Perfect Pies & More: All New Pies, Cookies, Bars, and Cakes from America’s Pie-Baking Champion

1 prebaked 10-inch deep-dish Traditional Pastry Piecrust shell

Crust and Pastry Chips

½ recipe Traditional Pastry Piecrust dough (You will use this ½ recipe to make pastry chips. If you would like more chips, you can always make more pie dough.)

½ cup heavy cream

¼ cup granulated sugar

¼ cup confectioners’ sugar

Cannoli Dip

4 pounds ricotta (use cheesecloth to strain the ricotta for at least 2 hours prior to using)

1⅓ cups sugar

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

¾ cup mini chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.

Lightly sprinkle a rolling surface with flour, making sure that the entire surface is covered. Roll out the half recipe of dough until it is ¼ inch thick. Use a sharp knife to cut the dough into 2 × 2-inch squares. Once you have finished cutting all of the squares, fold each square diagonally, corner-to-corner, and pinch it down the middle. Place the squares on the lined baking sheet and brush them with heavy cream. Sprinkle the tops of the chips with granulated sugar.

Bake the chips for 12 to 15 minutes, or until they are golden brown. Transfer the baking sheet from the oven to a wire cooling rack and allow the chips to cool completely. Once cooled, dust each chip with confectioners’ sugar.

To prepare the cannoli dip, using an electric mixer on medium speed, combine the drained ricotta, sugar, and cinnamon. (Add the sugar ⅓ cup at a time, constantly tasting until you achieve your desired sweetness; some people prefer their cannoli less sweet than others, so you may prefer not to use the entire 1⅓ cups.) Turn the mixer down to low speed and add the chocolate chips.

When you are ready to serve, spoon the cannoli filling into the prebaked pie shell. Arrange the pastry chips around the top of the cannoli dip and the platter holding the pie shell and serve the Cannoli Party Dip Pie in a chip-and-dip fashion.

The cannoli dip can be kept in the pie shell for 1 day, but I strongly recommend not putting the party chips into the dip until immediately before serving so that they don’t get soggy.

Chocolate-Strawberry Napoleon Pie

Although piecrust is a very traditional pastry, it also lends itself to innovative creations. Here we use thin pie-dough disks to create those layers that napoleons are known for. The trick to this recipe is prep time. Although the individual steps aren’t difficult, Chocolate-Strawberry Napoleon Pie includes several layers, each of which requires time to set. Note that this pie requires quite a bit of lead time, since the strawberry glacé needs to chill for six hours before use and the finished pie will need to set overnight. Last but not least, be sure to use a deep-dish pie plate to accommodate all of these wonderful layers.

Makes one deep-dish 10-inch pie, 8 to 10 slices

Level: Challenging

1 prebaked deep-dish 10-inch Traditional Pastry Piecrust shell

½ recipe Traditional Pastry Piecrust dough (to make 2 dough disks)

¼ cup heavy cream (to glaze the dough disks)

Chocolate Ganache Whipped Cream

3 cups heavy cream

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

¼ cup confectioners’ sugar

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Chocolate Pudding Filling

¾ cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar

3½ tablespoons cornstarch

⅛ teaspoon salt

4 large egg yolks

2½ cups whole milk

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

3 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped

Strawberry Glacé Whipped Cream

1 cup Strawberry Glacé, chilled for at least 6 hours

2 cups Whipped Cream

3 cups strawberries: 2 cups thinly sliced and, for garnish, 1 cup whole

Once the strawberry glacé has cooled for at least 6 hours and you are ready to begin prepping the pie, preheat the oven to 375°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.

Lightly sprinkle a rolling surface with flour, making sure that the entire surface is covered. Roll out the half recipe of dough with a rolling pin until it has a thickness of about ⅛ inch. With a sharp knife, use the bottom of the 9-inch pie dish you are using to trace a circle and create a disk of dough. Repeat once more, making a second disk. Place the 2 disks on the lined baking sheet. Use a fork to puncture the surface of the disks several times to dock them. Brush the disks with heavy cream and bake them for about 10 minutes, or until golden brown. Transfer the baking sheet to a wire cooling rack and let the disks cool completely. Please note that once the disks are baked, they are extremely delicate. If you want to allow for any mistakes, make an extra disk … just in case.

To prepare the chocolate ganache whipped cream, heat 1 cup of the heavy cream in a double boiler over medium heat until it steams. Place the chocolate chips in a medium, heat-proof bowl and pour the heavy cream over them, stirring until smooth. Cool and refrigerate the chocolate ganache for at least 2 hours, until it is firm to the touch. Reserve ¼ cup of the chocolate ganache to garnish the pie; the balance of it will be used to create the chocolate ganache whipped cream.

When the ganache has cooled, continue to prepare the whipped cream. Using an electric mixer set on high speed, combine the remaining 2 cups of heavy cream with the confectioners’ sugar and vanilla. Mix for about 1 minute, or until you have achieved a creamy consistency. You’ll know it’s ready when you can form stiff peaks using a spatula. Fold the finished chocolate ganache into the whipped cream. Set the chocolate ganache whipped cream aside.

To prepare the chocolate pudding filling, in a medium saucepan off of the heat, whisk together the sugar, cornstarch, and salt. Whisk in the egg yolks and milk. Place the saucepan over medium heat and cook the mixture, whisking nonstop, for about 5 minutes, or until it starts to bubble and thicken. Once the mixture thickens, keep the saucepan over the heat and add the butter, 1 tablespoon at a time. Then add the vanilla. Add the chocolate, one third at a time. Set the chocolate pudding filling aside.

To prepare the strawberry glacé whipped cream, fold the strawberry glacé into the whipped cream until they are thoroughly combined.

To assemble the pie, spread half of the chocolate ganache whipped cream evenly across the bottom of the pie shell (reserve the remaining half of the chocolate ganache whipped cream in the refrigerator). Cover this with 1 cup of the sliced strawberries. Spread half of the strawberry glacé whipped cream over the strawberries. Place 1 of the dough disks in the pie shell on top of the strawberry layer. Pour the chocolate pudding filling over the dough disk. Place the remaining cup of sliced strawberries on top of the pudding, spreading them across evenly. Spread the remainder of the strawberry glacé whipped cream over the strawberries. Place the second pie dough disk over the strawberry glacé whipped cream. Refrigerate for at least 12 hours.

When ready to serve, remove the pie from the refrigerator. If you would like to decorate the finished pie with rosettes, fill a pastry bag with a star tip with the chocolate ganache whipped cream and set aside while you evenly distribute the remaining chocolate ganache whipped cream over the top disk. Otherwise, use all of the remaining whipped cream to cover the top disk. If you choose, use a pastry bag to pipe the chocolate ganache whipped cream or an offset spatula to create a more finished look. Using a piping bag with a number 1 tip, drizzle vertical lines of the reserved chocolate ganache across the pie. Then, using the edge of a knife, drag the chocolate ganache down in one direction and up in the opposite direction to create that quintessential chevron napoleon design. If you choose, you may use the chocolate ganache whipped cream in the pastry bag to place rosettes around the edges of the pie. Place the whole strawberries across the whipped cream and ganache for decoration.

Chocolate-Strawberry Napoleon Pie should be served cold. It can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Creating Rosettes with a Pastry Bag

Place whipped cream in a pastry bag with a star tip attached. Fold the end of the pastry bag down so that the whipped cream moves to the top of the bag and you can get a nice, firm grip on the end of the bag. Hold the pastry bag perpendicular to the pie top. Squeeze the pastry bag from the bottom, rotate it once, then stop the flow by releasing pressure from the bag. Repeat as desired, either all around the circumference of the pie to create a rosette border or in a few select places around the top of the pie.

Deep-Dish Dough

When making deep-dish pies, some people find it easier to use three quarters of the pie dough disk for the piecrust, rather than the usual half. If you choose to use three quarters of the dough for the prebaked pie shell, that is perfectly fine. Simply use the remaining quarter of the dough (rather than half) to make the 2 disks.

Thin Mint Chocolate Cookie Pie

There are few things I look forward to as much as Girl Scout cookie season. I love that little window of time to indulge in those iconic boxes of Samoas, shortbread cookies, Tagalongs, and, most of all, Thin Mints. I know I’m not alone in this! Thin Mints are certainly delicious enough on their own, but my philosophy is to celebrate this all-too-short time of the year by going all out. Make sure you order a few extra boxes of Thin Mints this year; after you’ve had this pie once, you’ll definitely want to have it again … and again. Better yet, keep some boxes in your freezer, so you can indulge in this pie throughout the year.

32 Thin Mint cookies, finely crushed in a food processor

2 tablespoons whole milk

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Filling

¾ cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar

3½ tablespoons cornstarch

⅛ teaspoon salt

4 large egg yolks

2½ cups whole milk

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

3 ounces unsweetened chocolate

23 Thin Mint cookies, processed to coarse crumbs in the food processor

8½ ounces Andes chocolates, coarsely chopped

Garnish

2 cups Whipped Cream

10 Thin Mint cookies, crushed coarsely in either a food processor or a plastic bag

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

To prepare the crust, in a large bowl, mix together the Thin Mint cookies, milk, and melted butter. Using your fingertips, combine the ingredients until the entire mixture is moist. Spread the Thin Mint mixture evenly across the bottom and sides of a 9-inch pie plate and gently pat flat so that it covers the entire dish, with no gaps in the crust.

To bake the crust, place it in the oven and bake for 5 minutes. Remove the pie from the oven and allow it to cool completely on a wire cooling rack.

To prepare the filling, in a large saucepan off of the heat, whisk together the sugar, cornstarch, and salt. Once thoroughly combined, whisk in the egg yolks and milk. Place the saucepan over medium heat and cook, whisking nonstop, until the mixture starts to bubble and thicken. Add the butter, 1 tablespoon at a time. Then stir in the vanilla. Add the chocolate, one third at a time. Remove the saucepan from the heat. Add the Thin Mint cookies, stirring until they are combined evenly throughout. Add the Andes mint chocolates and stir until they are melted. Pour the chocolate mint filling into the pie shell, spreading it evenly across the bottom. Wrap the pie tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving.

When ready to serve, remove the pie from the refrigerator and evenly distribute the whipped cream across the top. If you choose, use a pastry bag to pipe the whipped cream or an offset spatula to create a more finished look. If you would like, sprinkle additional crushed Thin Mints on top of the whipped cream.

Thin Mint Chocolate Cookie Pie should be served cold. It can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Key Lime–Blackberry Chiffon Pie

Although this is a somewhat untraditional combination, the lime and blackberry flavors actually complement each other quite nicely, creating one delectably tart treat with the additional twist of meringue folded into the filling. This pie requires a bit of advance planning since the Blackberry Glacé in this recipe will need six hours to cool prior to use and the pie itself will need to cool and set for a minimum of six hours. When serving, I generally cut this pie into smaller-than-normal slices (eight to ten per pie) since the tartness makes a little bit go a long way.

Makes one 9-inch pie, 8 to 10 slices

Lemon-Raspberry Twist Pie

1 prebaked 9-inch Traditional Pastry Piecrust shell

Filling

⅛ cup water, at room temperature

2 tablespoons gelatin granules

2 whole eggs

3 egg yolks

1½ cups sugar

¼ cup cornstarch

Pinch of salt

¾ cup Key lime juice

1 cup hot water

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 tablespoon grated Key lime zest

¼ cup hot water

3 cups Classic Meringue

1½ cups Blackberry Glacé

Garnish

1 cup Whipped Cream

Grated lime zest

½ cup blackberries

To prepare the filling, in a small bowl, add the ⅛ cup of room-temperature water to the gelatin to soften. While the gelatin is softening (about 5 minutes), in a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, egg yolks, and sugar. Continue whisking, and add the cornstarch and salt. Whisk in the Key lime juice, 1 cup hot water, butter, and Key lime zest. Transfer the filling to a medium saucepan. Place the saucepan over medium heat and cook, whisking continuously and scraping the sides of the pan frequently to prevent burning, for about 5 minutes, or until the mixture becomes bubbly and thick and almost transparent in color. Add the ¼ cup hot water to the softened gelatin and mix continuously until it dissolves. Add the gelatin to the filling, folding it in until all of the ingredients are combined. Allow the filling to cool for about 30 minutes, or until it reaches room temperature. Once cooled, gently fold the meringue into the Key lime filling so that they are thoroughly incorporated.

To assemble the pie, pour the blackberry glacé evenly across the bottom of the pie shell. Cover this with the Key lime chiffon. Place the pie in the refrigerator to chill for at least 6 hours.

When ready to serve, remove the pie from the refrigerator, and use the whipped cream to decorate the top. I prefer to leave the center of the pie without whipped cream and to place rosettes around the perimeter of the pie to make the colors of this pie pop. Sprinkle the whipped cream with lime zest and place the blackberries on top of the whipped cream.

Key Lime–Blackberry Chiffon Pie should be served cold. It can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

I work hard on all of my creations, but I worked especially hard on this one, which served as my entry for the Citrus category of the 2011 National Pie Championships. All of my hard work paid off when this pie won first place in both the commercial and professional divisions. Lemon-Raspberry Twist Pie is best made a day in advance as you will want to leave time for the pie to refrigerate and set before serving.

Lime Pie with Coconut Macadamia Crust

1 prebaked 9-inch Traditional Pastry Pie crust shell

Filling

⅛ cup water, at room temperature

1 teaspoon gelatin granules

1 whole egg

2 egg yolks

½ cup sugar

¼ cup cornstarch

Pinch of salt

1 cup fresh lemon juice

1¼ cup hot water

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 tablespoon grated lemon zest

2 cups Classic Meringue

1½ cups Raspberry Glacé

Garnish

1 cup Whipped Cream

Grated lemon zest

½ cup raspberries

To prepare the filling, in a small bowl, add the ⅛ cup room-temperature water to the gelatin to soften. While the gelatin is softening (about 5 minutes), in a medium bowl, whisk together the egg, egg yolks, and sugar. Continue whisking, and add the cornstarch and salt. Whisk in the lemon juice, 1 cup of the hot water, butter, and lemon zest. Transfer the filling to a medium saucepan and cook over medium heat, scraping the sides of the pan frequently to prevent burning. Whisk continuously for about 5 minutes, or until the mixture becomes bubbly and thick. Add the remaining ¼ cup hot water to the softened gelatin and mix continuously until it has dissolved. Add the gelatin to the filling, folding it in until all of the ingredients are combined. Allow the filling to cool to room temperature, about 30 minutes. Gently fold the meringue into the lemon filling so that they are thoroughly incorporated.

To assemble the pie, pour the raspberry glacé evenly across the bottom of the pie shell. Cover this with the lemon chiffon filling. Place the pie in the refrigerator to chill for at least 6 hours.

When ready to serve, remove the pie from the refrigerator, and evenly distribute the whipped cream across the top of the pie. If you choose, use a pastry bag to pipe the whipped cream or an offset spatula to create a more finished look. Sprinkle the lemon zest and raspberries on top of the whipped cream.

Lemon-Raspberry Twist Pie should be served cold. It can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

This pie is a delicious study in contrasts, in terms of both flavor and texture. The slightly tart lime filling mingles beautifully with the sweet graham cracker coconut macadamia crust. The light and airy filling and coconut whipped cream topping are wonderfully offset by the slight crunch of the pie shell. It really is perfection in pie form.

To bake, place the pie plate on the lined baking sheet and bake it for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the pie is firm in the middle but still soft to the touch. Transfer the pie plate to a wire cooling rack and allow it to cool completely. Once cooled, place the pie in the refrigerator until you are ready to serve. Immediately before serving, remove the pie from the refrigerator and evenly distribute the coconut whipped cream across the top. If you choose, use a pastry bag to pipe the whipped cream or an offset spatula to create a more finished look. Garnish the whipped cream with the lime zest.

1 prepared Graham Cracker Macadamia Coconut Crust shell

Filling

4 egg yolks

3 tablespoons grated lime zest

1 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk

¾ cup fresh lime juice

¼ teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Garnish

2 cups Coconut Whipped Cream

1 tablespoon grated lime zest

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.

To prepare the filling, using an electric mixer set on medium speed, combine the egg yolks and lime zest. Add the condensed milk, lime juice, and vanilla. Continue mixing on medium speed. Be sure to scrape the sides of the bowl to ensure all ingredients are incorporated. Pour the filling into the pie shell.

Lime Pie with Coconut Macadamia Crust can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Star-Spangled Flag Pie

This themed pie makes a great treat for Memorial Day, Fourth of July, and Labor Day celebrations. Your guests will be totally impressed with your creativity, but the truth of the matter is this pie is extremely easy to make. This recipe uses blueberries and raspberries to mimic the American flag’s colors, but you should also feel free to experiment; blackberries and strawberries will also work great with this star-spangled treat. Note that this pie will need to be refrigerated prior to serving and, because of the fresh berries, should be served within 24 hours of completion.

Level: Easy

In a medium saucepan off of the heat, whisk together the sugar, salt, and flour. Add the milk and water to the whisked dry ingredients and heat the mixture over medium heat, constantly whisking and scraping the sides of the pan. Monitor the mixture carefully; when it begins to simmer and becomes thick and bubbly, after about 4 minutes, let it cook for 1 minute more. You’ll know it’s finished when the mixture thickens to the point where it coats the back of a spoon. Add 2 tablespoons of the heated mixture to the egg yolks and mix them together well. Whisk the egg yolks back into the mixture in the saucepan and let the mixture simmer for 2 minutes, stirring and scraping the sides constantly to prevent burning. Add the vanilla seeds (discard the pod) or vanilla extract and whisk to combine.

1 prebaked 9-inch Traditional Pastry Piecrust shell

Filling

½ cup sugar

¼ teaspoon salt

⅓ cup unbleached all-purpose flour

1⅓ cups whole milk

¾ cup water

3 egg yolks, beaten

¼ vanilla bean, halved lengthwise, seeds scraped with the point of a sharp knife and reserved (or, alternatively, ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract)

Garnish

2 cups Whipped Cream

1 cup blueberries

2 cups raspberries

Pour the vanilla cream evenly across the bottom of the prebaked pie shell. Place the pie in the refrigerator to chill for at least 2 hours, until you are ready to serve.

To serve the pie, spread 1½ cups of the whipped cream evenly over the entire pie. If you choose, use a pastry bag to pipe the whipped cream or an offset spatula to create a more finished look. Using the blueberries for the stars, the whipped cream for the white stripes, and the raspberries for the red stripes, place the blueberries and raspberries strategically across the top of the whipped cream, so that they mimic the American flag design. Place the remaining ½ cup of whipped cream in a pastry bag and pipe rosettes evenly around the edge of the pie (see Creating Rosettes with a Pastry Bag).

Star-Spangled Flag Pie should be stored in the refrigerator and served cold. It should be served within 24 hours because of the fresh berries.

Strawberry Napoleon Layer Pie

I love this elegant pie so much that my husband, Kelly, and I served it at our wedding. The flavors and structure remind me a lot of napoleons, one of my favorite desserts. I love including strawberries in this layered dessert, but feel free to swap the strawberries out for your own favorite fruit. All fruits meld beautifully with this vanilla cream base. Blueberries or raspberries also work well … or try a mixture of all three! Be sure to bake this in a deep dish so that you can really maximize each layer. Also note that this pie should be made about a day in advance of serving since the strawberry glacé will require six hours to cool and set, and the finished pie will require another twelve hours of refrigeration.

Makes one deep-dish 10-inch pie, 8 to 10 slices

Level: Challenging