Chocolate Pecan Pie

Life is so funny, or maybe irritating is a better word. Do you feel this way? I just wrote about how I never leave dirty dishes in my sink in this post, but I lied...I had to leave dirty dishes in my sink last week. I made these marshmallows for my Thanksgiving sweet potato casserole and since it was 10pm I let the dishes soak with the intention of cleaning them in the morning. Well, I got up and no more had I let Greta out and was starting on those dishes when I heard my cell phone ring. I got called into work early and needed to be there in 20 minutes, so the dishes had to wait.

On my drive to work, my skin was crawling and all I could think about were those dang dishes and how much I was going to hate walking in the door from work and having them waiting there.  Much to my surprise, when I came home from work the dishes were done! SAY WHAT!!!???? At first I thought Steve had done them, since it was a rainy day he didn't go into work until later in the morning. Nope, wrong! It was my Mommy! She had to pick up my Thanksgiving turkey for me and when she dropped it off she let Greta out AND washed my sink full of dirty dishes! Have I told you how much I love my mom? She's truly the best.  Made my long crappy day at work fade away...

Instead of doing dishes I made this pie! Steve doesn't like pumpkin so I made chocolate pecan pie and blackberry cobbler for Thanksgiving dessert. I loved this pie and will definitely be making it again, probably for Christmas. 

 

Chocolate Pecan Pie
Source: The Kitchen Sink
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:

4 ounces semisweet chocolate
4 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 1/2 cups agave nectar (or honey)
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 pie crust (homemade or store bought)
1 cup chopped pecans

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. 

In a heatproof bowl set over a medium saucepan of simmering water, melt chocolate.  Make sure you stir chocolate occasionally, until smooth.  Set aside.

In a medium bowl, stir together (do not whisk) eggs, agave nectar (or honey), sugar, vanilla, and salt.

Stirring constantly, gradually add melted chocolate then pour filling into prepared crust.

Place pie plate on a baking sheet and cover the top of the pie with pecans.

Bake just until set (filling should jiggle slightly when pie plate is tapped), 50-60 minutes.  Let pie cool completely on wire rack (4 hours or overnight) before serving.

 Make sure to keep a few pecans aside so you can munch on them while the pie's baking :)

What was your favorite Thanksgiving dessert this year?

Peanut Butter Honeycomb Pie

When I got the August bon appetit magazine in the mail last week I thought I would be making the Blackberry & Lime Meringue Pie because the picture on the cover was incredible! That all changed when I flipped through the pages to find the Peanut Butter Honeycomb Pie.  I still want to make that Blackberry pie but I have my priorities and peanut butter is first!

This pie was really easy to make and looks quite impressive as well.  The recipe has a homemade pie crust but I had 2 store bought ones in my pantry that I needed to use so I allowed myself the luxury of being lazy and didn't make the homemade version. The pie was still good...just ask my co-workers, they seemed to enjoy it. 

I will be making more of the Honeycomb candy just to eat.  WOW, that stuff is awesome. The whole time I was waiting on the pie to chill I ate the candy by the handfull :)

Peanut Butter Honeycomb Pie 

Printable Recipe 

Servings: 8

Ingredients:

Filling
8 large egg yolks
12 tbsp sugar, divided
1 1/2 cups whole milk
1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise
3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup creamy peanut butter
2 tbsp powdered sugar
1/2 tsp kosher salt

Topping
2 oz. bittersweet chocolate, chopped
2 1/2 tbsp unsalted butter
Honeycomb* (recipe below)
1/4 cup roasted, salted peanuts

Directions:

Filling
Mix yolks and 6 tbsp sugar in the bowl of stand mixer with whisk attachment.  Beat at high speed until ribbons form, stopping once to scrape down sides of bowl, about 2 minutes.

Combine milk and remaining 6 tbsp sugar in a large saucepan; scrape in seeds from vanilla bean and add bean.  Bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve sugar.  Remove bean.

With mixer running, gradually add hot milk mixture to yolk mixture.  Scrape mixture back into pan. Clean bowl.

Whisking constantly, bring to a boil over medium heat.  Remove pan from heat; whisk vigorously for 1 minute.

Return custard to mixing bow; beat on high speed until cool, about 4 minutes.

Mix in butter one tbsp at a time. Add peanut butter, powdered sugar, and salt; beat to blend. 

Scrape filling into cooled crust; smooth top.  Chill until set, 2-3 hours.

Topping

Stir chocolate and butter in a medium bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water until melted and smooth.

Drizzle some of the chocolate glaze over the peanut butter filling, making a circle in the middle of the pie and leaving 1-2 inches plain border.  Pile pieces o honeycomb and salted peanuts on top then drizzle more chocolate glaze over.

Honeycomb

1 1/2 cups sugar
3 tbsp corn syrup
1 tbsp honey
1/4 cup water
1 tbsp baking soda, sifted

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or foil. 

Combine sugar, corn syrup, honey, and 1/4 cup water in a heavy deep saucepan.

Stir over medium-low heat until sugar dissolves.

Increase heat to high; bring to a boil.  Cook without stirring, occasionally swirling pan and brushing down sides with a wet pastry brush, until sugar turns pale amber. 

Working quickly, add baking soda-mixture will foam dramatically.

Immediately pour candy over prepared baking sheet and do NOT spread out.  Allow to cool at least 20 minutes.

Hit candy in several places with the handle of a knife to crack into pieces. 

Source: bon appetit Aug. 2011 page  82

Oh, if you want to make the crust in the mag, click here

Strawberry Summer Cake

I bought some strawberries a few days back for $1.29 on manager special (I'm starting to really love the manager special incase you couldn't tell). I bought two cartons and after placing them in the fridge I wondered what I could make with them.  Naturally, I started looking through my recipes and found a few things I thought sounded okay but nothing really struck my fancy until I noticed that Deb over at Smitten Kitchen had posted a new recipe......STRAWBERRY SUMMER CAKE!

As usual as soon as I read her post I knew this would be another success.  So, the next morning I woke up and started the oven & making this delicious cake!  Before I even popped it in my oven I knew it was going to be amazing - my inner 3-year-old self licked the batter off a spatula and I was in heaven already! If the batter is good, the cake usually is too :)

This is such a great summer dessert (or breakfast, hehe) because it's easy and quick to put together and those strawberries cook up so nicely!  It's okay to eat this for breakfast, it's a serving a fruit...right? Whose with me?

Strawberry Summer Cake
Source: Smitten Kitchen
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature, plus extra for pie plate
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon table salt
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 large egg
1/2 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 pound strawberries, hulled and halved

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Butter a Deep Dish pie plate.

Whisk flour, baking powder, & salt in a small mixing bowl.

With an electric mixer (or bowl of your stand mixer) cream the butter and sugar about 3 minutes or until it's soft and fluffy. Mix in egg, milk, & vanilla extract until combined then slowly add dry mixture in 3 portions.

Pour batter into prepared pie plate and place strawberries (cut side down) into batter.

 

Place pie plate on a baking sheet (just incase you have any bubble over while baking) and bake for 10 minutes on 350 degrees F.  Drop temperature to 325 degrees F and bake for another 50-60 minutes or until a cake tester (or toothpick) comes out clean from the center. 

Allow cake to cool on cooling rack before serving! ENJOY!