It’s a tradition that I travel to our daughter’s and help “babysit” with grandchildren while their parent’s attend the Home School conference for 2 days.

The responsibilities related to the “babysit” part has changed as the children are growing older, but they still like to eat!

My hubby does not share my love of peanut butter, so this was an ideal opportunity to bake Chocolate-Peanut Butter Whoopie Pies from my “stash” of wanting-to-bake recipes!

I had no marshmallow creme jar in my pantry, but I found a great substitution!  Melting 16 oz marshmallows in 3 – 1/2 Tablespoons white corn syrup in a double boiler equals 1 jar of marshmallow creme! I used the microwave, but stopped & stirred each minute.

The cookies are cake-like. Do put them 2 inches apart to keep the desired shape. The filling could use more peanut butter for taste. Be prepared for some filling strings as you spread it!

This recipe was “Grandkid Taste Tested” – and it passed!

Chocolate-Peanut Butter Whoopie Pies
Makes 30 sandwiches

Cookies:

1 12-oz pkg. miniature semisweet chocolate pieces ( I used regular size, except for sprinkling on top)
2 Tbsp. milk
3/4 cup butter, softened
1/4 cup creamy peanut butter
1 – 1/2 cups sugar
1 tsp.baking soda
1 tsp.baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
2 eggs
1/2 cup milk
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
3 cups all-purpose flour

Filling:

1 cup softened butter
1 cup marshmallow creme
2 cups powdered sugar
2 tablespoons milk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Set aside 1/4 cup miniature chocolate pieces to sprinkle on cookies.

In microwave-safe bowl combine 1 cup of the chocolate pieces and 2 Tbs. milk. Melt. Set aside.
In bowl beat butter & peanut butter with mixer until combined.

Add sugar, soda, baking powder & salt. Beat. Add eggs, milk, vanilla & melted chocolate. Beat. Add cocoa & flour. Beat. Stir in remaining chocolate pieces.

Drop by rounded teaspoons 2 inches apart onto ungreased cookie sheets. Sprinkle with reserved miniature chocolate bits.
Bake 9 minutes or until tops are set. Cool on sheets 1 minute. Transfer to wire racks to cool completely.

To assemble, spread flat sides of half the cookies with filling. Top with remaining cookies.

Filling: In bowl beat softened butter, creamy peanut butter, marshmallow creme &  powdered sugar with mixer until combined. If needed beat in the milk until spreading consistency.

My quest to find the perfect chocolate pie recipe continues…

And with my sister and niece coming – I considered it the perfect opportunity to try yet another chocolate pie recipe.

This time I choose a hot fudge sundae pie – a dense rich chocolate pie topped with ice cream and other toppings.

Yummo.

The crowd loved it – declaring it “most definitely a keeper”.

Hot Fudge Sundae Pie

2/3 cup butter
1/3 cup Hershey’s coca
2 eggs
1/4 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 Tablespoon flour
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 unbaked 9 inch pie crust
ice cream – any flavor
ice cream toppings – bananas, maraschino cherries, peanuts, whipped cream, etc…

Melt butter in a medium saucepan over low heat. Add cocoa, stir till smooth. Remove from heat.

Stir together the eggs, milk, and vanilla. Add the egg mixture to the cocoa mixture and stir with a whisk until smooth and slightly thickened.

Add brown sugar, granulated sugar, flour, and salt; stir with a whisk until smooth.

Pour mixture into the unbaked crust.

Bake 30-35 minutes until the edge is set (the center will be soft). Cool about 2 hours.

To serve, cut a slice and top it with ice cream and other toppings.

Enjoy!

I’ve linked this post up with Foodie Friday at Design’s by Gollum and at Chocolate Friday over at Stop n Smell the Chocolates.

It’s been a while since I tested a chocolate pie recipe, and decided that my parents’ visit was the perfect excuse to make one.

I wanted something light, and when we found this yummy recipe with marshmallows -we knew we had to try it!

We had a few issues with the pie – beginning with the crust.  The recipe called for an Oreo cookie crust – but since we were out of Oreo’s,  I suggested a graham cracker crust. Then Dagmar wondered what would happen if we added cocoa powder to the graham crackers so it would still be chocolate.

That part worked – it actually tasted wonderful! But our mistake was baking it too long in the microwave.  That crust was hard as a rock.

This became rather embarrassing when we tried to serve it! I was hacking away it at the table and crust pieces were flying everywhere! Good thing it was just family – and they have a good sense of humor! Next time we’ll just pop it in the freezer.

We also didn’t give it enough time to freeze before we served it – which is why – in the picture- the top layer is kind of oozing over the middle layer.

But when I finally got the pie chiseled out of the pan and served – we loved the flavor! It was light and creamy.

We’ll definitely make this one again! Only we’ll follow the directions more carefully!

Chocolate Marshmallow Pie

Filling:

1 cup chocolate chips, divided (we used semi- sweet, but dark would be wonderful, too)
2 tablespoons plus 1/4 cup milk (divided)
1 1/2 cup miniature marshmallows
1-  8 ounce tub of Cool Whip (thawed, divided)

Crust:

Chocolate Graham Cracker Crust:

1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs (about 18 crackers)
1/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons baking cocoa
1/2 cup melted butter or margarine

or Oreo Crust

1- 1/2 cups finely crushed Oreo cookie crumbs (approximately 20 Oreos)
3 Tablespoons melted butter or margarine

For either of the crusts:

Combine all the ingredients and press into a 9 inch pie pan. Freeze for a few minutes to set.

For the filling:

Microwave 1/3 cup of chocolate chips and 2 tablespoons of milk for 30 seconds at medium. Stir. Repeat at 15 second intervals, stirring at each one, until the chips are melted and smooth. Spread on the bottom of the crust and refrigerate.

Place marshmallows, remaining 2/3 cup of chocolate chips, and remaining 1/4 cup of milk into a saucepan. Cook over medium heat stirring constantly , until marshmallows are melted and the mixture is well-blended.

Place into a large bowl and cool completely.

Stir 2 cups of whipped topping into the cooled chocolate marshmallow mixture. Spread 2 cups of this mixture into the crust.

Blend the remaining whipped topping into the remaining chocolate mixture. Spread this mixture over the surface of the pie.

Cover and freeze several hours or overnight.

Serve with extra whipped topping if you wish and garnish with chocolate swirls.

Enjoy!

At first glance, I was pretty sure that it would not be the recipe I was drooling for – but since it was chocolate, we made it anyway.

Whoa baby! Was I wrong! This was a fabulous recipe! It’s thick chocolate filling was rich and creamy!

Is this the allusive chocolate pie recipe I’m seeking? It just might be. But why end the search so soon – there are still so many recipes to try!

Chocolate Chess Pie

Beat 2 eggs slightly

Mix in:

1 c. sugar
1/4 c. flour
1/4 c. cocoa
1/2 c. melted oleo
1 tsp. vanilla

Pour in unbaked 9 inch crust. Bake 30 minutes or more at 325 degrees.

Serve with whipped cream.

Enjoy!

I love having my kids in the kitchen with me – especially when we create! Buddy was  called upon to help me come up with a dessert using some really ripe bananas.

Not only was the dessert a hit – but he also wrote this blog post to practice writing and his keyboarding skills for school. Now that’s what I call a win-win!

Hi! I’m Buddy. I’m 8.

I like to make dessert. This one was kind of easy.

First you smush 1 sleeve of Oreo cookies. Mix it with 1/4 cup of melted margarine or butter and push it (with your hands or a fork or both!) over the bottom and up the sides of a pie pan. You don’t have to push it up all the way to the top.

Put the crust in the microwave on high for 2 minutes, take it out and let it cool.

Mix one big package of Jell-O Instant Vanilla Chocolate Chip pudding and pie filling (3.91 ounces) with 1 3/4 cups cold milk. Set aside.

Slice 2 bananas and put them in the crust. (You can cut the banana’s in the pan or you can cut them on a cutting board and put them in the crust.)

Then you pour the pudding over the bananas and spread it all over them so that none of the bananas are showing. Put the pie in the refrigerator and that’s it!

We had my pie for dessert on Sunday and everybody loved it!

I hope you like it, too!

Buddy

I’m on my second recipe now – determined to find the perfect chocolate pie.

This recipe actually turned out! It was creamy – just as the name indicated – and had a nice chocolate taste.

It filled the pie shell to the very top, giving very generous pieces. (Which of course, my children loved!)

It also used up several of the egg yolks left over from Dagmar’s Farmer’s Market baking.

The kids voted this one a rousing success and finished it off in record time!

Chocolate Cream Pie

1 1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup flour
3 tablespoons cocoa
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup water
1 can (12 ounces) evaporated milk
5 egg yolks (beaten till lemon colored)
1/2 cup butter
1 teaspoon vanilla

Combine sugar, flour, cocoa, salt, water and evaporated milk until smooth in a medium saucepan.  Cook over medium heat until thick and bubbly.

Remove from heat. Take 1 cup of the hot mixture and add it to the beaten egg yolks.  Mix thoroughly to temper the eggs.

Return the egg mixture to the pan and bring to a gentle boil, stirring constantly.

Remove from heat and add 1/2 cup butter and vanilla.

Cool slightly and pour warm into a 9″ baked pastry or graham cracker shell.

Refrigerate until set.

Serve cold with whipped cream. We loved it best with Cool Whip French Vanilla whipped topping .

Although this pie was very good – I can’t stop after only 2 recipes.

And so the search continues…

When I heard she had chocolate pie – I immediately found some money and sent Dagmar over to buy one.

Then I started to worry – what if I just spent that money for a store bought crust and Jello- pudding filling?

No worries.

That pie was fabulous! The crust was light and flaky and definitely  homemade!

But the filling was the star of the show – it was rich, creamy and delicious.

Of course I asked the young lady for the recipe. She just smiled sweetly and said she was so glad we liked it.

But she didn’t share the recipe.

I was bummed.

The memory of that pie still lingers in my mind.  It was fabulous. Unbelievable. Delectable.

I had to find a recipe to match it. I scoured my recipe files and cookbooks and made a pile of all my chocolate pie recipes.

I intend to try them – one at a time – until I find the perfect one.

I began over the weekend.

Obviously – by the picture – the first recipe didn’t work so well. The filling never did set up and seeped right through a crack in the crust leaving a mess on the bottom of the pie.

But it did taste great!

Chocolate Pie #1

1 -9 inch baked pie shell
2 cups of chocolate chips (I used milk chocolate – but I think I would prefer semisweet)
1/3 cup of powdered sugar
1 cup of milk
1/4 cup of butter
1 tsp almond flavoring
1/2 cup almonds

Place chocolate chips and powdered sugar in your blender, process until it is coarsely chopped.

In a saucepan, place the milk and butter. Bring to a boil. Pour into the blender and process until smooth and creamy. Add almond flavoring.

Pour it into a pie shell and refrigerate. Serve with cool whip and almonds.

In a perfect world it would set up beautifully – in my world it remained a runny mess.

But it did taste good!

And so the search continues….

I’m nuts about nuts.

This was not something that I was born with. When I was growing up the only nuts in our home were the peanuts in our Christmas bags from Santa Claus and the black walnuts that we got free from grandpa and grandma.

Peanuts I like, black walnuts are another story.

I remember well my first English walnut. So mild and delicious! Then I was introduced to pecans and almonds and even cashews! I was in love! There was an entire nutty world out there for me to discover!

This recipe includes both of my favorites – chocolate and nuts!

Chocolate Fudge Pecan Pie Bars

2 2/3 cups flour
1 1/4 cups brown sugar, packed
1 cup butter or margarine
4 eggs
1 cup corn syrup
4 ounces unsweetened chocolate (melted)
2 teaspoons vanilla
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups coarsely chopped pecans

Mix together the flour with 1/4 cup of brown sugar. Using a pastry blender or 2 knives in a scissors motion, cut in butter until the mixture has the texture of coarse crumbs.

Press into the bottom of a greased 15 x 10 inch jelly roll pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 to 15 minutes.

In a separate bowl beat eggs, corn syrup, 1 cup brown sugar, melted chocolate, vanilla and salt.

Stir in the nuts and pour the mixture over the warm crust.

Bake another 20-25 minutes or until the filling is set. Cool completely.

I didn’t have pecans, but substituted a mixture of walnuts and almonds.

Delicious!

Several years ago Papa Jim had shoulder surgery. He spent a lot of days at home alone recovering while I was working.

One afternoon when I got home he had supper started as usual and also had baked this pie.

He found the recipe in a magazine, drove the 6 miles to town to get a ready-made pie crust at the local grocery store and made the pie! I was impressed!

He felt as though he had finally been able to accomplish something after being an “invalid” for so many weeks!

Now we keep ready-made pie crusts (he does not want to try to do that from scratch, yet) in the freezer for this pie and other new recipes he finds!

Black Forest Pie
Papa Jim’s Favorite

¾ cup sugar
1/3 cup baking cocoa
2 Tablespoons flour
1/3 cup milk
¼ cup butter or margarine
2 eggs, slightly beaten
1 can (21 Oz) cherry pie filling, divided
1 unbaked pastry shell (9 inches)
Whipped topping, optional

In a saucepan, combine sugar, cocoa, flour and milk until smooth. Add butter. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened.

Remove from the heat. Stir a small amount of hot mixture into eggs. Return all to the pan.

Fold in half of the pie filling. Pour into pastry shell. Bake at 350° for 35-40 minutes or until filling is almost set. Cool completely on a wire rack. Just before serving, top with remaining pie filling and whipped topping if desired.

Yield: 6-8 servings. Freezes well.

Until next time,
Nana Shirley

I haven’t seen Kimmie in 6 years! This called for an amazing chocolate dessert!

Dagmar and I scoured our cookbook collection to discover the perfect “I haven’t seen you in so long- I’m so glad you are here” dessert. (Chocolate of course.)

The winner and huge hit at our meal was this rich chocolate brownie with a creamy mint topping.

Mint Brownie Pie
from Taste Of Home Annual Recipes- 2000

Melt together in a saucepan 6 tablespoons of butter and 2 squares (1 oz. each) unsweetened chocolate.

Stir in 1 cup of sugar until well blended.

Add 2 eggs and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla. Mix well.

Stir in 1/2 cup flour until well blended.

Pour into a greased 9 inch springform pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 18-20 minutes. Cool on wire rack.

Filling:

In a mixing bowl, beat 8 oz. of cream cheese and 3/4 cup of sugar until smooth.

Add 1/2 teaspoon of mint extract and green food coloring (optional).

Fold in 1 carton (8 ounces) of Cool Whip.

Spread evenly over brownie layer, cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

Remove sides from pan just before serving.

Melt 1/4 cup of chocolate chips and drizzle over the top. Garnish with more Cool Whip and chocolate chips.

Dagmar used her cake decorating kit to make the top extra special. She piped melted chocolate chips into stars and refrigerated them until they were hard.

It was a very special dessert, perfect for our very special company!