Kicked Up Thanksgiving Pies

by Michele Cheplic | More from this Blogger

12 Nov 2008 12:06 PM

Kick up your Thanksgiving dessert table this year with these jazzed up pie recipes. It's not hard to go beyond traditional pumpkin and apple pies by experimenting with additional ingredients.

If you're a bit apprehensive about breaking with tradition then consider the first recipe for Pumpkin Praline Pie. Your family members will still get their pumpkin fix, but the sweet and crunchy praline topping will provide added texture and flavor that ordinary pumpkin pie lacks.

The second dessert option is for the chocoholics in your family. The recipe for Easy Chocolate Pudding Pie is so simple your kids could make it with little supervision. This particular recipe features just five ingredients and four simple steps. It doesn't get much easier than that, and the best part--no one will ever know that you didn't break a sweat making it.

PUMPKIN PRALINE PIE

Ingredients:

3/4 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

2 large eggs

1 15 ounce can pure pumpkin

1 can (12 ounce) evaporated milk

1 9-inch unbaked pie crust

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Mix sugar, salt, cinnamon, ginger and cloves in a small bowl.

Beat eggs in a large bowl. Stir in pumpkin and sugar-spice mixture. Gradually stir in evaporated milk.

Pour mixture into pie shell.

Bake for about 45 minutes.

Allow pie to cool before adding topping.

Ingredients for Praline Topping:

1 1/4 cups of chopped pecans

3/4 cup light brown sugar

1/4 cup unsalted melted butter

2 tablespoons heavy cream

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Directions:

Mix together ingredients; add to top of cooled pie.

Place the pie under broiler (about 6 to 8 inches away from broiler). Broil for about a minute until the topping is melted and bubbly. Rotate pie if necessary to get it to brown evenly.

EASY CHOCOLATE PUDDING PIE

Ingredients:

1 pint vanilla ice cream, softened

2 packages (4 serving size each) chocolate instant pudding

1 cup milk

1 pre-made graham cracker crust

Whipped cream

Directions:

Mix first three ingredients together until smooth.

Spoon mixture into crust.

Refrigerate overnight.

Top with whipped cream before serving.

Related Articles:

Variations on the Traditional Pumpkin Pie

Apple Pear Pie

Cranberry Cherry Pie

Abandon the Pumpkin Pie: A Pumpkin Torte

Abandon the Pumpkin Pie: Pumpkin Apple Cobbler

Bring On the Pumpkins: How to Cook with Fresh Pumpkin

Pumpkin Ice Cream Pie

Learn more about Michele Cheplic

Michele Cheplic was born and raised in Hilo, Hawaii, but now lives in Wisconsin. Michele graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a degree in Journalism.

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