Ingredients for Pumpkin Cookies

Pumpkin Puree

You can use canned pumpkin or fresh pumpkin for this recipe. I like to cook a pumpkin or two at the beginning of the fall season and freeze my pumpkin puree for all my pumpkin recipes throughout the festive months. If you are using a whole pumpkin check out my post on how to make pumpkin puree.

Flour

In most of my recipes I like to use 1/2 all purpose 1/2 whole wheat but for these cookies I choose to use 100% All Purpose Flour. All purpose has a much lighter texture insuring a the soft, light texture to our cookie. Whole wheat flours can make them more dense and may not meet your dessert expectations.

Brown Sugar

Brown sugar is our sweetener. It is important to use brown sugar for it molasses content. We will also be adding additional molasses so if you don’t have brown sugar you and simply substitute with regular granulated sugar or Monk Fruit Sweetener and double the amount of molasses the recipe calls for.

I like to use organic cane sugar from Azure Standard. If you’ve never heard from azure standard before you should check our my Azure Standard Review to learn more.

To Learn more about how to make brown sugar here is my recipes

Butter

Because of the pumpkin puree we will use about 1/2 of the normal amount of butter that you would normally see in a cookie recipe. This produces more of a soft cake like cookie rather than a chewy cookie.

Eggs

Eggs help our cookie from crumbling. They help holds everything together and is a part of the rising action and helps determine the crumbliness or chewiness of your cookie. This recipe calls for two eggs. But after reading “Cookie Science: How Do Eggs Affect My Cookies?” I might try double yoke and one white instead of 2 whole eggs. For now I’m keeping it simple also cause it works. 2 eggs.

Molasses

Molasses is a rich in nutrient, color, and flavor, thick syrup that we get from sugar cane. I use blackstrap molasses for its nutrient benefits in smoothie, pasta sauces, chili, breakfast muffins, and more. Although we have molasses in our brown sugar I added more to enrich the flavor and texture of this cookie while adding extra nutrients and taking out a little saturated fats by using less butter than normal.

Baking Soda and Baking Powder

This recipe calls for both baking soda and baking powder. Baking soda is activated as soon as it is mixed in with another acidic ingredient. In our case, brown sugar BUT because the brown sugar and butter is mixed together first the baking soda and acidic brown sugar will not activate until the butter melt from around the brown sugar.

The baking powder is also activated at the mixing point but also has some agents in it that need heat to insure activation. So although baking soda and baking powder are very similar we find that one is activated more by acidity and the other is activated more by heat.

Vanilla

I like to use vanilla powder rather than extract. You can find the vanilla powder on amazon. This powder is a 1:1 ratio for vanilla extract so you don’t have to do any extra math when substituting. I like the flavor a lot and its been a great addition to my pantry.

Spices

Our spices include cinnamon, ginger, all-spice. These spices add so much flavor and you can easily adjust the amounts and create a whole new flavor. If you favor one flavor over the other you can experiment by adding a extra 1/4 teaspoon to the spice you want to stand out. Reduce another spice you want to be more subtle then the others.

Salt

Enhance the flavor with good salt like Redmond Real Salt. If you are looking for a unrefined natural salt with multiple minerals and electrolytes harvested in the United States of America, then look no further. Redmond Real Salt is full of flavor and nutrients and harvested out of the ancient seabed deep beneath Central Utah.

How To Make Gingerbread Molasses Cookies

Mix Butter & Brown Sugar

In a large bowl or stand mixer, mix soft butter and brown sugar together. This is important to the chemical reaction that we want to get a perfect cookie.

Add Wet ingredients

Add pumpkin puree, eggs and molasses to the butter and sugar mixture and combine thoroughly.

Add Dry Ingredients

Next, add the four, spices and baking soda and powder.

Refrigerate

Once the cookie dough is all mixed together refrigerate for a least 30 minutes, 1 hour is best. We want to refrigerate so that the dough is easy to roll into a ball. If the cookies are not clean round balls they will look a little messy and bumpy and hard to frost with the white chocolate icing.

Form and Bake

Take spoon or cookie scoop and form a nice clean round cookie dough ball. At this point you can dip into cinnamon and sugar before baking or just leave plain. If you don’t plan on making the white chocolate icing then I do think you should roll it in some cinnamon and sugar.

Bake in the oven for 8 minutes at 350 degrees.

Ingredients for White Chocolate Icing

White chocolate chips

You can also use white chocolate baking squares or bars but white chocolate chips work really well too.

Milk

White chocolate does not melt the same way as regular coco chocolate chips. White chocolate likes to stay thick and need the milk to help smooth it out and make it spreadable.

Butter

Butter also help the white chocolate chips break down to something more workable without adding to much liquid.

Make While Chocolate Icing.

In a sauce pan on medium high heat melt the white chocolate chips, butter and milk together. do not let it boil, just get it hot and melted and smooth.

Take off the heat and dip the cookies into the white chocolate and let cool on a cooling rack. Or you can take a fork or spoon and drizzle the icing on the cookies for fun designs.

If you white chocolate cools down to fast it will not be workable. Simply reheat and continue to drizzle or dip your cookies.

Pumpkin Gingerbread Cookies

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Additional Time: 1 hour

Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes

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Ingredients

Pumpkin Gingerbread Cookie Dough

Toggle ingredient group

• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup pumpkin puree
• 2 eggs
• 1 tablespoon blackstrap molasses (1 1/2 tablespoons light molasses)
• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon all-spice

White Chocolate Icing

Toggle ingredient group

• 1/2 cup white chocolate chip
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 3 tablespoons milk

Cinnamon Sugar

Toggle ingredient group

• 1/3 cup sugar
• 2 tablespoon cinnamon

Instructions

Pumpkin Gingerbread Cookies

1. In a large bowl or you stand mixture, beat together the the sugar and brown sugar
2. Add the pumpkin puree, eggs and molasses and mix all together.
3. Now add the dry ingredients, flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger, all-spice and vanilla.
4. Once it is all mix refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, 1 hour is best if you have the time. This will make the cookies easier to form into a clean circle.
5. Take a spoon or cookie do scoop and form smooth cookie dough balls. If desired roll them in your cinnamon sugar at this time.
6. Bake the cookies at 350 for 8 minutes.
7. let cool and drizzle or dip into your white chocolate.

White Chocolate Icing

1. Pour the white chocolate chips, butter and milk into a sauce pan and heat on a medium-high heat.
2. Once melted and mix together take off of the heat and dip the cookies or drizzle on top of the cookies while it is still hot. If it cools down and hardens simple reheat and continue.

The post Gingerbread Pumpkin Cookies Recipe (White Chocolate icing) appeared first on Embracing The Home.

Ingredients for Eggnog Ice Cream

You can either buy store bought eggnog or make your own. Here I will show you how to make your own. If your using store bought you can skip all this and simple add it to your ice cream maker.

Eggs Yokes

Egg Yokes add flavor as well as some of the creamy thickness. As you heat up your milk and eggs the yokes will cook slowly while mixing in with the milk, cream and sugar. In the end they will be cooked and if done correctly not clumpy.

Milk and Cream

The more cream you use the thicker and richer your eggnog will be. The more cream and fat in your ice cream the smoother and easier to scoop as the fat doesn’t freeze all the way. This gives your ice cream a creamier texture avoiding icy hard ice cream. You substitute with all milk or half and half and it will still turn out but texture will be best when you add the cream.

Sugar

Sugar is going to sweeten up our ice cream. If you want to substitute for a more healthier choice you could try monk fruit sweetener at a 1:1 ratio. Or honey or maple syrup at a 1:3/4 ratio.

Spices

Nutmeg is the star of the show with eggnog. Its warm, sweet, nutty flavor taste like Christmas. You can use ground nutmeg or whole cloves. I prefer using the whole cloves. Just grate them with a fine grater and enjoy freshly grated nutmeg.

The other spice we will be adding is cinnamon. Cinnamon and nutmeg complement each other very well as the are both warm and very reminiscence of the holiday season.

Vanilla Extract/Powder

Vanilla is another wonderfully warm flavor that bring out all the other flavors. I like to use vanilla powder for most of my baking and cooking. The flavor is just as wonderful and measures out the same as vanilla extract. If you’ve never given it a try let this holiday season be you chance!

Salt

Enhance the flavor with good salt like Redmond Real Salt. If you are looking for a unrefined natural salt with multiple minerals and electrolytes harvested in the United States of America, then look no further. Redmond Real Salt is full of flavor and nutrients and harvested out of the ancient seabed deep beneath Central Utah.

How To Make Eggnog

Separate eggs

Get two bowls, one for the yokes and one for the egg whites. Separating eggs is simple, crack the egg over the bowl set aside for the whites. Pour or catch the egg yoke in one half of the broken egg shell. Let the egg white fall into the bowl. Pour the egg yoke into the other half of the broken egg shell to get rid of the rest of the egg whites. Place you egg yoke in the other bowl.

Double Yoke with my first egg! Always very special!

Whisk Eggs and Sugar

To brake up the egg yoke and to keep it from clumping up while it cook, whisk it with the sugar until it turns a light or pale yellow. This will make for a very nice smooth eggnog.

Add The Rest Of The Ingredients

In a pot add the milk, cream, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, vanilla powder and the egg and sugar mixture and whisk together.

Heat on The Stove

Turn on medium – medium high heat and stir. Don’t whisk anymore just stir it all together and keep an eye on it. You don’t want the eggnog to boil but you do want it to steam and maybe bubble a little but don’t let the milk burn. Stir for about 10-15 minutes until it starts to thicken as the egg cooks.

Let cool and Refrigerate

Turn off the heat and let the eggnog cool down. Once room temperature poor in a mason jar or bowl and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

How To Make Eggnog Ice Cream

Pour Into An Ice Cream Maker and Churn For 20 Minutes

If you are using a KitchenAid Ice Cream bowl and attachment, turn the mixer on stir. Do not go any faster. You want to churn your ice cream slowly. If you are using an old fashioned ice cream maker or an electric ice cream maker follow the directions that came with your machine. Sadly I am not versed with every brand.

Freeze For 20 Minutes

The longer you churn the warmer your bowl is going to get. So I put it back in the freezer for 20 – 30 minutes to help keep everything cold. Leave the blade/mixer in the bowl.

Churn Again For Another 20 Minutes

When I bring it back out of the freezer I first break it up a little with a spoon. I don’t want it to be so hard that the mixer doesn’t work. It will seem at this point that it’s getting softer at first and not as frozen but then the ice cream will seem to increase and in my case, overflow a little bit. This is good.

Freeze For Another 20 Minutes Before Serving

By this time it might be close to a soft serve texture and you can serve it if you like. I will give my kids a spoonful and then place back in the freezer for another 20 minutes (or longer) to solidify a bit more. After that scoop away!

Eggnog Ice Cream

Yield: 1 quart

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Additional Time: 3 hours

Total Time: 3 hours 15 minutes

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Ingredients

• 6 egg yokes
• 3 cups milk
• 1 cup cream
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

Instructions

1. Separate the egg white from the eggs. (read above to learn how to separate eggs.)
2. Whisk Eggs and Sugar together to brake up the egg yoke and to keep it from clumping up while it cook, whisk it with the sugar until it turns a light or pale yellow.
3. In a pot add the milk, cream, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, vanilla powder and the egg and sugar mixture and whisk together.
4. Heat on the stove on medium - medium high heat and stir. Don't whisk anymore just stir it all together and keep an eye on it. You don't want the eggnog to boil but you do want it to steam and maybe bubble a little but don't let the milk burn. Stir for about 10-15 minutes until it starts to thicken as the egg cooks.
5. Let cool down and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
6. Poor into ice cream maker
7. Churn for 20 minutes
8. Place the bowl and all into the freezer for 30 minutes
9. Add chocolate chips and churn for another 20 minutes
10. Freeze again for at least 20 minutes before serving.

The post How To Make Homemade Eggnog Ice Cream appeared first on Embracing The Home.

Ingredients for Coconut Pumpkin Pie

Pumpkin Puree

You can use canned pumpkin or fresh pumpkin for this pie. I like to cook a pumpkin or two at the beginning of the fall season and freeze my pumpkin puree for all my pumpkin recipes throughout the festive months. If you are using a whole pumpkin check out my post on how to make pumpkin puree.

Coconut Milk

I use Thai Kitchen canned unsweetened coconut milk. Not the cream, not the sweetened milk just the regular unsweetened milk. The coconut milk is the only ingredient in the filling to give us a coconut flavor. If you want the coconut flavor to be stronger I suggest putting 1/2 a cup of coconut flakes in your pie crust. This will give you the coconut flavor throughout the whole pie.

Sugar

Sugar is our sweetener, you can substitute with a 1:1 ratio of Monk Fruit Sweetener. I have never tired to substitute honey or maple syrup for this pumpkin pie recipe but I believe it could be done. If you do try consider reducing the milk by 1/4 of a cup to make up for the added moisture.

I like to use organic cane sugar from Azure Standard. If you’ve never heard from azure standard before you should check our my Azure Standard Review to learn more.

Eggs

Eggs are a binding agent in baking as well as adding a creamy texture from the rich egg yoke.

Spices

Our spices include cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger. These spices add so much flavor and you can easily adjust the amounts and create a whole new flavor. If you favor one flavor over the other you can experiment by adding a extra 1/4 teaspoon to the spice you want to stand out. Reduce another spice you want to be more subtle then the others.

I also really like freshly ground nutmeg. This is optional but if you have never tried grating your own nutmeg from whole cloves you are missing out. I love the taste of nutmeg and fresh nutmeg does not disappoint

Salt

Enhance the flavor with good salt like Redmond Real Salt. If you are looking for a unrefined natural salt with multiple minerals and electrolytes harvested in the United States of America, then look no further. Redmond Real Salt is full of flavor and nutrients and harvested out of the ancient seabed deep beneath Central Utah.

Cornstarch/Flour

We don’t need much but just a little flour or cornstarch mixed in to our pie batter thickens our pie just enough to keep hold our pie together, especially when we cut into it.

How To Make Coconut Pumpkin Pie

Make a Pie Crust

With whatever pie crust you choose add 1/2 a cup of coconut flakes in the same time you add the flour. This will give our pie a more rounded coconut flavor.

Mix Wet Ingredients Together

In a bowl mix together the pumpkin, eggs, and coconut milk till smooth

Add Dry Ingredients

Then add the sugar, spices and cornstarch or flour. Mix until thoroughly combined.

Pour Into Prepared Pie Crust

In a 9 inch pie pan prepare you crust and then pour you coconut pumpkin filling into your unbaked prepared pie crust.

Bake

Bake at 400 degree for 10 minutes then reduce the heat to 350 for 35 minutes. I recommend placing a crust shield on at the same time you reduce the heat. The shield will protect the edge of your crust from burning while the center of the pie continues to cook.

Let Cool and Serve

Take the pie out of the oven when the middle no longer jiggles when the pie is moved. That is how you will know it is cooked all the way through. Let the pie cool for at least 1 hour, I’d personally give it 3 hours before cutting into it. Serve with homemade whipped cream or a fresh glass of eggnog and enjoy!

Coconut Pumpkin Pie

Yield: 1, 9 inch pie

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 45 minutes

Additional Time: 1 hour

Total Time: 1 hour 55 minutes

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Ingredients

• 1 1/2 Cups Pumpkin Puree
• 3/4 Cup Coconut Milk
• 2 Eggs
• 3/4 Cup Sugar
• 1 Teaspoon Cinnamon
• 1/2 Teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/2 Teaspoon ginger
• 1/2 Salt
• 2 Tablespoon Cornstarch or Flour
• 1/2 cup coconut flakes for pie crust

Instructions

1. Make your pie crust with 1/2 cup coconut flakes added in with the flour.
2. In a bowl mix together the pumpkin puree, eggs and coconut milk till smooth.
3. Add in the sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, salt and cornstarch or flour to your pumpkin mixture and combined thoroughly.
4. Roll your crust out and place it in your 9 inch pie pan. Pour your pumpkin filling into your prepared pie pan.
5. Bake at 400 degrees for 10 minutes then reduce the heat to 350 and bake for 35 minutes. Use a pie crust shield half way into baking to keep the crust from burning.
6. Take out of the oven when the center of the pie is not longer jiggly. The pie filling may also start to crack and that is a sign that it is done. Let cool for at least 1 hour, 3 hours is best.
7. Serve with some fresh homemade whipped cream or a nice cup of eggnog and enjoy!

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The post Easy Coconut Pumpkin Pie Recipe appeared first on Embracing The Home.

Ingredients for Gluten Free Pie Crust

Almond Flour

Almond flour is a naturally gluten free flour that taste amazing! Its perfect for all different types of desserts. It is light and fluffy and the flavor is nutty and sweet. However, sadly it is expensive, 2lbs is typically around $10 at Walmart and amazon.

Gluten Free All Purpose Flour

These recipe calls for both almond flour and all purpose flour. The almond flour can be a bit crumbly we do half almond and half all purpose flour to help hold things together. You can use any gluten free all purpose flour for this recipe.

Sugar

A little white sugar in this recipe helps flavor the crust by sweetening it just a little making it complementary to our sweet pie filling. A little sugar will go a long way for our pie crust so we don’t need a lot. You could also use Monk Fruit Sweetener or honey as a substitute if needed.

Cold Butter

Cold butter is extremely important. The colder the butter the better. I freeze my butter for pie crusts. Keeping the butter cold keeps the water that’s in the butter from absorbing into the flour too soon. We want the steam from the water in the butter to make lots of air pockets in order to create glorious flakes in our crust. If you let the butter get warm the flour will absorb the water and you will get a dense crust.

Apple Cider Vinegar

With regular flours the acids in apple cider vinegar slow down the gluten production and keep the dough from becoming elastic like. Because we are using gluten free flour already this ingredient isn’t as needed but I still like to add it. I think the ACV and the butter together create better air pockets and help make a soft and flaky crust. Remember to use COLD apple cider vinegar, if your liquid is cold your butter will also stay cold.

An Ice Cube (optional)

You can either place your ACV in the freezer for 20 minutes or so in order to get it cold or you can place an ice cube in it. I usually use an ice cube but its up to you. You will not be putting the ice cube in the dough. Its just to make your apple cider vinegar cold.

Salt

Enhance the flavor with good salt like Redmond Real Salt. If you are looking for a unrefined natural salt with multiple minerals and electrolytes harvested in the United States of America, then look no further. Redmond Real Salt is full of flavor and nutrients and harvested out of the ancient seabed deep beneath Central Utah.

How To Make Gluten Free Pie Crust

Mix Dry Ingredients

In a food processor (or by hand) mix together the almond flour, all purpose flour, sugar and salt. Pulse a few time to get them mixed together.

Add Cold Butter and Apple Cider Vinegar

Now cut the cold butter in cubes and add them into the flour, pulse in the food processor or use a fork or your hands to mix the cold butter in without it melting. Add a teaspoon at a time of the apple cider vinegar till the dough looks like little beads.

Form and Refrigerate

Dump the bead like dough onto a clean surface or parchment paper and form into two discs without overworking the dough. Cover in a air tight container or zip-lock bag and place in the refrigerator for1 hour.

Roll Out and Place in Pie Pan

Roll out on a piece of parchment paper or wax paper with a little bit of flour. The parchment paper will make it easier to place into the pan as the dough if very fragile. Roll our till to 9 to 10 inches round and place your pie pan on top. Flip the pie crust over with the pan underneath it. It will break a little. Because it has no gluten it will not hold together very well. Don’t work about that. Just take the pieces that fall of and mold them back into the pie pan till every crack is covered again.

Bake

Bake according to your pie filling recipe and enjoy!

Gluten Free Pie Crust

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Additional Time: 1 hour

Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes

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Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups almond flour
• 3/4 gluten free all purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 ice cube
• 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 4-6 tablespoons cold water
• 1/2 cup cold butter (1 stick)

Instructions

1. Combine, water, apple cider vinegar and ice cube in a small bowl to get cold.
2. Add almond flour and all purpose flour, sugar and salt to your food processor. Pulse to mix together.
3. Cut you cold or frozen butter in cubes and add to food processor. Pulse a few time till it it starts to combine with the flour mixture.
4. Add water/cider mixture 1 tablespoon at a time while continuing pulsing the food processor till you dough starts to look like little beads.
5. Place dough on floured surface and bring together and divide into two discs.
6. Wrap discs in plastic wrap or a zip-lock bag and place in the refrigerator for at least an hour.
7. Roll out dough and place in pie pan. Gluten free dough does not hold together very well. It will crack and that's okay. When you place it in the pan it will likely fall apart. Just piece it back together and fill in any cracks once its in the pan. Follow your pie recipes for baking instructions

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The post The Best Gluten Free Pie Crust (almond flour) appeared first on Embracing The Home.

There are 3 parts to making this pie.

• The Custard
• The Pie Crust
• The Whipped Cream

Ingredients For Chocolate Pie Filling

Sugar

We will use white sugar for the chocolate pie filling sweetening our cocoa powder. You could also substitute the sugar in the recipe with monk fruit sweetener.

Eggs

These eggs are going to create a nice chocolate custard by thickening and holding together all our other ingredients as they cook together. I do not recommend substituting this part of the recipe.

Cocoa Powder

You can use any brand of cocoa powder. Typically the cheaper ones are not as rich in flavor and the name brand more expensive ones like Ghirardelli, today I used Toll House and it turned out great. The better quality cocoa powder the less likely the chance of your chocolate tasting bitter.

Heavy Whipping Cream

For the filling I use heavy whipping cream but this could be partially substituted. You could use milk, half & half or cream for the custard part of the filling. We will however be folding in whipped cream into the custard to make it thicker and lighter. The heavy whipping cream cannot be substituted for making the whipped cream. So if you don’t have enough heavy whipping cream for both parts substitute for the custard and use your heavy whipping cream for the whipped cream.

Dark Chocolate Chips

You could use semi-sweet or milk chocolate but I think dark chocolate is the best for this recipe. Its slight bitter, rich flavor elevates our chocolate palate in this epic chocolate pie.

Butter

Unsalted butter is best for this recipe. I keep a pound or two of unsalted butter in the freezer for baking with. That way I don’t have to run to the store or hope something doesn’t turn out too salty.

Vanilla Powder

I like to use vanilla powder in place of vanilla extract. The two are equal in flavor, I believe the price for the powder is cheaper then the extract, but mostly I feel more confident in measuring out the powder than extract so its a lot easier for me to write recipes out using the powder.

How To Make Chocolate Pie Filling

Make The Custard

In a sauce pan combined sugar, eggs, cocoa powder, and 1 cup cream. Wisk together then use a spoon or spatuala to continually stir as you heat it on medium heat till it thickens up. Be patient, this could take 20 or even 30 minutes. Keep an eye on it and don’t let it get to hot to quickly. You don’t want it to come to a boil, just barely a simmer. You may need to turn the heat up and down a little for best result.

The mixture with the heavy whipping cream is thick already. If you substitute for milk this step may take a little longer because milk has less of a fat content to it. It will get thicker as the eggs cook, that is our goal in this step.

Add Chocolate Chip, Butter and Vanilla

One the custard is thickened, turn it off the heat and put in the butter, chocolate chips and vanilla. Still to melted in.

Strain the Custard

Sometimes there are clumps of egg whites that don’t get mixed in properly. To make our pie as smooth as we can we will strain, or push though a mesh strainer. If the mesh strainer is to fine we will have a hard time with our thick custard. I suggest a medium mesh strainer. It will get all the egg bits out.

Refrigerate

Before adding in the whipped cream we need to cool our custard down. Let cool on the counter top for 15 minutes to so till its room temperature (or close enough) and place the bowl in the refrigerator to cool down till cold. Refrigerate for a least 1 hour, 2 is better.

Make Whipped Cream

Read below.

Fold 1/2 The Whipped Cream Into The Custard

Take about 2 cups or 1/2 of the whipped cream and fold in gently to the custard.

Pour Custard Into The Cooked Pie Crust

Pour the custard into the cook and cooled down pie crust.

Add The Rest of The Whipped Cream To The Pie

Take the rest of your whipped cream and plop it on top of the custard. Sprinkle a little cocoa powder on the top for fun!

Ingredients For Chocolate Crust

Flour

All-Purpose Flour. We are making a dessert so although most of the time I like to use whole grain flours for at least half of my recipe when making desserts I go for 100% all purpose flour. It will create a lighter dessert while also allow the sweet and chocolate flavors to come shine though without the extra flavor of whole grain flours.

Cocoa Powder

You can use any brand of cocoa powder. Typically the cheaper ones are not as rich in flavor and the name brand more expensive ones like Ghirardelli, today I used Toll House and it turned out great. The better quality cocoa powder the less likely the chance of your chocolate tasting bitter.

Baking Soda

Baking soda will give our crust a nice puffing rise that will collapse down on its self and creating almost a brownie or cookie like texture for our crust.

Softened Butter

Typically we use cold or frozen butter to make a pie crust but in this recipe we are using the baking soda and not the melting butter with its steam pockets to act as our rising agent.

White Sugar & Brown Sugar

In this recipe we will use both white sugar and brown sugar. You could use 100% white or brown for this recipe if you want or if you are out of one or the other. If you are out of brown sugar you could add a little molasses to the recipe to add the brown sugar flavor. (read here to find out more about making brown sugar from scratch) You could also substitute the sugar in the recipe with monk fruit sweetener.

Egg

We use 1 egg for our pie crust and this egg will help hold the pie together, along with the butter so we don’t end up with a crumbly crust.

Vanilla Powder

I like to use vanilla powder in place of vanilla extract. The two are equal in flavor, I believe the price for the powder is cheaper then the extract, but mostly I feel more confident in measuring out the powder than extract so its a lot easier for me to write recipes out using the powder.

How To Make a Chocolate Crust

Mix Dry Ingredients

In a bowl mix together flour, coco powder, baking soda, sugar, brown sugar, and vanilla powder.

Add Wet Ingredients

Add the butter and egg and mix with a spatula or spoon and then eventually your clean, washed hands.

Form to Pie Pan

Plop on to your 9 inch pie pan and press with your hands molding it to the pan.

Bake & Cool

Bake for 15 minutes at 350 degrees. When you take it out of the oven it will be puffed up quite a bit. You can let it collapse on its own or help it out by poking it with a fork. I like to poke it.

Ingredients For Homemade Whipped Cream

Heavy Whipping Cream

You need heavy whipping cream, not just cream, not half and half, not milk. The good thick heavy whipping cream. Its literally in the name whipping cream. That’s the one you want for whipped cream.

Powdered Sugar

Just a little powdered sugar. We don’t need to make our cream as sweet as our dessert we are putting it on, we just want to lighten it a little. If you don’t have powdered sugar you and make your own by added a cup of white sugar to you vita-mix blender, food processor or coffee grinder and blended till its powder.

Vanilla Powder

I like to use vanilla powder in place of vanilla extract. The two are equal in flavor, I believe the price for the powder is cheaper then the extract, but mostly I feel more confident in measuring out the powder than extract so its a lot easier for me to write recipes out using the powder.

How to Make Whipped Cream

Step One: Whip the Cream!

In your Kitchen Aid or a bowl and hand mixer or by hand whisk the cream by its self until it comes to a soft peak.

A soft peak is when the cream gets just thick enough to stand up yet still a little floppy, not firm enough to be molded.

Step Two: Add Powdered Sugar and Vanilla

Once your cream is at a soft peak add the powdered sugar and vanilla and whisk still the cream is firm. Don’t over whip your cream or it will start to separate the cream and the little bit of milk and start turning into butter. When firm you are done!

Storing Whipped Cream

Store you whipped cream in a air tight container with a little room on top. We don’t want to smash the cream down and lose its fluffiness. Keep in refrigerator.

You can keep your whipped cream in the fridge up until the expiration date on the whipping cream carton.

Chocolate Pie

Yield: 1, 9 inch pie

Prep Time: 2 hours

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Additional Time: 4 hours

Total Time: 6 hours 15 minutes

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Ingredients

Chocolate Pie Filling

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• 1 1/2 Cup Sugar
• 4 Eggs
• 2 Tablespoon Cocoa Powder
• 1 Cup Heavy Whipping Cream
• 1 1/2 Cups Dark Chocolate Chip
• 1/4 Cup Butter
• 1 teaspoon Vanilla Powder/Extract

Chocolate Pie Crust

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• 1 Cup All-Purpose Flour
• 1/2 Cup Cocoa Powder
• 1/2 Teaspoon Baking Soda
• 1/2 Cup Softened Butter
• 1/3 Cup Sugar
• 1/3 Cup Brown Sugar
• 1 Eggs
• 1 Teaspoon Vanilla Powder/Extract

Whipped Cream

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• 2 Cups Heavy Whipping Cream
• 3 Tablespoons Powdered Sugar
• 1 Teaspoon Vanilla Powder/Extract

Instructions

Make the Custard

1. In a sauce pan mix together the some of the filling ingredients. The sugar, eggs cocoa powder, and heavy whipping cream. Heat the custard on medium heat. Don't let it get too hot, stir continually till the custard is thick.
2. Once the custard is thick turn the heat off and pour in the chocolate chips, butter and vanilla. Stir in till melted.
3. Strain the custard in a medium mesh strainer to get any eggs clumps outs.
4. Refrigerate the custard for 1-2 hours.

Make the Crust

1. In a bowl mix together the dry ingredients, flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, white sugar and brown sugar. Then add the butter, egg and vanilla. Mix with a spoon then eventually you'll want to use your hands.
2. Mold the crust into the pie pan with your hands.
3. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes. When you take it out of the oven it will be puffy it should collapse and come down. You can let it fall on its own or you can poke it with a fork.
4. Let cool competently before adding the filling.

Make Whipped Cream

1. In a bowl with a hand mixer or whisk or in
   your Kitchen Aid mixer, pour 2 cups of heavy whipping cream. Whisk on
   the highest setting till the cream forms a soft peak.
2. Once the cream is at a soft peak add the powdered sugar and vanilla and continue whipping until the cream is a stiff peak and whipped cream texture.
3. Divide the whipped cream in half.

Assemble The Pie

1. Gently fold in half of the whipped cream into the pie custard and pour into the cooled pie crust.
2. Take the other half of the whipped cream and spread or pipe it onto the top of your pie.
3. Refrigerate for 4 hours before serving.

The post The Best Chocolate Pie Ever appeared first on Embracing The Home.

Tips For Easy Pie Making

Buy An Apple Peeler

For the last couple years I have been making apple pie by peeling my apples by hand. I have enjoyed the slow peeling process and romanticized it a little so it never felt like a chore but a treat. This week I decided splurge and buy a $20 apple peeler, slicer and corer. Oh my word I was done so fast I didn’t know what to do with myself!

If you want to save time and energy this holiday season, especially if you make everything from scratch for Thanksgiving and Christmas I highly recommend buying a peeler. Its well worth it. Here’s the one I ordered.

Apple Peeler Corer, Long lasting Chrome Cast Magnesium Alloy Apple Peeler Slicer Corer with Stainless Steel Blades and Powerful Suction Base for Apples and Potato(White)

Make Your Crust The Day Before

The day before I want to make my pies I also make the crust. The crust turn our flakier and tender if the sit in the refrigerator for a least an hour before baking. You want the butter to stay as cold as possible when making your crust and storing it in the refrigerator for a day or 2 before baking with it helps tremendously. You can keep your crust in the refrigerator for up to 10 days if needed or you can freeze for 6 months.

Cook Your Filling Ahead of Time

My trick for not burning my crust while getting perfectly soft apples with thick syrup filling every time is to cook my apple pie filling ahead of time. This allows my to take the pie out of the oven as soon as the crust is done without having to guess if my filling is done.

When you cook, make sure you cook to the exact texture you want your apples to be with your apple pie. The apples will not get softer when you bake it. Once cooked and cooled something happens to the apples and they don’t ‘cook’ any more after the first cook. So Don’t under cook your apples or they will be crunchy in your apple pie.

Ingredients for Apple Pie Filling

Apples

Granny Smith Apples are the favorite for apple pies. They are firm in texture and cook to a tender soft apple while still keeping its form. They are more sour than a Fuji or Gala apples which adds a extra layer of flavor to our sweet apple pie.

Sugar

This recipe calls for both brown sugar and white sugar. Sugar is our sweetener of choice but honey, maple syrup or Monk Fruit sweetener is also a great alternatives. If you use the honey or maple syrup just be sure to cook for a long time at a medium to low temperature when you cook your filling on the stove top. Honey and maple syrup burn easier. They also have more liquid in them than cane sugar so you also might want to add another tablespoon of flour or cornstarch.

Cinnamon, All-Spice, Nutmeg & Salt

Our spices include cinnamon, nutmeg, and all-spice. These spices add so much flavor and you can easily adjust the amounts and create a whole new flavor. If you favor one flavor over the other you can experiment by adding a extra 1/4 teaspoon to the spice you want to stand out. Reduce another spice you want to be more subtle then the others.

I also really like freshly ground nutmeg. This is optional but if you have never tried grating your own nutmeg from whole cloves you are missing out. I love the taste of nutmeg and fresh nutmeg does not disappoint.

Vanilla Powder/Extract

You can use vanilla powder or vanilla extract. The vanilla is optional but I like the subtle background flavor it gives to my apple pies.

Flour/Cornstarch

The flour or cornstarch is what thickens the syrup of our filling. The sugar also makes it syrupy but because there is so much juice from the apples the flour or cornstarch thickens it up perfectly.

You can use either flour or cornstarch. I typically use flour because its quick and usually our already but If I’m making a gluten free apple pie I use cornstarch. Some people think the flour gives it a funny taste so they prefer the cornstarch but I have found that with apple pie I never taste the flour taste that you get in other pies like Raspberry Pie.

Lemon Juice & Lemon Zest

The lemon flavor is not strong but adds a balances the sweet and tangy flavors with the granny smith apples and the sweet sugar along with the warm spices.

How To Make Apple Pie

Step 1: Make a Crust

Like I mentioned before, I always makes my crust the day or two before. You can make the crust the same day but be sure to let it refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

I personally really like the gingerbread pie crust recipe with the apple pie but a classic pie crust works great too. I also have a gluten free pie crust recipe.

Step 2: Peel Apples

Peel, core and slice about 5lbs or 8 large apples for your apple pie. Again, I highly recommend getting an apple peeler to save so much time!

Step 3: Mix Pie Filling Ingredients

In a large pot combine the apples, sugar, lemon juice and zest, flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, all-spice, salt and vanilla powder all together.

Step 4: Cook Filling on Stove Top

Cook the filling in a large pot covered with a lid for 30-60 minutes. Cooking the apples before baking insures an even bake between the apples and the crust. Get perfectly soft apples with thick syrup filling every time is to cook my apple pie filling ahead of time. This allows my to take the pie out of the oven as soon as the crust is done without having to guess if my filling is done. Do Not Under Cook The Apples.

Step 5: Let the Apples Cool

Cool the apples completely before adding them to your pie crust. If you’ve read my 5 tips on a perfect crust you will understand why. The butter in the crust needs to stay cool until its in the oven. You don’t want it to melt until its time for it to create the flaky air bubbles in the crust. So do not put warm apple pie filling in the crust or you might melt the butter too soon and the butter will absorb the flour and you will get a dense crust.

I have often made the filling the day before and let it sit in the fridge overnight before baking on Thanksgiving day.

Step 6: Bake Pie

Now its time to bake your apple pie. Bake at 400 degrees for 10 minutes and then reduce the temperature to 325. We want the crust to get hot so that the butter can melt quickly and the steam can do its job in making a flaky crust, then we reduce the temperature so that we don’t burn the tops of the crust.

Step 7: Let Pie Cool and Enjoy

One the pie crust is completely cook your pie is done! Let cool on counter or refrigerator for at least 4 hours before cutting into. Enjoy with some ice cream, eggnog, whipped cream or caramel syrup!

Apple Pie Filling

Yield: 1, 9 inch pie

Prep Time: 1 hour

Cook Time: 40 minutes

Additional Time: 4 hours

Total Time: 5 hours 40 minutes

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Ingredients

• 5 lbs (8 Large) Granny Smith Apples
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/3 cup flour or cornstarch
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 3/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon all-spice
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/4 teaspoon lemon zest
• 2 Tablespoons lemon juice

Instructions

1. Make pie crust dough (Gingerbread Crust, Classic Pie Crust) and refrigerate.
2. Peel, core and slice 8 large apples.
3. In a large pot mix together all filling ingredients, apples, lemon juice, lemon zest, brown sugar, white sugar, flour, salt, vanilla powder, cinnamon, nutmeg and all-spice.
4. On the stove, heat your apple filling mixture on medium high for about 40 minutes or until the apples are soft and syrup is thick.
5. Cool your filling down completely. I often will refrigerate it over night and assemble and bake the pie in the morning but 1 hour is typically enough time.
6. Assemble pie crust and pour the pie filling in. Add the top crust and bake for 10 minutes at 400 degrees and 30 minutes at 350 degrees.

Shop This Recipe

Apple Peeler Corer, Long lasting Chrome Cast Magnesium Alloy Apple Peeler Slicer Corer with Stainless Steel Blades and Powerful Suction Base for Apples and Potato(White)

Monk Fruit In The Raw Sweetener Baker’s Bag, 16 oz., Keto Certified Monk Fruit Sweetener, Zero Calories, Zero Net Carbs, Non-GMO Project Verified

The Spice Way Nutmeg Whole – (4 oz)

Cook’s, Pure Vanilla Powder, World’s Finest Gourmet Fresh Premium Vanilla, 4.5 oz

Antenda Adjustable Silicone Pie Crust Shields – Baking Protectors Cover Ring Fits 8-11.4 Inch Pies

The post Simple Classic Apple Pie Recipe appeared first on Embracing The Home.