Salted Caramel Girl Scout's Samoa Cookie Pie

After being tempted over and over again by 

Samoa Cookie Pies on Pinterest, I had to

make one and boy, was it fantastic!  So 

fantastic that I made them twice this week!!

But first, I have to tell you

what a crazy two weeks we have had!

My missionary son who served a two year 

mission to Seoul, Korea returned

 and after

speaking Sunday at church to report on his

mission, left with us on Monday to Lake Powell for

a week.  While we were at Lake Powell

my oldest daughter went into labor 10 days

early and had her fifth baby, Saylor. 

 Her husband

was going to take the two boys down to Lake

Powell with us, as she has never delivered

early - so glad that he didn't come!  We got

a text our second to last night that she was

at the hospital so I stayed up past midnight

to hear the good news!  This is the first

of 10 grandchildren that I haven't been home

for - so that was sad, but she was 8 lb. 13 oz. 

so we were happy she came a little early.

Whew!  So I have been out of blogging commission for

a little while!  All happy, wonderful things, just a little

busy!!

Now, on to this GLORIOUS PIE!

I was thinking of making Joni's

Samoa Cookies one day since

my mind had been thinking of Samoas

after being hit hard with Pinterest temptations,

but then I decided to try a pie instead.

I ended up tweaking Averie Cooks version

and we are all in love!!!  

Let me describe this delectable pie - those who

were lucky enough to have it this week know just

what I am talking about!

I started with a chocolate crumb crust, then you have 

a soft cookie topping that and finally a caramel, chocolate,

coconut topping that is rich and gooey and wonderful.

Finally, everything is topped with beautiful chocolate

stripes to make it look like the famous 

Girl Scout's Samoa Cookies.

Now, this might seem complicated, but it is really an

easy pie to make and well worth the effort.

Samoa Cookie Pie Recipe

9 inch chocolate crumb pie shell

(purchased or home made)

1/2 C. butter, melted

1/2 C. brown sugar, packed,

1 large egg

1 1/4 C. flour

pinch salt

1 tsp vanilla

3/4 C. semi-sweet chocolate chips

1 1/2 C. sweetened shredded coconut

2/3 of a 14 oz can sweetened condensed milk

1/3 C. caramel sauce (purchased or homemade)

pinch salt

1/2 C. additional semi-sweet chocolate chips, melted

Heat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix in a medium bowl, the butter and brown sugar.  Then 

mix in the egg.  Stir in the flour, salt and vanilla.  Spoon into

the bottom of the pie pan.  Bake at 350 for 12 minutes.

IT WILL LOOKED UNDERBAKED - THAT'S WHAT YOU WANT.

Remove from oven and sprinkle the chocolate chips

on top of the underbaked dough.  Then top with the coconut.

Now pour the sweetened condensed milk over the coconut.

Pour the caramel sauce over the top and sprinkle the

caramel with a pinch of salt.

Place back in the oven and bake for an additional

25 minutes.  It is perfect to have this pie underbaked

as it will set up as it cools.  Don't bake it longer.

Let cool and pipe with melted chocolate chips placed

in a pastry bag in straight lines.

Place in refrigerator to set the chocolate.  Serve at room

temperature with whipped cream.

Click here for a printable recipe.

The great thing about this pie is that it is super

easy and quick to put together and

you are going to get rave reviews.

This is love in every bite!

I have to admit that it is fun to

have a son home to bake for.

I have done more baking and

cooking this week than I have

in a long time.  

I will be posting this with

Mosaic Monday

The Scoop

Foodie Friday

Apple Pudding Pie And A Fabulous $200 Giveaway

Yes, the cold weather and snow on the ground and 

Thanksgiving around the corner is bringing out the

baker in me.

This apple pie is a 

cross between bread pudding

and a streusel apple pie.  

This is true comfort food!

Top it with caramel and a scoop of ice cream, start

a fire and you are ready for the cold weather.

I first had this warm, smooth pie when I was in college

(eons ago) when we went to visit a friend in California.

His mother, Mrs. Tavernier,  made this for us and it has been in 

my handwritten recipe book ever since.

I love having a history of friendship and love behind

recipes.

It all started with this batch of 

homemade crock pot applesauce 

that I whipped up.

(I am getting ahead of myself, but I will give that to you

in my next post!  Promise!!)

One taste of the applesauce and I was craving apple pie.  Now, that

is not a normal thing for me to crave - as you well know (think more

like chocolate craving...)

This applesauce is so great - it tastes like a pie filling.

But we will get back to that in a later post.....

I instantly remembered the Apple Pudding Pie recipe from

years ago as it is made with applesauce.  I dug it out

and soon was pulling some little pies hot out of the oven.

You don't even need fresh apples to make this pie

so you can use items right out of the pantry.

Apple Pudding Pie Recipe

1 recipe pie dough for 9 inch pan

1 C. applesauce

3 eggs

1/2 C. vanilla yogurt (I used Greek)

1/2 C. sugar

1/2 C. brown sugar

1/ 3 C. oatmeal

1 1/4 tsp. cinnamon

1/4 tsp. allspice

3 C. bread cubes

1 apple, minced 

(or substitute 1/4 C. applesauce)

Streusel Topping

1/4 C. sugar

1/4 C. flour

1/4 C. oatmeal

3 T. butter

1/4 tsp. cinnamon

Place pie dough in 9 inch pie shell or 4 small

ramekins.  

Mix the applesauce, eggs, yogurt, sugars, oatmeal, and cinnamon

until well mixed.  Stir in the bread cubes and minced apple.

Set aside and mix the topping together until crumbly.

Spoon the applesauce mix into shells until  almost

full.  It will rise a little.  Top with streusel.  

Bake in a preheated oven at 450 for 10 minutes,

then turn the oven down to 375.  Bake ramekins

for an additional 25-30 minutes and a full pie

for an additional 40-50 minutes or until a knife

inserted in center comes out clean and crust is golden.

Top with caramel sauce and vanilla ice cream if desired.

The pie filling is so smooth and comforting.  It is great 

warm or cold. 

This would be a nice addition to your Thanksgiving table.

Wouldn't it be fun to have a selection of mini pies for

Thanksgiving?  I love that idea.

Individual pies like this are perfect for us.  We

shared one and then will eat another one later.

Lest we forget,

 Purple Chocolat Home and Splenderosa have

cooked up a wonderful 

pre - Christmas present for you

direct from Mrs. Claus.

A $200 Giveaway from 

Splenderosa's

fabulous collection of accessories, ranging from

traditional to contemporary all at reasonable prices.

If your name is chosen, you get to pick a whole selection

of fun items to fill your Christmas bag for you or for gifts.

CLICK HERE TO ENTER.

Giveaway ends at midnight, Sunday, Nov. 18, 2012.

I am taking this pie to

Foodie Friday

Seasonal Sunday

On The Menu Monday

French Berry Pie

A beautiful basket of strawberries just called out to me to

create a luscious pie for them to top.

Remember my French Peach Pie? 

 I decided I would make

it topped with fresh strawberries and pie cherries.

This is such an easy and fabulous pie to make.

It goes together in minutes and always gets compliments.

French Berry Pie

Filling

1 can sweetened condensed milk

4 T. lemon juice

2 C. whipped cream or 2 C. Cool Whip

1 tsp. almond flavoring

9 inch pie crust, baked and cooled

2 C. sliced strawberries

1 can pie cherries

In a large bowl mix the sweetened condensed milk with the 

lemon juice adding 1 T. at a time.  Fold in the whipped cream

or Cool Whip (I used Cool Whip today to save on fat) and

the almond flavoring.  Pour the filling into the prepared pie

crust.  Place in fridge and let cool.

Just before serving gently stir together the fresh

strawberries and the cherries.  Top the pie with the

fruit.  Serve with a dollop of whipped cream.

I usually make this with a traditional baked pie crust but

today I made it with pre-made graham cracker crusts.  Either

work great, or make your own graham cracker crust.

Thanks for visiting Purple Chocolat Home today!

French Peach Pie

I promised you this 

French Peach Pie,

a luscious layered pie topped with

fresh peaches in a light glaze.

This is a variation of my friend

Rachel's French Cherry Pie.  

She served it and I wolfed down two pieces

and went home dreaming of it!  I know, I

am a hog!!!  

I decided to try it with my fresh peaches

and I loved it even more.

I was so excited about it, I tried it in

two sizes.  

French Peach Pie Recipe

1 - 9 inch baked pie shell

(you could use graham cracker too)

1 can sweetened condensed milk

4 T. lemon juice

1 tsp. almond flavoring

2 C. Cool Whip

4 large fresh peaches, 1 diced, 3 sliced

1/2 C. sugar

1 1/2 T. cornstarch

1/2 tsp. almond flavoring

Bake and cool the pie shell.

Peel and chop 1 peach and puree

it in the food processor.  Press through a

sieve to remove the pulp.  Measure out 1/2 C.

pureed peach and place in a small saucepan.

Mix in 1/2 C. sugar and 1 1/2 T. cornstarch.

Bring to a boil, stirring constantly until

thickened.  Remove from heat and stir in

almond flavor.  Let cool.  Place in fridge or

freezer to speed the cooling process.

While peach sauce is cooling, 

in a large bowl, place the sweetened

condensed milk, then stir in the lemon juice

one tablespoon at a time.  Stir in the almond

flavoring.  Then fold in the Cool Whip.  Set aside.

When pastry and sauce are cooled, begin

to assemble the pie.  Spoon the creamy filling

into pie shell.  

Gently toss the 3 sliced peaches with the cool

sauce.  Arrange the glazed peaches on top of

the filled pie.  I usually don't arrange them in

a spiral pattern like this but since I was going

to take photos, I took the time and it only took

a couple extra minutes - definitely worth the time!

Garnish and place in fridge at least 3 hours to 

chill and set.

To make the individual servings, cover the

bottom of mason jars with pie crust,

prick a few times and then bake as

directed.  These were so fun and easy.

Give individual pies in a jar a try.

The layers look so pretty in the individual

serving sizes using the mason jars.

As I had miniature yellow roses in the garden,

I garnished with a bit of the filling and then a

rose.  

This pie could be topped with any fruit.  The

original recipe is topped with cherries, but

fresh strawberries would be wonderful too.

Definitely a

  Purple Chocolat Home favorite!

I will be sharing this with

Seasonal Sunday

On The Menu Monday

Foodie Friday

Dessert On the Porch

The air in the evening is becoming cool and crisp.

We are trying to be outside every moment we can.

We are also enjoying the bounties of

the season with fresh peaches.

Tonight I will share a dessert 

 with 3 of my friends that

I am taking a class with.

It is so pretty and cool, I think we should 

eat it outside on the porch.

It is going to be served on a darling

iron tray table.

Square creamy yellow plates with

a leaf pattern are being used tonight to

serve the desserts on along

with cream flatware.

Cream and taupe paisley

napkins for everyone.

I just love my

 green bubble glassware

 for drinks.

Hydrangeas in a green pot

and a wire topiary with a green candle

fill out the table.

What a darling green ceramic pitcher

for serving drinks.  It has such fun

texture and design.

Now, the star of the evening

...................

French Peach Pie

flaky pie crust, almond flavored

filling and a topping of fresh, juicy peaches

mmmmmmmmmmmmm

Little individual servings in

mason jars.

Any dessert in individual servings is just

adorable, and serving it in mason jars makes

it even cuter.

A yellow rose from the garden is

the perfect garnish.

I will be giving you the recipe for this fantastic 

layered fresh peach pie 

in my next post.

I made both

individual pies 

and

a full sized pie. 

 Wonder which one

the ladies are going to get!

But first, I have to post this with

Tablescapes Thursday.

Feathered Nest

(UPDATE)

(I ended up giving the little ones away

as neighbor gifts and we four women plus

two husbands ate the whole one - guess I 

will have to make another one soon before 

peaches are gone.  Can't wait to give you

the recipe - I can smell fresh peaches just 

typing this!)

Fresh Peach Pie

Just the smell of peaches reminds me of the

transition from summer to fall.  

We always have to make a fresh peach

pie - oooohhhh - so luscious and juicy.

I made one whole pie and these two

little pies with my perfectly ripe peaches. 

Fresh Peach Pie Recipe

1 C. pureed ripe peaches

1 C. sugar

3 T. cornstarch

1 T. butter

1/2 C. cold water

1 tsp. vanilla

1-9 inch pie shell, baked and cooled

7-8  C. ripe peaches, peeled and sliced

(about 6 or 7 large peaches)

Mix the peaches, sugar, cornstarch, butter, and

water in a medium saucepan.  Bring to a boil,

reduce heat and heat until thickened, stirring 

constantly.  When thick, remove from heat

and add vanilla.  Stir in and then

 transfer sauce to a bowl to cool to room

temperature.  When cool, press through

a fine mesh sieve to remove lumps.

When sauce is cool, peel and slice peaches. 

Gently toss the peaches in the sauce.

Pour into cooked and cooled crust.

Refrigerate until serving time.  Serve

with sweetened whipped cream or

vanilla ice cream.

(If you are used to making your fresh

peach pie with peach Jello, try this one.

I made one of each and tasted them side 

by side and will never make the Jello

one again!)

I will be posting with

Foodie Friday

On The Menu Monday

Weekend Wrap Up

Mini Chocolate Cherry Pies

Our massive cherry tree is ready to be picked

and although we enjoy the fresh fruit just

as it is, I wanted to create a recipe to

use the sweet cherries in.

Chocolate covered cherries are one of

my favorite treats to make at Christmas

so I decided to make a  Chocolate Cherry Pie.

I love any dessert in little individual form.

They make it so much more fun for serving

to guests.  Often for a dinner party I make

small desserts and have each couple share

one.  

Chocolate Cherry Mini Pie Recipe

2 eggs

3/4 C. flour

1/2 C. brown sugar

1/2 C. sugar

3/4 C. butter (no margarine), melted

1 C/ semi-sweet chocolate chips

1 C. chopped, fresh sweet cherries

enough pie crust for 2 - 9 inch pie shells

Pre-heat oven to 325.

Mix the eggs, flour, sugars in a bowl and

stir together.  In another bowl place the

chocolate and butter and microwave for

1 minute.  Stir until smooth.  Add to the

egg mixture and then stir in the chocolate.

If you are making a large pie, this will make

one pie, if you are making individual pies,

this will need  the dough for 2 pies and

will make 6 individual pies.

Bake at 325 for 60 minutes for a large

pie or 30 minutes for individual pies.

I dipped some fresh cherries in chocolate for a garnish.

This is a fudgy, rich pie that is moist in

the center with bites of cherry.

It turned out so great!

I will be posting this with

Foody Friday

Sweets for a Saturday