HOLIDAY PIES

It's almost that time again-holiday baking.
I do stray from my normal routine. I cook
my holiday meals from scratch! I am no
longer working full-time.  I have time to 
bake my holiday desserts. Trust me! I do 
take short cuts when I can.These pies are
not low calorie. Most these ingredients can
not be substituted with margarine, honey,
agave nectar, 1% or skim milk.  The taste
and texture of the pies will result in a "hot
mess".  Cut calories and modify your diet
after the holidays. I use portion control
and drink a glass of water before I eat, so
I keep me from over doing it too much.


I plan my holiday menu ahead of time. I do
a shopping list. I buy sale items that I need
for my recipes. Most grocery store sales on
holiday baking goods start a week or two
before Thanksgiving and Christmas.


The men in my family love pies. I must make 
the my famous pumpkin sweet potato pie and
a pecan pie. I also add a fruit crisp or cobbler
to change things up a bit.

Here are some of the holiday pie recipes 
my family enjoy. Some of the pie recipes
were adapted from my collection of new
and vintage cookbooks.


PUMPKIN/SWEET POTATO

FRANKIE'S PUMPKIN SWEET POTATO PIE


    1 C pumpkin puree
    1 C mashed sweet potato
    1 1/4  C  sugar
    2 eggs
    5 oz can evaporated milk
    1 tsp vanilla
    1 unbaked deep dish pastry shell


Preheat oven 325 degrees.

In large bowl add all the  ingredients together. 
Beat with hand held mixer until smooth. Pour 
mixture into pastry shell.

Bake at 300º for 1 hour and 40 minutes.
   

Tip: Bake pie on cookie sheet to insure browning 
of bottom crust.

PECAN PUMPKIN PIE

3 eggs

1 C  pumpkin puree

1/3 C  sugar

1 tsp spice spice  

2/3 C corn syrup

½ C sugar

3 T melted  butter

3/4 tsp vanilla

1 C  pecan, chopped

1 unbaked deep dish pie shell

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix 1 beaten egg, pumpkin,1/3 c sugar and pie spice.

Add to  bottom of pie crust. Combine 2 beaten eggs,

corn syrup, 1/2 c sugar butter and  vanilla. Add nuts

and mix well. Pour mixture over pumpkin. Place pie

on cookie sheet.

Bake 45 minutes or until filling is firm. 

IMPOSSIBLE SWEET POTATO PIE

1/2 C baking mix

1 C sugar
2 T butter, soft
½ C evaporated milk
2 eggs
½ tsp cinnamon
½ tsp nutmeg
2 C cooked and mashed sweet potatoes
1 teaspoon vanilla

Preheat oven 350 degrees. Grease a 8 or 9 inch 
pie plate/pan. Blend the ingredients until smooth.  
Pour into pie plate or pan. Bake at 1 hour or until filling is firm in the center.

Tip: Impossible Pumpkin Pie: Replace sweet potatoes with 2 cups of pumpkin puree and change spices to 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice.



 


Of course, I prefer fresh raw sweet potatoes
when I have time to cook from scratch. But,
my family also enjoys my quick canned sweet
potato recipes too. Bruce's yams seems to be
close to fresh tasting sweet potatoes  "in my
humble opinion."

FRANKIE'S  SWEET POTATO FAMILY PIE 


2- 20 oz cans Bruce's cut yams ( in heavy syrup)
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/3 C butter flavored pancake syrup
1 box 2 crust refrigerated pie crust

Preheat oven 350 degrees. Grease 9x13 baking dish.



In bowl add yams, spices, and pancake syrup.
Mix well. Add yams to baking dish.  Unroll pie 
crusts and cut into strips. Place strips over the
yams in a criss-cross pattern. Place pie on foil
lined sheet pan to catch any spill overs.

Bake 20 minutes or until crust is golden brown 
and syrup is bubbling around edges

Tip:

Use remaining butter flavored syrup for your
morning pancakes. I use this flavor instead 
of adding butter to my pancakes(Cuts a few
calories.)



 

My friend cooked this for a dinner we had at
work. It was the best sweet potato dish had
ever tasted. I got the recipe from her.Now it
is part of my family's favorite Thanksgiving 
and Christmas desserts.  Some people use
it as a side dish. I think it's sweet enough 
to be a dessert.

SWEET POTATO CASSEROLE 

FILLING

4 C mashed and cooked sweet potatoes

1/4 C packed light brown sugar

1/2 C white sugar

2 eggs

½ c milk
1 tsp. vanilla
4 T butter, soft

CRUMB TOPPING

2 t cinnamon
1/2 c brown sugar
2/3 c flour
6 T butter, softened
1 c chopped pecans
1/2 t ground cloves
1/2 t ground nutmeg

Preheat oven 350 degrees. Grease 9x13 baking 

dish. In a large bowl, mix all the ingredients for

the filling until smooth. Pour it into dish and set 

aside. In another bowl, mix butter, brown sugar,

flour, and spices with a fork. Add the pecans and 

mix well. Place the topping over the filling. Bake

35 minutes or until topping is browned.

PECAN

SOUTHERN  PECAN PIE

3 eggs
1 C sugar
1 C  corn syrup
2 T  butter, melted
1 tsp vanilla
1  C  chopped pecans
9 inch unbaked pie crust

Preheat  oven to 350 degrees. 

In large bowl add eggs, sugar, syrup, butter, and vanilla.  Blend until smooth. Stir in pecans. Pour 

filling into pie crust. Place pie on cookie sheet and

place in oven. Bake 50 minutes or until the center 
is firm. 

Tips:

Walnut Pecan Pie- Use 1/2 cup chop walnut &
1 cup chop pecans

Chocolate Pecan Pie-Stir in 1/2 cup semi-sweet
chocolate chips when you add the nuts.

German Chocolate Pecan Pie- Follow tips for
Chocolate Pecan Pie and add 1/2 c sweetened
flake coconut.  

COCONUT PECAN PIE

3 eggs, beaten

1 1/2 C sugar

1/2 C butter, melted

2 tsp lemon juice

1 tsp vanilla

1 1/3 C flaked coconut

1/2 C chopped pecans

1 unbaked pie shell

Preheat oven 350 degrees. 

In bowl, whisk eggs, sugar, butter, lemon juice
and vanilla until well combined. Stir in coconut
and pecans. Pour filling into pie crust.Put pie on
cookie sheet and place in the oven.

 

Bake 50 minutes or until center is firm. 

BOURBON PECAN PIE

3 eggs slightly beaten
1 C sugar
1 C  Corn Syrup
2 T  butter, melted
1 1/2  T bourbon
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup pecans
1 (9-inch) unbaked deep-dish pie crust



Preheat oven to 350°F.

Beat eggs slightly with a fork in a medium bowl. 
Add sugar, corn syrup, butter, bourbon, and vanilla and mix well. Stir in pecans. Pour into pie crust.

Put pie on cookie sheet and place in the oven.

 
Bake 50 minutes or until  center  feels  firm.  


Tip:  Add 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips when you stir in pecans. 

 

BROWNIE PECAN PIE

1 C corn syrup
1/2 C sugar
1/8 tsp  salt
1/2 C semi-sweet chocolate chips
3 T butter
4 eggs, slightly beaten
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 C  chopped pecans
1 (9-inch) unbaked deep dish pie crust


Preheat oven to 350°F.

Combine corn syrup, sugar and salt in a small 

pot.  Bring mixture to a boil over medium heat 

2 minutes or until sugar is dissolved. Remove

from heat. Add chocolate and butter to syrup 

mixture, stirring until chocolate is melted and

mixture is smooth.  Let cool to avoid cooking 

eggs. Slowly pour the chocolate mixture over

eggs, stirring constantly. Add the vanilla and

pecans and mix well.  Pour mixture into pie 

crust.  Put pie on cookie sheet and place in 
the oven. 

Bake for about 50 minutes or until center of 

pie is firm.


SOUTHERN CHESS PIES

CHOCOLATE COCONUT CHESS PIE   

1 1/2 c. sugar

2 eggs, slightly beaten

1/3 c. cocoa

1/4 c. butter, melted

1/2 c. evaporated milk

1/2 c. coconut

1/2 c. pecan pieces

Preheat oven 350 degrees.

Mix all ingredients well. Pour into a 9 inch pie shell. Put pie on cookie sheet and place in the oven. 

Bake 30 minutes or until center is firm.

BEST LEMON CHESS PIE  #1

1 C sugar

4 eggs, beaten

4 T butter, melted

juice from 1 large lemon

zest from lemon

9 inch unbaked pie crust

Preheat oven 350 degrees

Beat eggs, sugar, lemon juice and zest. Pour 

into pie crust. Bake 30 minutes or until center

is firm.

BEST LEMON CHESS PIE #2

2 C sugar

1 T flour

1 T corn meal

1/8 tsp salt

4 eggs

1/4 C butter

1/4 C milk

1/4 C lemon juice

9 inch unbaked deep dish pie crust

Preheat oven 350 degrees.

Mix lightly with a fork: Sugar, flour, corn meal and salt. Add eggs, butter, milk, and lemon juice. Mix well.  Pour into pie shell, and bake for 45 minutes or until center is firm.

BROWN SUGAR CHESS PIE

¼ C butter, melted

1/2 C white sugar

1 C brown sugar, packed

1 tsp flour

3 eggs, beaten

2 T milk

1 1/2 tsp vanilla

9 inch unbaked pie crust

Preheat oven 350 degrees.

Add butter with sugars and flour and mix 

well. Add the other ingredients and stir

until blended. Pour into pie crust. 

Bake 30 minutes or until center is firm.

 


FRUIT PIES & COBBLERS

I do cut corners and save time by 
using canned fruit pie filling. I use
fruit in heavy syrup when my fave
store is out of pie filling.

FRUIT PIE & WALNUT CRUMB TOPPING


FILLING

20 oz favorite pie filling
1 tsp ground cinnamon

TOPPING


3/4 C all-purpose flour
3/4 C packed brown sugar
1 C walnuts, chopped
1 tsp ground cinnamon
6 T butter, melted 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Remove lid 

from pie filling.Stir in cinnamon.Set aside.   

Prepare crumb topping. Mix the flour, brown 

sugar, walnuts, cinnamon in a bowl. Stir in 

the butter and mix with a fork until mixture

crumbles. Pour filling into the pie crust.Place

crumb topping over entire surface of pie filling.

Put pie on cookie sheet and place in the oven.

Bake  50 minutes  or until the crumb is golden,

the fruit juices are bubbling around the edge. 

Tip: Use Peaches in heavy syrup if peach pie

filling not available.

CHERRY PIE WITH OAT CRUMBLE

FILLING

20 oz can cherry pie filling

1 tsp almond extract

OAT TOPPING

 

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 C brown sugar, packed

½ C flour

1/2 C oats

1/4 C butter, melted 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Remove lid 

from pie filling. Stir in almond extract. Mix

well and set aside.  

In bowl, combine all of the ingredients for

topping. Pour filling into pie crust. Crumble 

topping over filling. Place pie on a cookie 

sheet.

Bake 45 minutes or until the fruit juices are 
bubbling around the edges.

 

QUICK PEACH BLUEBERRY CRUMBLE


20 oz canned peaches in heavy syrup
1 pint fresh blueberries
1 tsp almond extract
2 layer box spice cake mix
1 stick butter or margarine, melted


Preheat oven 350 degrees. Grease 9x13 baking dish.

Remove lid from peaches and stir in almond extract .
Pour peaches into dish and spread evenly.  Sprinkle
blueberries over peaches and press into filling
with back of spoon.  Top fruit with dry cake mix.
Drizzle melted butter evenly over cake mix.

Bake 30 minutes or until the fruit juices are
bubbling around the edges.

CREAM CHEESE PIE



    8 oz.  cream cheese, softened
    14 oz. sweetened condensed milk
    1/3 C  lemon juice
    1 tsp  vanilla extract
    8 or 9-inch  graham cracker  pie crust
    21 oz. blueberry pie filling, chilled


In bowl, beat  cream cheese until smooth and fluffy.
Add sweetened condensed milk ans mix well.  Stir
in lemon juice and vanilla. Pour into crust and chill
4 hours or until set. Top with  pie filling just before
serving.

Tip:

 Strawberry or cherry pie filling good too.

QUICK CHOCOLATE MOUSSE PIE

1 pkg.  (3.9 oz.)  chocolate instant pudding

1-1/2 C  cold milk

1 tsp vanilla extract

9 inch graham cracker crust

2 C  thawed extra-creamy whipped topping, divided

 

 

In bowl, whisk pudding mix, vanilla, and milk
until smooth. Stir in 1 cup of whipped topping
and mix well. Pour into crust. Spoon remaining whipped topping over pie. Chill 4 hours or until 
the pie filling is set.