pie Archives - 2 Sisters 2 Cities

Posted by Keelin Hollenbeck on May 25, 2014

This weekend is Memorial Day Weekend, the unofficial start to summer! I am so excited for summer for the nice weather, the fresh produce, and the chilled desserts! My boyfriend and I have been taking advantage of the longer days and have started running. We have a park within walking distance from our house so we started a Couch to 5k Challenge. There is still a lot of running/walking, but we are half way through the program. It is so nice to be outside and taking advantage of the beautiful park we live near.

I made this pie a few weeks ago and it was the perfect cold dessert. I love the peanut butter/chocolate combination of the pie and topping it with chopped peanut butter cups makes it even more amazing. This pie would be the perfect Memorial Day dessert because you can make it ahead and it is cold and delicious. It’s actually even better the next day so feel free to make it a day ahead of time and chill completely in the refrigerator. Hope you all have a Happy Memorial Day Weekend!

Peanut Butter Cream Pie

Author: 2 Sisters 2 Cities

Serves: 8

Ingredients

For Crust

16 Oreo cookies
4 tbsp. butter, melted

For Filling

½ cup peanut butter
8 oz. cream cheese (I used ⅓ fat kind), at room temperature
¾ cup confectioners' sugar
2 tbsp. milk
½ cup chopped roasted peanuts
3 cups of heavy cream
½ cup chopped peanut butter cups, for topping

Instructions

To make Pie Crust-

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a food processor pulse the Oreo cookies until finely ground. Pour the melted butter over the crumbs and pulse until butter is incorporated. In a 9" pie pan spray with non-stick spray. Dump the cookie crumbs into pie pan, spread evenly and work in to an even crust on the sides and bottom. Bake crust for 10-15 minutes until pie crust is set. Let cool completely before adding filling.

To make filling:

In the bowl of your mixer fitted with a whisk attachment whip two cups of heavy cream until thick and fluffy. Put the whipped cream in a separate bowl and set aside for a later step.
Add cream cheese and confectioners' sugar to empty mixer bowl and mix together until smooth.
Beat in peanut butter, milk and chopped peanuts and beat together for about 1-2 minutes.
Gently fold in 2 cups of the whipped cream by hand until everything is combined.
Pour the filling out into the cooled crust and spread evenly. Refrigerate for at least two hours.
When serving, whip remaining whipped cream and top each slice with whipped cream and chopped peanut butter cups.

Source- Adapted from Emeril Lagasse

Posted by 2 Sisters 2 Cities on December 3, 2012

Oh it’s my most favorite time of the year…Christmas Cookie Season! It is hard to believe that it is December already because of the blur the last three to four months have been. The weather always being so nice doesn’t help either (not that I am complaining!) My boyfriend and I decorated our apartment this weekend and I started baking so it is starting to feel a little bit more like the holidays. I am trying to cut back on the cookies this year by splitting the twelve with M. However, since we are doing 12 completely new recipes this year, I am still going to make a couple of the classics which will probably equal out the to same as last year. Hope they let me bring cookies on the plane!

The mini pecan pie bites are something I started making a few years ago. One of my first bosses/career mentor gave me the recipe from her Southern Living magazine because she knew I loved baking and she wanted me to make them. I was a little hesitant at first because I had never had pecan pie before, but sure enough they came out delicious. I haven’t had them in my Christmas line-up the last few years because I misplaced the recipe. Luckily, while I was moving I found the recipe in one of my cookbooks. These little pies are deliciously addictive and unlike full size pies, you can eat them in multiples!

Eleven Mini Pecan Pie Bites

Author: 2 Sisters 2 Cities

Recipe type: Dessert

Ingredients

3 cups of chopped pecans
¾ cup of sugar
¾ cup dark corn syrup
3 large eggs
2 tbsp. melted butter
1 tsp. vanilla extract
½ tsp. salt
4 packages of frozen mini-phyllo pastry shells

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350
Place chopped pecans on a baking sheet and toast in the oven for 8-10 minutes until fragrant
Stir together sugar and corn syrup in a medium sized bowl
Stir toasted pecans, eggs, butter, vanilla and salt into the sugar mixture
On two baking sheets line up the mini phyllo pastry shells
With a small cookie scoop or a teaspoon measuring spoon, fill phyllo shells with the pecan mixture
Bake one sheet at a time for 20-22 minutes until set.
Remove from oven and let cook on wire racks for at least 30 minutes
Store in an airtight container for up to three days or freeze to store for up to three weeks.

Source- Slightly adapted from Southern Living- November 2008

Posted by 2 Sisters 2 Cities on July 29, 2012

Here is a really simple recipe for a food processor pie crust. This recipe makes 1 full-sized pie crust bottom, so if making a pie with a top, make 2 batches. For mini pies, this recipe makes enough pie crust for 3 mini pies with tops. Check out my mini peach pies I made here!

Pie Crust

Author: K

Ingredients

1½ cup of AP flour
½ teaspoon sugar
¼ teaspoon salt
½ cup cold unsalted butter (1 stick), cut into small pieces
2-3 tablespoons of ice cold water

Instructions

In food processor fitted with a steel blade, add flour, sugar and salt.
Pulse 2-3 times until all the ingredients are combined.
Drop in the small pieces of butter so that they are evenly spread out in the food processor bowl.
Pulse 7-8 times until the mixture looks like coarse meal.
Add in 2 tbsp. of ice cold water and pulse another 7-8 times until dough is crumbly and holds together when pushed together with your hands (making sure the motor is off and being careful of the blade.)
If the mixture is too dry and does not easily stick together, mix in another tablespoon of water and pulse 2-3 more times.
With floured hands turn out dough onto a floured surface and work together to make one ball of dough.
Flatten dough to a disk and cover in plastic wrap.
Place in refrigerator until firm. (The dough can be refrigerated for up to 2 days)
One dough is firm, roll out on a floured surface.

Source– Adapted from the What Can I Bring? Cookbook

Posted by 2 Sisters 2 Cities on July 29, 2012

One of my favorite types of pie is the peach pie. A peach pie is the ultimate summer time dessert for me because peaches are readily available and at their most deliciousness. I love the combination of the sweetness and tartness of the peaches mixed with the buttery and salty pie crust. Pies aren’t something I make too often because they are hard to carry into the city and my boyfriend and I don’t need a whole pie to ourselves. We are both what we would call “fat kids at heart” and really have to watch what we eat. When dessert is left around our house it will get eaten, which is probably why I don’t make pies. Most of the desserts I make I immediately share with co-workers or family. So when I saw the concept of mini desserts and pies on a few blogs, I thought it would be perfect to make mini peach pies for us.

Earlier this year I bought 6 oz. ramekins at the Le Creuset Outlet store in cassis, which is their color purple. I haven’t had the chance to use them so I though they would work perfectly for my mini peach pies. When making the pie crust, I made one batch of pie crust which is the equivalent of just the bottom pie crust on a pie. This recipe for pie crust can be easily used to make a full sized pie by making two batches. The recipe I used is for making in a food processor so if you don’t have a food processor you may want to use another recipe for pie crust. You can also easily use ready made pie crust like Pillsbury is that is easier for you.

Mini Peach Pies

Author: K

Serves: 6

Ingredients

For Filling: 1 batch of pie crust
4-5 medium sized peaches, peeled and cut into small pieces
¼ cup granulated sugar
1 rounded teaspoon of flour
1 rounded teaspoon of corn starch
2-3 drops of almond extract
½ lemon, juiced
For Topping: 1 egg white mixed with ½ of egg yolk
1 tablespoon granulated sugar

Instructions

In a medium sized bowl, combine peaches, ¼ cup sugar, flour, corn starch, almond extract and lemon juice.
Cover with plastic wrap and let sit for 30 minutes
Grease 3 ramekins with cooking spray or butter and preheat the oven to 375 degrees
Roll out pie crust to about ⅛th inch thickness, thinner then you would making a full size pie
Cut the crust to a circle that is about 1½ inches to 2 inches larger than the edges of the ramekin.
Fit the dough circle into the greased ramekin and gently push down to fit the size. The dough should come to the top edge of the ramekin with a small amount of dough hanging over edge. Repeat for other 2 ramekins.
Fill with peach filling to the top of the ramekins.
To make lattice top: With a pastry cutter wheel (I don’t have a pastry cutter so I used crinkle cutter from Pampered Chef that I use to make crinkle cut fries) cut ¾ inch strips of dough.
Lay down 3-4 strips going horizontally over the pie filling on top of the ramekin so they fit side to side with a small space in-between.
Working with one vertical strip at a time, go over and under horizontal strips. It is best to start in the middle and fold over every other horizontal strip so you can just place the center vertical strip down and then unfold the horizontals over the verticals. Repeat with the other 2-3 strips depending on what fits, alternating from the vertical strip next to it (example if one vertical strip is over-under-over-under, the strip next it should be under-over-under-order.)
Once the weaved pattern is done, pitch the sides of the pie so the bottom layer is attached to the top lattices. Break off any of the excess dough hanging from the strips.
To made solid top: Cut out a circle of dough that is about ½ inch larger than the circumference of the ramekin. Place the circle on top of the ramekin and pinch the top dough and bottom dough together. Ripping off any excess dough. Cut a few slits in the top of the top dough to let the filling breathe.
With a pastry brush, brush on egg white and a half egg yolk mixture to the top of the pies. Sprinkle with sugar.
Place ramekins on a baking sheet and place into the oven for 30-35 minutes until pies are lightly brown.
Let pies cool and serve with vanilla ice cream. Enjoy!

Source– Adapted from Marion’s Vintage Bakeshop