Linda’s Cheery Chocolate Peppermint Cream Pie

Eat pie, be happy with your thoughtful decisions.

In my childhood, my family would occasionally stop for lunch after church at a neighborhood Big Boy diner. When my daddy pulled into their parking lot, all of us kids went crazy with excitement, because eating out was a rare and special treat. Of course, there were rules about what we were allowed to order from the menu, ensuring that costs were kept to a minimum for our big family. We all understood and were grateful to be there. The choice was usually between a cheeseburger and a dessert—only one. For my siblings, this was a difficult decision, but not for me. Desserts were then, and continue to be, a major love of my life. I always chose pie, chocolate cream pie precisely. I loved its flaky crust, chocolaty, creamy filling, and the homemade whipped cream topping. I never once regretted my sensible, delicious decision, and make similar decisions to this day!

Recommended: Sweetie-licious Chocolate Graham Cracker Crust (page 3)

Filling

2½ cups whole milk

¾ cup half-and-half

4 egg yolks

1 cup sugar

¼ cup brown sugar

¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons cornstarch, sifted

¹/₃ cup Hershey’s cocoa, sifted

1½ teaspoons vanilla extract

½ teaspoon peppermint extract

Garnish—Optional

Sweetie-licious Whipped Cream (see recipe on page 8)

Crushed candy canes or peppermint candies

Chocolate shavings

1. Preheat the oven to 375°F.
2. Mix the milk, half-and-half, egg yolks, sugars, cornstarch, and cocoa in a medium saucepan.
3. Cook on medium heat, stirring constantly until the mixture boils for 1 minute.
4. Remove from the heat and add the vanilla and peppermint extracts.
5. Pour the filling into a piecrust and refrigerate for at least 3 hours.
6. Garnish with Whipped Cream and crushed candy canes, peppermint candies, or chocolate shavings.

Ellie’s Cherry Blackberry Peach Pie

Eat pie, speak joy from the heart.

When my daughter Ellie was a baby, my parents would babysit her a few days a week, which was a highlight for all involved. Because Ellie was their first grandchild, they lived for their “grandpa-ma days” and spoiled her. At Grandma’s house, when most babies were eating baby food, my Ellie was eating pie. My mother would make special pie filling for her when she first started eating solid food, and as she grew, so did her pie palate. My daddy loved to tell of a time when Ellie was in her high chair, all ready for breakfast, and he asked what she wanted to eat. According to him, her whole sweet face was smiling as she uttered her very first word, “Pie!” Although she is all grown up now, it is still one of Ellie’s favorite words—and mine too!

Recommended: Flaky Classic Piecrust, frozen (page 1), Sweetie-licious Crumb Topping (page 6)

Filling

6 cups frozen tart cherries

1 cup bite-size-cut frozen peaches

1 cup sugar

¼ cup cornstarch, sifted

½ teaspoon orange zest

1½ cups frozen blackberries

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
2. Mix the cherries, peaches, sugar, and cornstarch in a medium saucepan.
3. Stir constantly on medium heat until the mixture is thick and boiling. Boil for 1 minute, constantly stirring.
4. Remove from the heat and add the orange zest.
5. Place blackberries on the bottom of a frozen pie shell. Pour the cherry mixture over the blackberries.
6. Cover with Crumb Topping, covering all of the pie filling.
7. Bake for 45–60 minutes or until the pie filling bubbles over.

Frozen fruit works perfectly in pies, as long as you follow the recipe carefully to make sure you add the right amount of thickeners, citrus zests, juices, and extracts to bring out the joyful taste of fruits.

Daddy’s County Fair Candy Apple Pie

Eat pie, love food!

My father had an excellent memory and loved sharing his treasure trove of stories with all five of us kids. The heat of July always took him back to his boyhood summers on the farm during the 1930s and ’40s, and he would reminisce about the summertime chores, the farm animals, and the beloved county fair. Fair week was the event of the summer back then, and something families eagerly looked forward to. He and my grandparents would take in the fair for hours on a Saturday evening, enjoying the exhibition halls filled with breads, pies, flower arrangements, and fast-talking salesmen showing off the latest and greatest gadgets and appliances. He also spoke of livestock barns filled with squeaky-clean pigs, cows, and chickens as well as hardworking farm kids hoping for blue ribbons. The carnival rides and games were of course colorful, fun, and flashy, with lots of dolled-up teenagers standing about. But the highlight, he said, was the fair food: steamed hot dogs, hand-dipped ice-cream cones, hot and crispy french fries, and his favorite, the sweet candy apples. The farm had a few apple trees, but my grandmother did not have time, money, or inclination to make anything but applesauce and pies. So my father’s precious fair change was spent on something special and unique—the juicy, spicy cinnamon apple that he loved so much and fondly recalled his whole life. I created this pie recipe just for him.

Recommended: Flaky Classic Piecrust, frozen (page 1), Sweetie-licious Crumb Topping (page 6)

Filling

6½ cups peeled, small-diced Michigan Cortland or Ida Red apples (5 medium–large)

¾ cup sugar

1 tablespoon flour

¼ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon fresh-squeezed lemon juice

Candy Mixture

¹/₃ cup red-hot candies

2 tablespoons cornstarch, sifted

1 tablespoon butter

1 cup water

¹/₈ teaspoon vanilla extract

1. Preheat the oven to 375°F.
2. Mix the apples, sugar, flour, salt, and lemon juice. Set aside.
3. Combine the red-hot candies, cornstarch, butter, water, and vanilla extract, stirring over medium heat in a medium saucepan until the candies are dissolved and the mixture is thickened.
4. Pour the candy mixture over the apple mixture. Combine well.
5. Pour into a frozen piecrust and lightly top with Crumb Topping.
6. Bake for 1 hour or until a knife goes through the middle of the pie smoothly.

When you’re baking with apples and rhubarb, be sure to test their doneness by poking a knife through the middle of the pie. The knife should slide through easily. Then you know you have a deliciously baked pie!