Pies






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Granny Fern's Pineapple Pie

350 F

"Mildred Fem Smith could put a meal on the table for a group in 30 minutes. But when we would visit Eminence, she would pull out all the stops because she knew her whole clan would show up to the house. She would start early in the morning preparing her noodles and sweet rolls and then she would move on to the pies. She always made a chocolate pudding pie and this pineapple pie. It was my favorite. She never used a recipe, had been married at age 15, and raised seven kids. I had to watch her make this pie and take down everything she did in order to get the recipe. She had always had to watch her pennies, but she could make two scrumptious pies out of a box of chocolate pudding and a can of pineapple."

  • 2 unbaked pie crusts (she occasionally just used one)

  • 1 large can of unsweetened crushed pineapple

  • 1 cup sugar

  • 2 Tablespoons cornstarch or flour

  • butter

Stir these ingredients together in a bowl. Put into an unbaked pie shell. Dot with butter and cover with second crust. (Or try without top crust.) Sprinkle crust with sugar and make slits in the crust to ventilate. Bake in 350° oven until golden. Let cool completely before serving. This pie sets up and has a thick, solid, somewhat sticky quality to it. It is what my dad called a "fist pie". You can hold it in your fist and eat it and it won't run.

Velveeta Cheese Pie

325 F

Rachel Sweat McClung, daughter of Art Sweat, a colleague and fellow band member of Roger's, brought this unusual but delicious pie to a music gathering. Roger played the 5 string Scrugg's style banjo and Art played the guitar. After Art died of cancer, Rachel asked Roger to teach her how to play her dad's guitar. Her daughters Bonnie and Sunny, were Sam and Haden's ages and made good playmates. I've never seen this pie anywhere else and it is not listed in Velveeta's recipes on their website.

  • 8 oz. of Velveeta Cheese

  • 1 ½ sticks of butter

  • 2 cups sugar

  • 2 teaspoons vanilla

  • 4 beaten eggs

  • 2 regular (not deep dish) unbaked 9" pie shells

Melt the cheese and butter together in the microwave or in a double boiler. Add the sugar and vanilla and mix well. Then slowly add, a little at a time, the eggs to the cheese mix. Blend well and pour equal amounts into the pie shells. Bake 325° for 30-40 minutes or until golden brown. The color of the pie filling should be orange. (Just like the Velveeta) This dessert is best when made the day before and refrigerated overnight.

Gooseberry Pie

375 F

Sometimes when we would visit Grandma Crane after Granddad had died and she had moved to Bolivar, Missouri, to be close to her eldest son, Dennis, and his wife, Ruth, she would get Dad to take her to Ullman, MO to Gott Cemetery where her son, Bruel, and our Granddad were buried. Gott Church is a pretty little white, wooden steepled church surrounded by a cemetery. It contains many Cranes and their relatives. Behind the church was William Clarence Crane's farm. We couldn't go to Gott (God in German) without a visit to Uncle Clarence and Aunt Stella. Uncle Clarence was Granddad's brother and like all Cranes, a big flirt and tease. He was fun and irresistible. Short, plump, and so sweet Aunt Stella had always baked something and if we were lucky, it was a gooseberry pie. Gooseberries are in the blueberry family, but are green striped and tart. She picked and canned quarts of the berries. Enough sugar and some ice cream solved the tart problem. Rex and I would play with their grandson, Paul, who we still keep in touch with even though Uncle Clarence and Aunt Stella have long since passed. But this pie will always remind me of them.

  • Pastry for double crust pie

  • 4 cups of fresh berries or 2 cans ( 16 oz.) of gooseberries (look on top shelf of store or

  • order online)

  • 2/3 to 1 cup of sugar (the fresh ones will need more)

  • ¼ cup flour for fresh berries or 3 Tablespoons for canned

  • dash salt

  • 1 Tablespoon butter

Prepare the bottom crust of pastry for berries. Stem and wash fresh berries or drain canned berries. Combine sugar, flour, and salt. Stir in the berries. Turn into the crust and dot with butter. Cover with the top crust, cut slits, and sprinkle with sugar. To prevent over browning, cover the edge with foil. Bake in 375° oven for 20 minutes.

Remove foil and bake for 25 minutes longer or until golden. Cool.

Grandpa Crane's Favorite Raisin Pie

425 F

This is an old fashioned raisin pie recipe. Raisin pie is sometimes called funeral pie, because it became a tradition to serve raisin pie with the meal that was served to family and friends at the wake following a funeral. The most likely reasons for this were that it could be made at any season, was inexpensive, didn't need refrigeration, and traveled well when made a day or two before the funeral. My father loved this pie and called it a “fist” pie because it held up well and could be picked up and eaten from his hand. Fern's pineapple pie was the same way, a fist pie, and a can of pineapple and a box of raisins were inexpensive. Fist pies don't run after cooling. The ingredients congeal.

  • 2 cups seedless dark raisins

  • 2 cups water

  • ½ cup packed brown sugar

  • 2 tablespoons cornstarch

  • 1/8 teaspoon cinnamon

  • 1/8 teaspoon salt

  • 1 tablespoon vinegar

  • 1 tablespoon butter

  • Pastry for 9-inch double crust pie

  • Sugar for topping

Boil raisins in 1 ¾ cups water 5 minutes. Set aside. Combine brown sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon, salt and¼ cup water. Add mixture to raisins. Bring to boil. Remove from heat. Add vinegar and butter. Pour mixture into a pastry-lined pie plate. Top with remaining pastry crust. Crimp edges and slice vent holes. Sprinkle with sugar. Bake at 425 degrees 25 minutes or until golden browned.

Yield: 8 servings

Sammie's Fresh Strawberry Pie

Stove Top

This is Sammie’s favorite pie. I always made two because we loved them so much. You can buy strawberry gel in the supermarket, but this homemade version is the very best and really easy.

  • 1 deep-dish piecrust shell, baked

  • 2 ½ quarts of fresh, washed strawberries, sliced in half from crown to point

  • 1½ cups water

  • 1 ½ cups sugar

  • 4 Tablespoons cornstarch

  • 1 small box of strawberry Jell-O

  • whipped cream for topping or Cool Whip (optional)

Bake your favorite pie shell and set aside.

Before starting the gel, wash the strawberries, pat dry, and remove the hulls. Cut strawberries in half from stem to point. Stack carefully in an attractive way in the baked crust.

Mix together with a whisk: water, sugar, and cornstarch in a saucepan. Cook over medium heat about 5 minutes until the sauce thickens. Add the strawberry Jell-O and whisk and stir until well blended and the Jell-O is dissolved. Remove from heat and pour over the berries.

Refrigerate at least an hour. Serve with topping or ice cream, if desired.

Barb's Favorite Pecan Pie

  • 1 stick butter

  • 1 cup sugar

  • 1 cup light corn syrup

  • 4 eggs, beaten

  • 1 tsp vanilla

  • 1/4 tsp salt

  • 1 (9-inch) unbaked pie crust

  • 1 cup pecan halves

325 F

Combine butter, sugar and syrup in a saucepan. Simmer, stirring constantly, until sugar melts and mixture is clear. Cool. Add eggs, vanilla and salt. Mix well. Pour filling into pie crust. Top with pecans. Bake at 325 degrees 50 to 55 minutes.

Yield: 8 servings

No Bake Peanut Butter Pie

  • 1 (8-oz) package cream cheese, softened

  • 1 ½ cups powdered sugar

  • 1 cup peanut butter

  • 1 cup milk

  • 1 (16-oz) container frozen whipped topping, thawed

  • 2 (9-inch) graham cracker crusts


Beat cream cheese and powdered sugar. Add peanut butter and milk. Beat until smooth. Fold in whipped topping. Divide filling between pie crusts. Cover and freeze. May add chocolate chips and chopped nuts to filling. May top with additional whipped topping or hot fudge sauce before serving.

Yield: 16 servings

Pecan Delight Pie (also known as Lizzie Lim’s Paradise Pie)

350

I first tasted this rich, luxurious pie at the old Wyatt’s Cafeteria and just loved the crispy, sweet meringue surrounding the crispy crackers and pecans. Obviously, so did everyone else because it was one of their most requested recipes and they finally gave in and published a card you could pick up at the cash register when you checked out. But I also call it the Lizzie Lim Paradise Pie because Lizzie’s mom was one of our most giving parents at Chimneyrock. Mrs. Lim was always making special treats for Lizzie’s teachers and we loved it! This pie was a favorite. Lizzie, who had a hearing problem as a child, was one of our most loving pre-schoolers (she always wanted on your lap to give you kisses). She went on to play concert violin in high school.

  • 4 egg whites (at room temperature)

  • 1 cup sugar

  • 1 ¾ teaspoons baking powder

  • ¼ teaspoon vanilla

  • 2 cups saltine crackers, approx. 20, coarsely broken

  • ¾ - 1 cup pecans, chopped

  • 1½ cups whipped cream or Cool Whip, thawed

  • ¼ cup pecans, chopped

Whip egg whites on medium speed until soft peaks form. Continue whipping on medium speed while gradually adding sugar and baking powder. Continue to whip until very stiff peaks form and all sugar is dissolved. Add vanilla and mix thoroughly.

Add saltine crackers and pecans. Gently fold in by hand. Pour into a greased 9-inch pie pan and bake at 325 for 1 hour. Remove from oven and cool upside down. When thoroughly cooled, top with whipped cream and sprinkle with chopped pecans.

Paradise Pie: Same ingredients and directions except to make a “dent” in center of the pie and bake at 350 for 20 minutes or until browned. Cool pie and add filling of choice. Mix Cool Whip and either fresh or frozen coconut or drained, crushed pineapple or mandarin oranges. It is also excellent with fresh sliced fruit like strawberries, blackberries, and blueberries.

Sammie’s Frozen Chocolate Chip Cookie Pie


Sam needed a dessert for a special dinner she was serving and this pie was a total success. So easy and so good!

  • 1 tub of Cool Whip

  • 1 carton of Chocolate Chip Cookies

  • 1 pre-made Graham Cracker Crust

  • 1 cup of Milk (or Kahlua or Bailey’s Irish Crème Liqueurs)

Submerge 8 cookies in 1 cup of milk (or liqueurs, if feeling frisky) and then place on the bottom of the piecrust.

Spread ⅓ of the Cool Whip on top of the cookies; repeat submerging and layering process 2 more times until you have three layers of cookies and Cool Whip.

Finish the pie by crumbling up a few cookies and sprinkling on top, place in refrigerator for 8 hours to set up or freeze. Thaw slightly to serve.

* Note on the last layer used 10 cookies to make sure if was properly covered.

Paulette's Kahlua Mocha Parfait Pie

325 F

The crust is pecan, butter, and coconut. The ice cream is coffee ice cream with crushed toffee in it. It’s topped with whipping cream and a jigger of Kahlua. Why has Kahlua pie endured for more than 45 years? It's the combination of the flavors. It's the Kahlua. It’s the crunch. It’s the coffee flavor. It’s the crust. A full Kahlua pie weighs six pounds. Six pounds of heaven and my favorite dessert. Any time we art teachers had a workshop at the Brook's or at Memphis College of Art, we would lunch a few blocks away at Paulette's. It was in Overton Square in an old 2 story house. I was particularly fond of the seafood crepes. Then for dessert, the K-pie was de rigueur. But one usually shared it with a friend. It's a huge amount of ice cream. I would have no problem devouring the whole thing at home, but I didn't want to look "piggy". Ha! I am piggy anytime ice cream is involved. And coffee is my favorite.

Crust:

  • 6 tbsp. butter, salted

  • 3/4 cup coconut flakes

  • 2 tbsp. all purpose flour

  • 1/3 cup pecans, grated

Filling:

  • 1 lb. Angel Food Coffee Chip ice cream, or any good coffee ice cream, like Breyer's, softened but not melted

  • Fresh whipped cream, chocolate shavings and Kahlua for garnish

For the coconut pecan crust: Melt the butter completely in a small pan over medium-low heat. Combine the coconut, flour, and pecans in a large bowl. Add the melted butter and mix well until all dry ingredients are wet. Evenly press the coconut mixture into the bottom and sides of a 10-inch metal pie pan. Bake in a preheated 325º oven until golden brown, about 10 to 15 minutes. Cool baked crust completely prior to filling. Crust may be frozen until needed.

For the filling: Pack the crust with the softened Angel Food Coffee Chip ice cream, forming a large, rounded pie. Refreeze.

To serve: Cut the pie into 8 equal parts and top with 1 heaping tbsp. of whipped cream, chocolate shavings and a 1 oz. serving of Kahlua. Serves 8.

Source: Paulette's

Aunt Nettie's Pecan Pie

350 F

My cousin-in-law, Barbara Schriek, gave me this recipe of Aunt Nettie's. It was a family favorite and she and her daughter, Angela, still use it.

  • 1 cup light corn syrup

  • 3 eggs, beaten

  • 1 cup sugar

  • 2 Tablespoons melted butter

  • 1 teaspoon vanilla

  • 1 1/4 cup pecans

  • 1 unbaked 9" deep dish pie crust

Start to cook at 350º then turn down to 300º after 10 minutes and bake until pie is firm and it will puff up. Check to make sure it doesn't burn pecans. Note: You can cover pie crust edges.

Hershey Bar Chocolate Pie

Stove Top

The crust is pecan, butter, and coconut. The ice cream is coffee ice cream with crushed toffee in it. It’s topped with whipping cream and a jigger of Kahlua. Why has Kahlua pie endured for more than 45 years? It's the combination of the flavors. It's the Kahlua. It’s the crunch. It’s the coffee flavor. It’s the crust. A full Kahlua pie weighs six pounds. Six pounds of heaven and my favorite dessert. Any time we art teachers had a workshop at the Brook's or at Memphis College of Art, we would lunch a few blocks away at Paulette's. It was in Overton Square in an old 2 story house. I was particularly fond of the seafood crepes. Then for dessert, the K-pie was de rigueur. But one usually shared it with a friend. It's a huge amount of ice cream. I would have no problem devouring the whole thing at home, but I didn't want to look "piggy". Ha! I am piggy anytime ice cream is involved. And coffee is my favorite.

Crust:

  • 16 large marshmallows (not store brand, high quality brand like Jet Puffed)

  • ½ cup milk

  • 6 full size (1.55 ounce each) Hershey Milk Chocolate bars

  • ½ pint whipping cream or 1 (8 oz.) tub of Cool Whip, thawed (I prefer Cool Whip for ease.)

  • 1 (9-inch) chocolate or graham cracker crust (I like the chocolate cookie crust.)

In a medium saucepan over low heat, combine marshmallows in milk and slowly melt, stirring often. Add broken up Hershey bars and stir until smooth. Remove from heat and set aside to cool for 15 minutes. In a separate bowl, whip cream until very stiff or use a thawed tub of Cool Whip, then fold into cooled chocolate until well combined. Pour pie filling into prepared graham cracker crust and chill several hours until firm.

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