all things food
Homemade Sweet Potato Pie
This Sweet Potato Pie recipe is subtly spiced, has a layer of brown sugar baked onto the crust, and gets a little kick from bourbon.
READ: Homemade Sweet Potato Pie
This Sweet Potato Pie recipe is subtly spiced, has a layer of brown sugar baked onto the crust, and gets a little kick from bourbon.
The Perfect Pumpkin Pie Recipe
A classic pumpkin pie recipe – smooth, creamy, and just moderately spiced. The best pumpkin pie you’ll ever eat!
READ: The Perfect Pumpkin Pie Recipe
A classic pumpkin pie recipe - smooth, creamy, and just moderately spiced. The best pumpkin pie you'll ever eat!
Old-Fashioned Apple Dumplings
These homemade apple dumplings are easier than you’d think – Granny Smith apples are peeled and cored, stuffed with butter and cinnamon-sugar, wrapped in a pastry crust, and covered in a buttery brown sugar sauce. Baked un…
These homemade apple dumplings are easier than you'd think - Granny Smith apples are peeled and cored, stuffed with butter and cinnamon-sugar, wrapped in a pastry crust, and covered in a buttery brown sugar sauce. Baked until golden, they absolutely melt in your mouth!
Strawberry Rhubarb Pie Recipe
This old-fashioned strawberry rhubarb pie recipe features a tender, flaky crust and a filling that highlights the delicious combination of sweet strawberries and tart rhubarb with a touch of citrus. Included are tons of ti…
This old-fashioned strawberry rhubarb pie recipe features a tender, flaky crust and a filling that highlights the delicious combination of sweet strawberries and tart rhubarb with a touch of citrus. Included are tons of tips to ensure the filling thickens beautifully, as well as make-ahead and freezing instructions for preparing different components ahead of time.
Easy Peanut Butter Cookies Recipe
This classic recipe for peanut butter cookies comes straight from my mom’s recipe box, and they are the BEST peanut butter cookies. They are easy to make and stay wonderfully soft. This staple recipe deserves a place i…
This classic recipe for peanut butter cookies comes straight from my mom's recipe box, and they are the BEST peanut butter cookies. They are easy to make and stay wonderfully soft. This staple recipe deserves a place in everyone's kitchen!
This creamy French silk pie starts with my favorite pie crust, is loaded with a smooth, mousse-like chocolate filling and topped with fresh whipped cream.
The post French Silk Pie appeared first on Brown Eyed Baker.
This creamy French silk pie starts with my favorite pie crust, is loaded with a silky smooth, mousse-like chocolate filling and topped with fresh whipped cream. Sprinkle with some chocolate curls and you have an absolutely unbelievable dessert. And the best part – no raw eggs!
Ages ago, I resisted trying French silk pie for the first time. And do you know why? Are you ready for this? You will absolutely, positively think I’m insane.
For some reason, I had such a hard time getting past the combination of pie crust combined with chocolate. Am I nuts or what?! It seems as though I had compartmentalized desserts in my brain, and pie crust was reserved for things like fruit, pumpkin, and pecans. Chocolate, on the other hand, was reserved for… everything other than pie crust? Seriously, I know it makes zero sense. However, the only chocolate-based pie I had made before this one (chocolate cream pie) had an Oreo crust. I just wasn’t sold that chocolate and traditional pie crust were a good combination.
Clearly, I was wrong. Very, very wrong.
Let’s talk about how this amazing pie comes together…
The second issue I had with all of the French silk pie recipes that I found was that most of them used raw eggs without any sort of tempering to bring them up to a safe temperature. I’m not one to shun from a few beater licks of raw cookie dough, but I just couldn’t get past completely raw eggs as the end product.
I was thrilled when I saw this filling recipe from Cook’s Country that calls for heating the eggs to a safe 160 degrees F as part of the recipe. It helped appease my raw egg neurosis and the final product turned out so silky smooth that I can’t believe it lost anything to its raw counterpart.
As it turns out, buttery, flaky pie crust makes an absolutely phenomenal vessel for the velvety smooth chocolate filling. Truth be told, I could have eaten this pie filling with a spoon and just said to heck with filling the pie crust and letting it chill. I did purposefully leave a little leftover in the bowl so I could scrape it up with my finger ;-)
I went from eyeing the pie crust/chocolate combination with a skeptical eye and ended up trying to hoard the entire pie for myself. Lesson learned. Never second-guess anything when it involves pie crust or chocolate. I do believe that the silky texture of this pie is best enjoyed when served at room temperature, so if you have chilled the pie, I would let it sit out for 20 to 30 minutes before serving.
Please tell me I’m not the only one with crazy food combination issues!
Every chocolate lover in your life will love these pies and tarts!
Recipe video included. This creamy French silk pie starts with my favorite pie crust, is loaded with a silky smooth, mousse-like chocolate filling and topped with fresh whipped cream. Sprinkle with some chocolate curls and you have an absolutely unbelievable dessert.
Make the Crust: Process ¾ cups flour, salt, and sugar together in food processor until combined, about 2 one-second pulses. Add butter and shortening and process for 10 seconds (dough will resemble cottage cheese curds with some very small pieces of butter remaining, but there should be no uncoated flour). Scrape down sides and bottom of bowl with a rubber spatula and redistribute dough evenly around processor blade. Add remaining ½ cup flour and pulse until mixture is evenly distributed around bowl and mass of dough has been broken up, 4 to 6 quick pulses. Empty mixture into medium bowl.
Make the Filling: Pour the heavy cream into a large mixing bowl and whip on medium-low speed until foamy, about 1 minute. Increase the speed to medium-high and continue to whip until stiff peaks form, 2 to 4 minutes. Transfer the whipped cream to a small bowl and refrigerate until needed.
Add the melted chocolate and vanilla extract to the cooled egg mixture and beat until incorporated. Beat in the butter, a few pieces at a time, until well combined. Using a rubber spatula, fold in the whipped cream until no white streaks remain. Scrape the filling into the pie shell and refrigerate until set, at least 3 hours or up to 24 hours.
Make the Whipped Cream: Using a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment or a handheld mixer, beat the heavy cream, sugar, and vanilla extract on medium speed until it just reaches stiff peaks. Spread the whipped cream over the top of the chilled pie and garnish with chocolate curls, if desired. Serve immediately or store in the refrigerator, uncovered, for up to 3 hours. Leftovers should be stored in the refrigerator, covered, for up to 4 days.
Nutritional values are based on one serving
Originally published in 2014, this has been updated to include new photos, a helpful video tutorial, and more in-depth recipe tips.
[photos by Ari of Well Seasoned]
The post French Silk Pie appeared first on Brown Eyed Baker.
These old-fashioned sticky buns are covered in a decadent caramel glaze and chopped pecans; perfect for weekend breakfasts or dessert.
The post October Bake-Along: Sticky Buns appeared first on Brown Eyed Baker.
This old-fashioned sticky buns recipe comes complete with a decadent caramel glaze and chopped pecans. Made completely from scratch with a make-ahead option, these are a wonderful choice for holiday brunches, weekend breakfasts, or an extra-special dessert.
Welcome to the October bake-along! After a September hiatus, I’m excited to be back in the saddle and baking along with all of you this month! (If you are new to the site, each month I select a featured recipe and invite readers to bake it during the month and share their results in the comments here and on social media. Scroll down for more information on how to participate!)
Now that the chilly weather is right around the corner (hopefully? It’s supposed to be 90 here today, eek!), I wanted a caramel-y, cozy recipe and these sticky buns fit the bill.
For the longest time, I couldn’t go to the mall without being lured into the cinnamon roll shop by that all-too-familiar intoxicating aroma of butter, sugar, and cinnamon. Nearly impossible to walk away, am I right? Luckily, I started making homemade cinnamon rolls and didn’t need to practice self-restraint every time I went to the mall, but there was yet another recipe I wanted to master at home.
Let me introduce you to cinnamon roll’s tawdry cousin – the sticky bun.
Sticky buns and cinnamon rolls start out as the exact same being – the same master dough recipe is used, and even the cinnamon-sugar filling is identical. Aaaaaand that’s where the similarities stop. Let’s go discuss the differences…
I tested caramel glazes that were cooked and went into the pan in a liquid state, and this creamed-together mixture was, HANDS-DOWN, the absolute best at creating a wonderfully thick glaze that was the perfect consistency at both warm and room temperature.
Before you get the whole way down to the bottom and start reading the recipe, let’s give it a quick overview so you know what you’ll be doing:
Here in Pittsburgh, there is a popular local diner chain (Eat n’ Park); along with their meals, you receive two rolls – one a regular dinner roll and the other, a sticky bun (at least, that’s what they used to do; I haven’t been to one in years!). It’s always such a nice surprise to get to enjoy a pseudo dessert with dinner. In the event you want to get dessert, too… well, there are sticky buns for that! They are famous for their Grilled Stickies a la Mode – sticky buns topped with vanilla ice cream.
Biting into these sticky buns had me remembering the good ol’ days… Those early days in high school before we were old enough to drive when my friends and I would get dropped off at the movies, and then walk to Eat n’ Park for a bite to eat afterward. Then, we’d take turns using the pay phone (gasp!) to call our parents to tell them we were ready to be picked up.
When my sister took a bite of these, she said, “oh my goodness, these taste JUST like Eat n’ Park, but BETTER!”
Perfection.
To tackle sticky buns and bake along with me this month, simply do the following:
One year ago: Chicken Tortilla Soup
Five years ago: Chocolate Lover’s Cheesecake
Seven years ago: Quick & Easy Chicken Pot Pie
This old-fashioned caramel sticky buns recipe with pecans is perfect for breakfast or dessert.
Cream together the sugar, butter, and salt on medium-high speed in an electric mixer with a paddle attachment. Whip in the egg and vanilla extract until smooth. Then add the flour, yeast, and milk. Mix on low speed until the dough forms a ball. Switch to the dough hook and increase the speed to medium, mixing for approximately 10 minutes (or knead by hand for 12 to 15 minutes), or until the dough is silky and supple, tacky but not sticky. You may have to add a little flour or water while mixing to achieve this texture. Lightly oil a large bowl and transfer the dough to the bowl, rolling it around to coat it with oil. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap. Let the dough rise at room temperature for approximately 2 hours, or until the dough doubles in size.
Transfer the dough to the counter. Roll out the dough with a rolling pin, lightly dusting the top of the dough with flour to keep it from sticking to the pin. Roll it into a rectangle 18 inches wide by 9 inches long. Sprinkle the cinnamon sugar over the surface of the dough (use it all!), and roll the dough up with the long side facing you, creating a cinnamon-sugar spiral as you roll. With the seam side down, cut the dough into 12 even pieces.
Coat the bottom of a 9×13-inch baking dish with the caramel glaze, then sprinkle the pecans evenly over the surface. Lay the pieces of dough cut-side-up on top of the caramel glaze, evenly spaced throughout the pan. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and allow to rise at room temperature for 75 to 90 minutes, or until the pieces have grown into one another and have nearly doubled in size.
Make-Ahead Note: Instead of the second rise, you can place the shaped buns in the refrigerate for up to 2 days, pulling the pan out of the refrigerator 3 to 4 hours before baking to allow the dough to proof at room temperature.
Bake the sticky buns for 30 to 40 minutes, or until golden brown. Cool the buns in the pan for 5 to 10 minutes, and then remove them by flipping them over onto another pan or serving platter. Carefully scoop any run-off glaze back over the buns with a spatula. Wait at least 20 minutes before serving. The sticky buns are best eaten the day of baking but can be stored, covered, at room temperature for up to 2 days (see notes below on reheating).
(Recipe adapted from The Bread Baker’s Apprentice)
Update Notes: This recipe was originally published in May 2012; it was updated in October 2019 with new photos, a video, and extensive better recipe instructions.
[photos by Ari of Well Seasoned]
The post October Bake-Along: Sticky Buns appeared first on Brown Eyed Baker.