mincemeat pie. It's not a hard recipe! And who knows, maybe when you're done you'll be writing us with a wonderful recipe for mincemeat cookies! Yeah, or maybe not.

• 1 qt. mincemeat

• 1 granny smith apple, cored and chopped but not peeled

• Pie crust

Egg Wash:

• 1 egg, beaten with 3 tablespoons of water

Combine the mincemeat pie filling with the apple and place in the bottom of the pie crust. Spread out evenly.Cut 1/2 inch strips out of the remaining dough and lay over the filling in a lattice design. Brush lattice strips with the egg wash. Bake in a preheated 375 degree oven for 1 hour, until golden brown and bubbly.

Pistachio pie is one of life's sweet delicacies. Rare to find, but great to enjoy; this recipe is definitely one to try.

Pastry:

• 2 cups flour
• 1 egg
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1/4  lb. butter
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 tbs. sherry

Sift together flour, sugar, and salt. Beat egg lightly. Blend all ingredients with butter in deep bowl. Gradually add enough sherry to form firm pastry. Roll in circular piece about 1/8 inches thick to fit 9 or 10 inch pie plate. Butter plate before placing pastry in it. For an even fluted standing rim, pinch edges of pastry. Cut balance of pastry in strips ½ inch wide to use as a crisscross (lattice) top.

Pistachio Filling:

• 1 pt. sweet milk
• 2 eggs
• 4 oz. pistachio nuts
• 2 oz. granulated sugar
• 3/4 cup whole wheat flour
• 1/4 tsp. nutmeg
• 1 tbs. powdered sugar
• Pinch of salt

Chop nuts medium fine. Place flour in flour in deep saucepan. Gradually blend in milk until mixture is very smooth. Add granulated sugar, beaten eggs, salt, and nutmeg. Blend thoroughly. Place over medium flame; stir constantly to prevent lumping and sticking; bring to a boil. Lower flame; cook for 10 minutes; continue stirring. Gradually add nuts. Continue stirring vigorously until all is well blended, very smooth custard. Remove from fire; cool. Pour filling into prepared pastry; place lattice strips over top. Pinch edges lightly. Bake in moderately hot oven for 45 minutes or until mixture is firm but not dry and pastry is golden brown. Remove from oven; cool.

Sprinkle with powdered sugar just before serving.

Serves 10.

Store the pie in a nice basket and bring to your next get-together for great gourmet food gift baskets.

When making a pie, it sometimes gets intimidating when it's time to make the crust. With this easy basic crust recipe, you'll have no worries.

Ingredients:

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1/2 cup margarine
• 1/2 cup Crisco
• 1 egg
• 1 tbsp. white vinegar
• 3 to 4 tbsp. ice water

Directions:

Making pie crust is much like making cookies. In a medium bowl, stir together the flour and salt. Using a pastry blender, cut in the margarine and shortening. Keep working the flour and shortening until the mixture is rather grainy, like coarse cornmeal. Mix the egg and vinegar together and, using a wooden fork, stir the mixture into the flour. Add enough of the ice water so that the dough barely holds together. Place on a marble pastry board or a plastic counter top and knead for just a few turns, enough so that the dough holds together and becomes roll able. If using a wooden rolling pin makes sure to dust it with some flour, otherwise your dough will end up sticking to the it.

Everyone loves gourmet cheesecake, but what about cheese pie? Well this incredible strawberry cheese pie recipe is one that will leave you wanting more!

• 1 ready made graham cracker pie crust
• 1 package cream cheese, softened
• 1 can condensed milk
• 1/3 cup lemon juice from concentrate
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 quart fresh strawberries
• 1 package (16 ounces) prepared strawberry glaze

In a large bowl, beat cheese until fluffy. Gradually beat in milk until smooth. Stir in lemon juice and vanilla. Pour into pie crust and chill for 3 hours. Top with strawberries (cut in half) and desired amount of glaze.

Pastry:

• 2 cups flour
• 2 tbs. dry sherry
• 2/3 cup butter or shortening
• 1/2 tsp. salt

Sift together flour and salt. Cut in butter or shortening; gradually add sherry. If necessary, add a little water to hold mixture firmly. Do not knead too much. Roll in circular piece about 1/8 inches thick to fit 9 or 10 inch pie plate. Butter plate before placing pastry in it. Cut balance of pastry in strips ½ inch wide to use as crisscross (lattice) top.

Filling:

• 1 1/2 lbs. ricotta
• 1/4 lb. toasted almonds
• 1 tbs. chopped citron
• 1 tsp. vanilla flavoring
• 4 eggs
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 2 tbs. powdered sugar

Chop almonds fine; add ricotta and mix thoroughly. Beat eggs and granulated sugar well; add vanilla. Add to ricotta; stir until well blended and smooth.

Pour ricotta filling into prepared pastry; place lattice strips over top. Pinch edges lightly. Bake in moderately hot oven 45 minutes or until mixture is firm but not dry and pastry is golden brown. Remove from oven; cool. Sprinkle with powdered sugar (and optional: more gourmet nuts) just before serving.

Serves 10.