Pecan Cream Pie

 

 

   Usually, when I think of a pecan pie, I think of something sticky and syrupy and VERY sweet, usually served around the holidays. But what about a light and fluffy summer pie ?
 This one is creamy and crunchy at the same time, sweet with the tiniest hint of salt, and SO delicious it made me wonder where it has been my entire life. 
  At first, as I was browsing recipes, I couldn’t decide which version to try, because of course, as with all pie recipes, there are a million versions. They’re all very similar, but with slight tweaks here and there. Some have brown sugar, some have maple syrup. I finally decided on this one, from a blog called Grits and Gouda. It’s simple and basic, which leaves you wide open to add whatever tweaks you’d like. Oddly, I didn’t fiddle with it at all. I know, I know.. that’s so unlike me, right? But in this case, it sounded perfect as is, so I went with it. It turned out to be EXACTLY what I wanted! Light and fresh, with a flavor that made me think of butter pecan ice cream. I literally had to stop myself from having a second piece!
  If you like pecans, this might be your new favorite dessert! Actually, I think I might need to add this to the holiday repertoire as well. It’s just that good! Enjoy!
 


1 store bought graham cracker pie crust
1 3oz package cheesecake, white chocolate, or vanilla instant pudding mix
1 1/2 cups milk 
1 8oz package cream cheese, softened 
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 8oz Extra Creamy Cool Whip, divided 
1 1/2 cups toasted and cooled chopped pecans, divided 


Whisk together the pudding mix and milk in a medium size bowl. Using a hand mixer at medium speed or a large whisk, beat the pudding mixture 2 minutes or until thickened. Place in the refrigerator to completely set up while preparing the rest of the pie filling. 

Beat the cream cheese in a large bowl until smooth and creamy. Add brown sugar and vanilla and beat 1 minute or until brown sugar is thoroughly blended. 

Stir in the chilled, thickened pudding and 1 cup of the toasted pecans.
Gently fold in HALF of the Cool Whip until no white streaks show. Spoon the pecan cream pie filling into pie crust. Dollop or pipe remaining Cool Whip in the center and/or around the edges of the pie.  Sprinkle with the remaining chopped pecans. Chill at least 2 hours or until firm.


Tips:
Because I prefer to serve my pies in a glass pie plate, I opted to make my own graham cracker crust. I used 2 sleeves of graham crackers (because I like a thicker crust), 2 tbs sugar, and 5 tbs melted butter. ..blitzed them together in a food processor, then pressed the crumbs firmly into a deep dish Pyrex, and baked it for 10 minutes at 350ºF. Then, once it was completely cooled, filled the pie as directed. Perfect!

Feel free to use whipped cream instead of the Cool Whip. Just add 1 1/2 cups cold heavy cream to a chilled bowl, and add 1/2 cup powdered sugar. Using a whisk attachment, whip the cream until stiff peaks form, then use as directed in the recipe. 
For the best pecan flavor, be sure to toast the pecans. Just place them in a dry skillet over medium heat. Stir and heat them just until you can smell them toasting. It happens very quickly, so stay with them. Then immediately remove them from the pan to cool completely before using. I also like to add a tiny pinch of salt as they’re cooling. That’s all there is to it!

Gingersnap Pumpkin Squares

 This is one of those recipes that I had tucked away, figuring I'd get around to trying it one day. It's a Taste of Home recipe, and it just sounded so good, I thought "ooo I should probably hold onto this one, say, for Halloween parties and such." Well, today's the day!!
 I recently invited some friends over for a Fall diner, just so I could test a few recipes. (Somehow I never seem to have any problems finding volunteers for taste testing.. lol) Anyway,  I made my Mom's Chicken Cutlets and tried a bunch of new side dishes. Everything turned out great! And this was one of the desserts I made. Since I had planned on making several different dishes, I knew I'd have to be careful about time management. In other words, I needed a dessert that I could make in advance, and this was the perfect choice. That's definitely the answer when you know you'll be doing a lot of cooking. If you can make anything ahead of time, do it!! I made it the night before, left it in the fridge to chill overnight, an then cut it into squares just before serving. Easy! It's crunchy and tasty on the top and bottom and creamy and rich in the middle, sort of like a pumpkin cheesecake kind of filling. Doesn't that sound awesome? I loved every bite!
 So be sure to add this one to your "easy-make ahead-Fall dinner-Halloween party-Thanksgiving dessert" repertoire. Your family and friends will devour them!


Crust:
1 package yellow cake mix
1 cup crushed gingersnap cookies
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 egg, lightly beaten 

Filling:
1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened
2/3 cup packed brown sugar
3 eggs, lightly beaten
1 can (29 ounces) solid-pack pumpkin
1/4 cup milk
2 tsp cinnamon
2 tsp vanilla extract 

Topping:
1/2 cup crushed gingersnap cookies
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup cold butter, cubed
1 cup chopped pecans

 Set aside 3/4 cup cake mix for topping. In a small bowl, combine gingersnap crumbs and remaining cake mix; stir in butter and egg. Press onto the bottom of a greased 13-in. x 9-in. baking dish; set aside. 

 For filling, in a large bowl, beat cream cheese and brown sugar until smooth. Beat in eggs. Beat in the pumpkin, milk, cinnamon and vanilla and mix well. Pour over crust. 

 For topping, in a small bowl, combine the gingersnap crumbs, sugar and reserved cake mix; cut in butter until crumbly. Stir in pecans. Sprinkle over filling. Bake at 325° for 70-75 minutes or until filling is set. Cool on a wire rack for 1-1/2 hours. Store in the refrigerator.

Tips:
As I always do, I lined my pan with parchment paper, leaving some to hang over the sides. Then, after it was baked and completely chilled, I used the paper as a sling to lift the entire batch out of the pan, and used a large knife to cut it into squares. You get perfectly clean cuts and you don't ruin your pan!
When I served them, I cut them into 24 large squares, but you can stretch it further if you're making them for a party. They're thick enough and rich enough that you can cut them into 32 smaller squares.
 For an extra special presentation, place the squares on a big platter in one layer. Top each square with a swirl of whipped cream, then top each swirl with a ginger snap half, or just sprinkle with gingersnap crumbs. 

Nutty Pear and Craisin Dip

 

This is a quick and simple party dip that I threw together for my family's get together on Christmas Eve. It was a big hit! I love that it's sort of unexpected as far as party dips go. Usually, you'd expected an herbed cheese or something savory, but this one is a little bit sweet and has a very light and fresh flavor. And when you serve it on regular Triscuits or Wheat Thins, you get a little salty hit that makes everything balance. So good! I also love that you can really taste each one of the ingredients, but everything comes together perfectly. Cool, huh? Hope you like it!

2 (8oz) pkgs cream cheese
2 ripe pears, any kind, peeled, cored, and chopped
1 cup craisins
1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans
Salt and pepper to taste

Simply place all ingredients in a food processor and pulse until nicely blended but still chunky. Serve with Triscuits or Wheat thins.

Tips:
The key to this recipe's success is that none of the ingredients overpowers the others. Everything blends perfectly. But you're the cook! So if you'd like to add a few more craisins, or an extra handful of pecans, be my guest. Like my Mom always said, "do you like a lot? add a lot!"
If you want to use canned pears, don't put them in the food processor to mix them because they'll become too mushy. You really want them to be chunky just like the other ingredients. So just chop them up separately, then fold them into the mixture after you've pulsed everything else.
If the mixture if too thick, add a few drops of water to bring it to spreadable or dippable consistency. (Is dippable a word?? ) If you're using canned pears, you can add a little of the juice from the can.
For a little variation and a stronger flavor punch, try substituting half of the cream cheese with goat cheese or even bleu cheese.

Pecan Squares

 If you like a gooey sweet classic Pecan Pie, you'll love these little squares of awesomeness. They have a very similar buttery rich flavor as the pie, but sometimes it's more convenient to have something that doesn't need plates and forks in order to serve it. As my sister Cathy would say "We need some sort of picky-uppy dessert", and that's exactly what this is. And if you're making them for a holiday meal, you might already have several other kinds of pie, and this will add a little variety to your dessert table.
 I made them so long ago, I can't even remember where I got the recipe. I know I tried several different versions, probably stemming from Ina's. (Her recipe makes a TON, so I remember wanting to scale it down a bit). This is such a simple basic recipe, anyone can do it! While the crust is baking, you just stir the filling ingredients together and you're good to go. Easy!
 So, even if you're not making them for a holiday meal, keep these squares in mind the next time you need a picky-uppy dessert. Your family will love you for it!

Crust:
2 1/4 cups flour
1 cup 10x sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup butter

Filling:
 3 eggs
1 cup Karo dark corn syrup
1 cup sugar
2 tbs melted butter
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
4 cups pecans
pinch salt

Place all crust ingredients in a food processor and pulse until it comes together into a dough. Press into 9x13 pan lined with parchment paper. Prick all over with a fork (to keep the crust from puffing up) and chill for 15 minutes. Place in a 350ºF oven for 15 minutes. While it's baking, make the filling.
Stir together all filling ingredients. Pour over hot crust. Bake for another 20-25 minutes. Let cool completely or chill before cutting into squares.


 Tips:
 For an extra decorative touch, after cutting them into squares, dip just one edge of each square into melted chocolate chips. You could also drizzle each one with a little melted white and/or milk chocolate chips. Just place them on a tray until the chocolate is set before serving.
 Be sure to leave a little excess parchment paper hanging over the sides of the pan. Then when it's finished baking and cooling, you can use the paper as a sling to lift the entire batch out of the pan in one piece. Now you can use a big knife to make perfect cuts without ruining your pan!