Old-Fashioned Chocolate Pie (aka Minny's Chocolate Pie)

I read. A lot. So much that my house is currently overflowing with books, most of which live in cardboard boxes stacked to the ceiling. And that doesn't even count the books I left at my parents' house when I moved (much to their chagrin), which would easily double, if not triple, my collection. But I can't help it -- I love reading. But it got to the point where my husband put his figurative foot down and said that we couldn't possibly fit any more books in our house without the whole structure collapsing in on itself, creating some sort of biblio-singularity which would punch a hole in the space-time continuum and destroy the entire universe. Maybe not his exact words, but that was the general gist. However, being my husband, he came up with an elegant alternative: a brand new iPad with Kindle and Nook apps on them, and a gift card to Amazon. That was about a year and a half ago, and I have since become an e-book convert (although it took me a few days to get used to reading on a screen). I have 60+ books on my iPad already, because buying them when I have a whim to read or see something interesting is way too easy.

But why do I bring this up on a baking blog? Well, it just so happens that the very first e-book I downloaded was The Help by Kathryn Stockett. And in this book is a pivotal plot point which I won't spoil here, but it involves a chocolate pie. Minny's chocolate pie to be exact.

When the movie came out, I had my first good look at the movie-interpretation of said pie, and I was surprised to discover that it was not a chocolate cream pie like I had been imagining. It was some sort of baked confection, looking almost like a brownie pie, and I was intrigued. A year and a half later, on a whim, I google "Minny's chocolate pie recipe" and out pops this page -- the screen-used recipe for Minny's pie! Not only did it sound delicious, it sounded almost too easy, so I had to give it a whirl. And thank goodness I did!

I have made this pie several times already, because it is that fast. I did adjust the sugar somewhat, and the amount of evaporated milk. I also added peanut butter one of the times I made it.

The ingredients are sugar, eggs, evaporated milk, cocoa powder, melted butter, vanilla, and a crust. You can use prepared crust, frozen crust, from scratch crust, even a prepared graham cracker or cookie crumb crust (although the last two get a mite overdone, but they don't burn).

The order you add things in the bowl will make a difference, only because the cocoa powder can seize or separate out of the custard if it isn't incorporated well. Here is what I do:

Combine the sugar, salt and melted butter in a bowl, whisking well to combine. Add in the cocoa powder, whisking well. Add in the two beaten eggs, whisking well. Add the evaporated milk and vanilla, whisking well.

At this point it gets dumped into your crust. If you want, you can put a 1/2" layer of peanut butter down on the crust first like so:

 Just sayin'.

Then, it bakes up for 45 minutes.

This one was in a chocolate wafer crust

It needs to cool completely before cutting and eating, I suggest at least 6 hours or overnight, refrigerated. Then comes the fun part: cutting and eating!

This pie tastes so decadent, with or without the peanut butter. No one will believe how incredibly easy it is to put together! It has a wonderful consistency, more substantial than a custard, less firm than a brownie. It also goes great with whipped cream, and honestly would probably make a great bottom portion of a chocolate cream pie. All in all, two thumbs up! This has already become a go-to recipe for those times when I need an easy dessert, especially as a take-along!

Note: The original recipe calls for 6 oz of evaporated milk. However, evaporated milk comes in either 5 oz or 12 oz cans. I don't know about you, but I'm not opening a 12 oz can just for 6 oz. So I tested the recipe using just 5 oz and it works fine. BUT, you can also use 12 oz, double the rest of the ingredients, and just make 2 pies. It is just as easy to make 2 pies as it is to make one, so I normally do that! Trust me, they don't go to waste!

Old Fashioned Chocolate Pie

Ingredients

• 1 pie crust
• 1 C sugar
• 3 tbls unsweetened cocoa powder
• 4 tbls butter, unsalted, melted
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 5 oz evaporated milk*

*use a 12 oz can and double the remaining ingredients to make 2 pies

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350F
2. Put pie crust in 9" pie dish (I found that there is no need to prebake the crust)
3. Combine sugar and butter in a bowl, whisking to combine
4. Add in cocoa powder, whisking to combine
5. Add in remaining ingredients, whisking to combine
6. (optional) Put a 1/2" thick layer of peanut butter on the bottom of crust
7. Pour custard into pie crust
8. Bake for 45 minutes, until center is set
9. Cool completely, 6 hrs or overnight in fridge

Impossibly Easy Pumpkin Pie

I'm continuing to (slowly) slosh my way through a backlog of posts, and this is one that I have been meaning to get up on the blog for months.

Now, I love me some pumpkin, but oddly enough, I've never posted my go-to classic pumpkin pie recipe. And today is still not that day, unfortunately. But instead, I have another variation of pumpkin pie to post -- the "Impossibly Easy" kind.

Why? I'm glad you asked. Necessity. I needed a quick pumpkin pie recipe using the ingredients I already had on hand in my pantry, which did not include pie crust, or butter or shortening, which precluded me from making a from-scratch crust (also working against me was the time factor). But, what I did have on hand was Bisquick.




Ah Bisquick. Can we take a minute to talk about Bisquick? You'd love to? Great!

Bisquick, in a nutshell, is a pre-mixed baking blend that includes flour, a leavening agent, and a fat source. The brandname stuff uses baking powder, hydrogenated oil and salt, but you can actually make your own using one cup of flour, 1½ teaspoons of baking powder, ½ teaspoon of salt, and 1 tablespoon of oil or melted butter. And according to Betty Crocker, it can be used in pretty much any baked good from pancakes to sausage balls. I've had both of those, although I haven't tried the myriad of other Bisquick recipes. And they're good...especially the sausage balls. But that's for another day.

Back to the Impossibly Easy Pumpkin Pie.

The premise is this: impossibly easy because you mix every ingredient together in one bowl, then dump it into a pie plate and bake it. While baking, the Bisquick sinks through the custard and forms a crust (of sorts) on the bottom all on its own, and voila! A pie so easy that it is ridiculous (although I'm not sure about the "impossible"). By the by, this pie used to be called "Impossibly Pie," not "Impossibly Easy Pie" when it was first introduced in 1978. The original flavor was coconut custard, and I'm assuming the name was a reference to the surprising way the Bisquick settles into a crust. I'd love to be able to tell you why Bisquick does this (and I did try to find out) but I could not find a definitive answer. I'm assuming the Bisquick sinks because the flour granules are coated in fat...but don't quote me! Somewhere along the way, "Impossible" was remarketed as "Impossibly Easy," probably to emphasize the, you know, ease of it all. The recipes were expanded to include a number of different sweet and savory pies, including pumpkin.

Now, I have to admit that I didn't follow Betty's custard recipe here. It was enough for me to know that the Bisquick would sink through the custard, so I used my own custard recipe, and just added Bisquick. 

The recipe is just as easy as it sounds: mix,

and bake.

It is hard to see in the pictures, but it really does form a crust, albeit a thin one:

Since my custard was thicker that the original recipe, I toyed with the idea of adding more Bisquick, but I decided against it. I'm not sure if it would all have settled out, and I didn't want to take the chance.

The filling really is the star here, and that's just fine with me, although part of me missed a traditional crust. I don't think this would replace my go-to traditional pumpkin pie recipe (although the custard recipe I modified for this is almost exactly what I use in my go-to recipe). But for what it is -- an easy, quick pumpkin pie with minimal ingredients, it can't be beat!


Impossibly Easy Pumpkin Pie

Ingredients

• 3/4 C brown sugar
• 1 can (15 oz) puree pumpkin (NOT pumpkin pie filling)
• 1 can (12 oz) evaporated milk (low-fat is fine, if you wish)
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1/2 C bisquick
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp ginger
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp allspice (or cloves, if you prefer)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 425F
2. Grease (cooking spray is fine) a 9" pie plate -- I used glass
3. Combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix until combined. Pour into pie plate
4. Bake at 425F for 10 minutes, then lower the oven temp to 350F (without opening oven), and continue to bake for an additional 40-50 minutes, until center is set and dies not jiggle.
5. Cool on wire rack. 

Peanut Butter Pie (No Bake)

Here is an incredibly easy no-bake dessert that is great if you need a quick holiday treat: No Bake Peanut Butter Pie. It has few ingredients, and is a snap to put together! It has peanut butter, Hershey's Kisses, cream cheese and Cool Whip, all in a graham cracker crust. Pretty simple!

I have the original recipe from a "Hershey's Holiday Favorites" mini-mag from 2004, but it can also be found online here. I tweaked it just a bit, to be more peanut buttery!

The first thing you need for this easy dessert is a pre-made graham cracker crust, 6oz.

Then, you take 26 Hershey's kisses and a little milk, and melt them in the microwave. Melt them carefully, in 30 second intervals (stirring between each interval) until smooth.

Spread the chocolate on the bottom of the crust and chill in the fridge for about 30 minutes.

In the meantime, beat some softened cream cheese with some sugar until light and fluffy.

Then, plop in an entire 16 oz jar of peanut butter. Yes, the whole jar. Mix well!

Then, fold in about 8 oz of Cool Whip into the peanut butter mixture, stirring well to turn this:

into this:

Once everything is smooth and homogeneous, spread it in the pie crust on top of the chocolate, cover, and chill for several hours or overnight.

If you buy a 12 oz or larger Cool Whip, you can spread Cool Whip on the top, and decorate with leftover Kisses...

This recipe makes one dense peanut buttery pie. If you want an even stronger flavor, try natural peanut butter!

The major virtue of this pie, other than its peanut buttery goodness, is that it is super easy to assemble. It is a perfect dessert to put together during the holidays, especially if you are short on time!!

Peanut Butter Pie (No Bake)
(Printable Recipe)

Ingredients

• 1-8" (6 oz) pre-made graham cracker pie crust
• 1- 8 oz block of cream cheese, softened
• 3/4 C sugar
• 16 oz peanut butter
• 16 oz tub of Cool Whip, thawed
• Bag of Hershey's Kisses

Directions

1. Melt 26 Kisses and 2 tbls milk in microwave in 30 second intervals, stirring between each interval until smooth
2. Spread on the bottom of crust and refrigerate 30 minutes or until firm
3. Beat cream cheese and sugar until luffy
4. Add in peanut butter and beat until combined
5. Fold in 8 oz Cool Whip and mix until combined
6. Spread peanut butter mixture into crust and refrigerate several hours until firm
7. Decorate with remaining Cool Whip and Kisses if desire

Pumpkin Pecan Cheesecake Pie

I. Love. Pumpkin. Pie. In fact, let’s be honest: I love pumpkin anything. But pumpkin pie is the very pinnacle of all pumpkin desserts as far as I’m concerned. I used to make a traditional pumpkin pie every year, but last year I went in a different direction, rolling out a brand-new type of pie, and haven’t looked back since. This new pie, the Pumpkin Pecan Cheesecake Pie, is my definitive holiday pie. It is like three desserts wrapped into one, and although it might sound busy, this pie has the most wonderful blending of flavors that results in my favorite Thanksgiving dessert.

I had always been intrigued with pumpkin cheesecakes, but I had never tried to make one before. The pie I am going to describe is a little different from a regular pumpkin cheesecake in that the cheesecake layer and the pumpkin pie layer are kept separate, with a pecan layer on top. This concept was originally inspired by Bakerella, who made a similar pie on her blog. But after reading the comments posted about that recipe, a lot of people complained that the recipe failed to give a filling that solidified properly. So I decided to try my hand at making this pie, keeping the distinct pumpkin, pecan and cheesecake layers, but completely revamping the recipe itself, starting from the ground up. The results I got were just wonderful, and that’s what I’ll be sharing in this post.

First, you need a pie crust. Deep dish if you can, there will be a lot of filling. I used the Sarah Lee 9” deep dish frozen pie crust, and it was still frozen when I filled it (although it sat on the counter after I had filled it with the cheesecake layer, and while I was assembling the pumpkin layer – maybe 10 minutes. Feel free to use your own recipe if you want, just keep a closer eye on how the crust browns, because my directions are for a crust that is partially frozen.

The first layer that goes down is the cream cheese. Start with your cheese softened, maybe sitting out at room temp for 30-45 minutes or so, cut up into cubes in your mixing bowl. Once the cheese is a little softer, you beat it with the sugar until it is well combined and not lumpy. 

Add the vanilla and a dollop of sour cream (a slightly rounded tablespoon), and beat until incorporated. Add the egg, and beat until combined and the lumps are pretty much gone. Try not to overbeat. Then, pour the cheesecake layer into the bottom of the crust.

Now for the pumpkin layer. I personally like adding each spice individually, as opposed to the pumpkin pie mix. I also freshly grate the nutmeg before I use it, and although that isn’t strictly necessary, it smells and tastes wonderful.  Combine the pumpkin, sugar, spices, salt, egg and whites in a bowl, and whisk until thoroughly combined. 

You can do that by hand, it is easy enough to combine. Then, layer the pumpkin mixture on top of the cheesecake mixture carefully. I would spoon it on gently, and then spread it out. Gently.

At this point, you put some aluminum on the crust to protect it from over-browning, and pop it into a 400F oven. After 5 minutes, and without opening the door, turn the oven down to 375F and keep baking for 25 minutes.

While it is baking, assemble the pecan topping. Combine the pecans, brown sugar and maple syrup in a bowl.

 Be sure to use real Grade A maple syrup, not the stuff you typically buy for pancakes. No Log Cabin or Aunt Jemima!

After the 25 minute bake time is up, take the pie out of the oven. You are going to be putting the pecan topping on quickly, you don’t want the pie to cool down too much. Remove the shield so that you can sprinkle pecans right to the edge of the crust, and start sprinkling the topping evenly all over the pie. I typically use all or almost all of the topping. Taking the shield off will also give you an idea of how much the crust still needs to brown. I leave those judgments up to you, because each crust and oven might be slightly different.

Put the shield back on if you think it is necessary, and pop the pie back in the over for another 20 minutes. After that time is up, try to take a peak (without opening the door if you can manage it) and see how the crust is doing. If you took the shield off, is it browning nicely or getting overdone. If it is getting overdone, put the shield back on. If you left the shield on, is it not browning enough? If not, take the shield off. This will really depend on your oven. Using the same exact crust, at my parents’ house, I had to leave the shield on the entire time to prevent excess browning, but in my apartment I took the shield off after the topping went on, and they both turned out great. The best advice I can give is just pay attention to the crust.

Let the pie bake for a further 10 minutes (so, 1 hr total bake time), then remove it from the oven and place it on a wire rack for cooling. 

Let the pie cool down at room temperature for at least an hour, if not more. If you cover it to put it in the fridge while it is too warm, you will end up with condensation building up on the inside of the cover, making the crust and pie top soggy. It doesn’t have to be completely 100% room temp before you put it in the fridge, but make sure the bottom is no more than slightly warm. If you are worried, you can do what I do and check the cover about an hour after I put it into the fridge. If there is condensation building, wipe it off with a paper towel.

This pie needs to chill for maybe 5 hours minimum, but I highly recommend overnight. It’ll make slicing and serving so much easier, plus, it just tastes better when it is thoroughly cold.

Again, this pie: my favorite rendition of pumpkin pie. The flavors are complex, and so are the textures, but you have the strong pumpkin coming through, complemented by everything else. If you are a pumpkin pie fan, consider adding this to your holiday baking list this year!

Pumpkin Pecan Cheesecake Pie

(Printable Recipe)

Ingredients

•  1-9” deep dish pie crust, frozen or fresh (see notes in above text)

 Cheesecake Layer

• 8 oz cream cheese, softened
• 1/3 C sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 slightly rounded tbls sour cream
• 1 egg

 Pumpkin Layer

• 15 oz can of pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling)
• ¾ C sugar
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp ginger
• ½ tsp nutmeg
• ¼ tsp allspice or cloves
• ¼ tsp salt
• 1/3 C evaporated milk
• 1 egg
• 2 egg whites

 Pecan Layer

• 1 ½ C pecans, chopped
• ½ C brown sugar, packed
• 2 tbls pure maple syrup

Directions 

1. Preheat oven to 400F
2. Beat cream cheese with the sugar until it is well combined and not lumpy.
3. Add the vanilla and a dollop of sour cream (a slightly rounded tablespoon), and beat until incorporated.
4. Add the egg and whites, and beat until combined and the lumps are pretty much gone. Try not to overbeat.
5. Pour the cheesecake layer into the bottom of the crust.
6. Combine the pumpkin, sugar, spices, salt, egg and whites in a bowl, and whisk until thoroughly combined (can do by hand).
7. Layer the pumpkin mixture on top of the cheesecake mixture carefully. Spoon it on gently, and then spread it out.
8. Put some aluminum on the crust to protect it from over-browning.
9. Bake it into a 400F oven for 5 minutes then, without opening the door, turn the oven down to 375F and keep baking for an additional 25 minutes.
10. While it is baking, assemble the pecan topping. Combine the pecans, brown sugar and maple syrup in a bowl and stir to combine well.
11. After the 25 minute bake time is up, take the pie out of the oven.
12. Working quickly, remove the shield and start sprinkling the topping evenly all over the pie.
13. Put the shield back on if you think it is necessary
14. Put the pie back in the over to bake for another 20 minutes.
15. After the time is up, try to take a peak (without opening the door if you can) and see how the crust is doing. Decide whether to use the shield or not based on the level of browning
16. Let the pie bake for a further 10 minutes
17. Remove it from the oven and place it on a wire rack for cooling.
18. Let the pie cool down at room temperature for at least an hour before covering and storing in the fridge
19. Overnight chilling yields the best results

Pecan Pie Muffins

Mid-October begins the official pecan harvesting season, and they are ubiquitous in baking and cooking throughout Autumn. I adore pecan pie, it is one of my Fall baking staples, so I jumped at the chance to try Pecan Pie Muffins -- all the goodness of pecan pie in a muffin form. 


Pecans, or Carya illinoinensis, are native to North America. They're called after the Algonquin name for the nut, "pekkan" which literally means a nut that has to be cracked by a stone. These nuts were very popular in America from the colonial period onward, and had some notable fans early on. Thomas Jefferson used to grow them in his nut orchard at Monticello, and he made a gift of pecan trees to George Washington, who henceforth began to grow them at Mount Vernon. Although they were grown on a small scale sporadically in America, mass commercial cultivation had to wait nearly a century for a slave named Antoine of the Oak Alley plantation in Louisiana to develop a method for grafting and propagating pecan trees in 1846-1847. This cultivar was dubbed "The Centennial", and was the first commercial variety of pecans in the world. Two of the original pecan trees grafted by Antoine still stand today at the Oak Alley plantation, which is less remarkable when you realize that pecan trees can live to be over 300 years old!


I first noticed a recipe for Pecan Pie Muffins on Tasty Kitchen, and it instantly attracted me because 1) I was intrigued by the thought of a muffin replicating the taste of pecan pie; and 2) the recipe was exceedingly simple, with only a handful of ingredients. So, I made some minor modifications to suit my taste buds (a little less sugar, and the addition of some chocolate) and gave them a whirl.


This recipe contains the simplest ingredients: flour, sugar, butter, eggs, pecans and chocolate. Note that there is no leavening agent. Pecan pie is not known for being light and fluffy, and likewise these muffins are dense morsels of intense flavor.


First, you combine the flour, sugar, pecans and mini chocolate chips in a bowl and set aside.*

Then, you beat the butter until nice and fluffy, and then add in beaten eggs and mix until fully combined.
Add in the dry ingredients and mix until just combined.

Fill muffin tins 2/3 full (I used paper liners but it isn't mandatory), and bake at 350F for 20-25 minutes.

Let them cool for a few minutes before you take them out of the tin. The original recipe suggests melting a small pat of butter on top and eating it warm, which I'm sure is delicious, although I didn't try it. I just ate one warm, and one cooled. They definitely do firm up a little the cooler they get, but it is a trade-off because the flavor intensifies. If you don't like the consistency when cooled, you can always heat it up in the microwave for about 20-30 seconds. I, however, am just fine with the room temperature muffins. If you can, though, you might want to make them fresh the day you need them. They are definitely at their best then (although still tasty the next day).

These muffins really do taste like little pecan pies. They are quick, easy, delicious, and now part of my permanent Autumn baking rotation!

*Just one quick point about the workflow. The first time I made them, I didn't even look at the assembly directions, and I just made them the way I would normally put together the ingredients: namely, cream together the butter and sugar, add in the eggs, then the flour, then the pecans and chips. And they turned out just fine (although the flour coating the pecans and chips helps them to not sink in the original directions), so if you have an "oops" moment, don't fret, you haven't ruined them.

Pecan Pie Muffins

(Printable Recipe)

Ingredients

• 2/3 C butter, softened
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1/2 C flour
• 3/4 C packed brown sugar
• 1 C pecans, chopped
• 1/2 C mini chocolate chips

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350F
2. Combine flour, sugar, pecans and mini chips in a bowl. Set aside.
3. Beat softened butter until fluffy, then add in eggs and mix until incorporated
4. Add in the flour/sugar/pecan/chips mixture, and beat until just combined
5. Fill muffin pan (with or without liners) 2/3 full
6. Bake 20-25 minutes, be careful not to over-bake
7. Let cool in pan 5 minutes before removing
8. Melt a pat of butter on top and eat warm (optional)

Mango Pie

One of my favorite fruit pies in the summer is mango, and conveniently enough, it is also one of the easiest pies to make.  The basis for the recipe (read: the ingredients list) originally came from my friend Shivani, and I then adapted the proportions of which to suit my own tastes.  This is a no-bake pie, requiring only a handful of ingredients, most of which are easily attainable. Mango pulp, unflavored gelatin, cream cheese, sour cream, water, and graham cracker crusts. I say “crusts” plural because this recipe will make multiple pies at once. The only unusual ingredient is the mango pulp, which comes in 30 oz cans. I use alphonse mango pulp, which I get from my local Indian store. This kind of pulp is already sweetened, so the pie does not require any additional sugar. If you are not fortunate enough to live within easy striking distance of an Asian supermarket, the pulp can also be found here.  Alternatively, you can make fresh mango pulp, which defeats the ease of assembling the pie, in my opinion.

And now, just a brief teeny tiny botanical/historical interlude…Mangos  belong to the genus Magnifera, grown on fruit trees indigenous to India, where they have been cultivated for thousands of years. Mango variety is enormous, and there are currently 1000+ cultivars. Alphonso mangos are one of the most sought-after and expensive of all mango cultivars. Originally named for Alfonso de Albuquerque, the Portuguese  governor of Portuguese India in the early 16th century who used to bring them with him on his travels, the mangos are generally referred to as Aapoos or Haapoos in Asia.  Mangos account for half of the worldwide tropical fruit production.  Interestingly, mango peel contains urushiol, the same chemical compound that causes contact dermatitis in poison ivy and poison sumac. Mango peel isn’t all bad, however, many of the pigments contain antioxidents.

Back to the pie. In essence, the workflow is very simple. First, you dissolve unflavored gelatin in boiling water (you can use the microwave to boil the water).  You then combine the gelatin-water with cream cheese and sour cream, and mix until combined (my pics look a little frothy because I decided to use a hand mixer this time). The heat will in effect melt the cheese and cream, and you will be left with a milk-ish looking liquid. Then you add in the mango pulp from the can, pour into your crusts, top with saran wrap, and pop into the fridge for several hours or overnight. If you want, you can pre-bake your crusts as per the directions on the package (usually this entails brushing it with an egg wash and baking it at 375F for about 5 minutes). This is optional however, and most of the time I don’t bother.

Unsolidified

Solidified. 

The only other thing to keep in mind is that the recipe below, as written, makes more than one pie. This is to use up the entire can of mango pulp because, honestly, I have nothing to do with a leftover half can of mango pulp. If you can think of another use for that half can, then feel free to halve the recipe and make one pie. However, the excess pies never seem to go to waste, everyone loves them. If you’re not sure what to do with multiple pies, time when you make them so that you can bring a pie to a special occasion function, and the other to work or something like that. This recipe is also perfect for when you have multiple functions in the same weekend, it is a great take-along recipe (although keep in mind it has to be stored in the fridge).  The sizes and number of pies I make depends on the crusts I have on hand. For this particular iteration, I used one 9oz crust and one 6oz crust and filled them to the brims. I suspect that if you use all 6 oz crusts, you’d probably be able to get 3 pies out of it. There are also mini-graham cracker crusts available, so as long as you have multiple crusts on-hand, you can make any combination of sizes that you wish.


Using a whipped cream or Cool Whip topping is a definite option with this pie. Because I lay saran wrap on it while it is solidifying (to prevent the formation of a skin), the surface isn’t smooth. Whipped cream would “pretty up” the surface of the pie.  You can smear it right on top after the pie solidifies and make a mango cream pie. I personally just like to offer it on the side, since I prefer my mango pie slice nekkid. You can also fold in whipped cream or Cool Whip prior to solidifying the pie, but I have a feeling this would mute the mango taste too much for my taste buds.

Ingredients

• 2-3 ready-made graham cracker crusts (6oz, 9oz and/or minis)
• 1 - 30oz can of mango pulp (keep in mind that if the pulp is sweetened, you will not need additional sugar)
• 1 - 8oz block of cream cheese, softened
• ½ C sour cream
• 3 packets unflavored gelatin
• 2 C boiling water
• Whipped cream or Cool Whip (optional)

Directions

1. Pre-bake the graham crusts if desired, and let cool.
2. Melt the gelatin in boiling water until dissolved (can use microwave to boil the water, mine took about 3 minutes)
3. Combine the cream cheese and sour cream in a bowl, and mix until combined (you can use a stand or hand mixer. There will be froth…don’t worry about it…)
4. Add the gelatin-water mixture to the cream mixture and mix until combined
5. Add in the mango pulp and mix until combined. At this point, it is easy to do by hand, which will also take care of some of the froth
6. Pour filling into the crusts, and lay saran wrap over the top, touching the liquid. This is to prevent a skin. I’m not really sure if there is enough dairy in this pie to form a skin, but I am taking nooooo chances!
7. Place filled crusts in refrigerator for at least several hours or overnight.

When the pie has solidified and chilled, slice it up and serve it! This pie is light, fresh, and delicious. I frequently bring it to places and get dubious looks when I tell people that it is a mango pie, but those suspicious looks always disappear when they taste it. People always request the recipe which, by my standards, is the surest way to know something is really being enjoyed!!