pie oh my

Growing up in the kitchen and with a bakery in my backyard, I might know a thing or two about pie.  If you ask my dad what's his favorite kind of pie, he ALWAYS answers, "there's only 2 kinds of pie...hot and cold."

On a recent trip home, my parents took me to this little diner/cafe not far from where I grew up.  We had lunch and because they are known for their pies, (of course) I had to have a slice.  That particular Saturday, they had a Butterfinger pie in the case and I knew it was the one.  It came on a small mismatched plate and piled high with whipped cream.  From the first bite, I knew I was in love.  It was rich and amazing!  I needed to figure out how to replicate this pie for myself.

This pie had 4 layers that added up to it's amazing-ness.  A chocolate cookie crust.  A creamy peanut butter layer.  A butterscotch pudding layer.  And last, but not least, the whipped cream.  I'd say I'm pretty good in the kitchen, so I set out to find the perfect recipe for the peanut butter layer.  I could figure out just from looking at the pie what the other layers were, but the peanut butter was something special.

(Inspiration pie)

This the perfect pie...it's easy, requires no baking, and is full of flavor.  Here's my interpretation of Butterfinger Pie.  This recipe yields a 9x13 pan of Butterfinger amazing-ness!

Ingredients:
   regular size package of Oreo's
   2 small boxes of butterscotch pudding (+ milk to make)
   1 container of whipped topping
   1 - 8oz block of cream cheese (room temp)
   1 c. peanut butter
   1 c. powdered sugar
   3 small Butterfinger candy bars, crushed

What to do:
1. In a medium sized bowl, make butterscotch pudding and let set up in refrigerator.
2. In a large ziploc bag, crush all Oreo's until crumbles.  Then spread an even layer in a 9x13 pan.
3. In a large mixing bowl, cream the block of cream cheese, add powdered sugar and peanut butter and mix until well blended.  Then fold in about 1/3 of the whipped topping.  Dollop on top of the Oreo crumbs and gently spread the peanut butter layer until covering all cookie crumbs.  Cover and let set in refrigerator until pudding is set.
4. Once pudding is set, take it and the 9x13 out of the fridge.  Spread the pudding evenly over the peanut butter layer.  (At this time, your 9x13 is most likely filled to the top.  If serving now, layer on the remaining whipped topping and top with candy bar crumbles.  If serving later, wait to add the whipped topping and candy bar crumbles right before serving.)


I would guess that this would also make 2 - 9in pies (if you're just wanting to buy the Oreo crust already made).  If that's the case, you might want to purchase another whipped topping to make sure you have enough for both pies to be fully covered and looking pretty.

Happy no-baking!

Soft Pretzel Twists

I've wanted to make homemade soft pretzels for awhile now, but couldn't find a recipe that stood out to me.  That is until I came across this one last weekend.  And what better day to whip up some soft pretzels than on Super Bowl Sunday?!

What you need:

 - 1 1/2 c. warm water (100-115*F)

 - 1 Tbsp sugar

 - 2 tsps kosher salt

 - 1 (1/4-oz) pkg active dry yeast

 - 4 1/2 c. all-purpose flour

 - 4 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted

 - Vegetable oil

 - 10 c. water

 - 2/3 c. baking soda

 - 1 large egg yolk beaten with 1 Tbsp water

What you do:

In stand mixer bowl, combine water, sugar, and kosher salt.  Sprinkle yeast on top and allow to sit for 5 min or until it starts to foam.

Attach the dough hook to the mixer and then add the flour and butter to the bowl and mix on low until ingredients are combined.

Increase speed to medium to knead dough until it's smooth and pulls away from the sides of the bowl (4-5 min).

Remove dough from bowl.  Wash and dry bowl and grease it with vegetable oil.  Return the dough to the bowl, covering it with plastic wrap and place it in a warm place for 1 hour, or until the dough as doubled in size.***

Preheat oven to 450 and line two sheet trays with lightly oiled parchment paper (optional - I didn't do this, just used my non-stick Wilton cookie sheets).

Stir together the 10 c. water and baking soda in a large quart pot and bring to boil.

While water is coming to a boil, turn the dough on to the counter and divide into 12 equal pieces.  (Do not flour the counter!)

Now roll out the 12 dough balls into long ropes and twist and double twist them over and press them to secure.  (You could also just cut them into smaller pieces to have bite sized pretzels.)  One by one, place each pretzel in the boiling water for 30 seconds.  Remove from the water and place on the baking sheet.  When all have been boiled, beat egg yolk and water together and brush over each pretzel and sprinkle with kosher salt (I did half with salt and half with cinnamon sugar).

Bake until golden brown (12-14 minutes), rotating pans halfway through.  Allow to cool for 5 minutes before serving.

Thanks to Just a Taste for the recipe - find the original post here.
***Just a Taste offers the easiest solution for a warm, dark place for your dough to rise - your clothes dryer!  Turn it on for a couple of minutes to let it warm up before placing the bowl of dough inside.  Set your timer and in an hour you'll be ready to twist and bake!

  

Note: Kosher salt isn't something I have in my spice cabinet, so I just used some sea salt.  No, it's not the same, but still very good.

What's a soft pretzel without the dipping sauce?!  The classic choice for a salted pretzel, and in my opinion the only choice, is a drippy cheese sauce.  And for the cinnamon sugar pretzels, I'm mixing up a cream cheese dip (recipe below), but you could also pair them with a chocolate dipping sauce (also listed below), caramel sauce, or even some nut flavored chocolate spread.

Cream cheese dip

 - 4 oz cream cheese, softened

 - 4 Tbsp powdered sugar

 - 1 Tbsp milk

 - 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

(Mix cream cheese and powdered sugar together and then add the milk and vanilla extract. You can add more milk or powdered sugar to desired consistency.)

Chocolate dip

 - chocolate candy melts

(Microwave in 30 second intervals, stirring in between. Done!)

Happy baking!

Simple Dough

Hello, 2015!  While having a mini holiday/vacation from work, I've had some time to look at lots and lots of recipes.  I've been wanting to work on gathering some good base recipes that will be quick, easy, and full of flavor that I could then add other ingredients from the pantry to pull a meal together.  When I come across a recipe that allows me to "clean" up some of my favorite dishes, I've been saving them for experimenting when I have time. I came across this one just a day or 2 ago and because it said the prep time was 10 minutes I decided to try it while the babies were happy and content in their high chairs.

Pizza can be a cheap and easy meal and with this recipe, you know exactly what's in the crust and you can add some of your own extra flavorings.  This recipe literally took 10 minutes and there was enough dough for me to divide and freeze for future pizzas.

What you'll need:

   11/2 c. warm water

   2 1/4 tsp yeast

   1 tsp salt

   1 Tbsp sugar

   1/3 c. olive oil

   4 c. flour

   

What to do:

1. Pour yeast over warm water, stir and let sit.

2. In mixing bowl, add flour, salt, sugar, and mix.  Add the olive oil and use the dough hook, mix for about a minute.

3. Add yeast mixture to the flour mixture and mix until well incorporated.*

4. Remove dough from mixing bowl, shape the dough into a ball, and place in and oiled bowl, rubbing oil on the dough as well.  Cover bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate.

5. If you're not using the dough right away, you can freeze it.

I divided the dough into 4.  Wrapped one in plastic wrap and put in the fridge. I wrapped the remaining 3 in plastic wrap and placed them in a freezer bag.

When it was time to make the pizza, I pulled the dough out of the fridge, floured the counter and dough and rolled it out.  From here, I placed it on a pizza pan and baked it for 7-10 minutes at 450.  I wanted more of a flatbread/crispy pizza.  After removing from the oven, I added my sauce and toppings (bbq, chicken, and cheese blend).  Then put it back in the oven for 10-15 minutes (I don't really know how long it baked, I couldn't set a timer because the original recipe didn't have anything specific for the dough for baking temp and time, so I just checked on it every 5 minutes).

*Step 3 is where you can add your own flavorings.  I decided to add garlic salt, crushed red pepper flakes, Italian seasoning, and parmesan cheese.  The possibilities for extra flavor are endless.

Thank you to Baking Glory.  You can find the original recipe here.

Happy baking!