Chocolate and peppermint live happily ever after (or until consumed) in this lively holiday pie. Photo by Trevor Allen | IST.

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December 2007

Product Reviews / Main Nibbles / Cookies, Cake & Pastry

Recipe: Chocolate Peppermint Pie

A Pie For Gifting, For Parties Or For Your Christmas Dinner

If chocolate peppermint pie isn’t a holiday tradition in your household, start it with this tempting recipe. One taste says “Christmas.”

This recipe is courtesy of the Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board.

Ingredients

Crust

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ¾ cup (1½ sticks) cold butter, cut into ½-inch cubes
• 1 teaspoon vinegar
• 5 to 6 tablespoons ice water

Filling

½ cup (1 stick) butter, softened 1 cup (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened ¾ cup sugar ½ cup pasteurized egg product* ½ cup whipping cream 1 cup white chocolate chips, melted and cooled ½ cup (20) peppermint candies, crushed ½ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips, melted and cooled 1 9-inch baked pie crust (press-in or fancy), cooled Optional crushed peppermints for garnish

When you bake, every ingredient contributes to the final taste of the product. We use organic cream cheese and the best chocolate we can find. We use Guittard chocolate chips. When we have time to chop chocolate, we substitute Green & Black’s white chocolate bar for the chips.

*Note: Pasteurized egg products are available in the supermarket (Egg Beaters is the best known). The reason the recipe calls for this product is that the filling is not cooked, and there is a salmonella risk associated with eating raw eggs.

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 400ºF and make the crust. In a bowl, stir together flour, sugar and salt. Using a pastry blender, cut butter cubes into flour mixture until pieces are pea-size. Sprinkle vinegar over flour mixture, tossing with a fork. Sprinkle 5 to 6 tablespoons cold water, 1 tablespoon at a time, over flour mixture, tossing with a fork each time until dough is moistened and crumbly. Gather dough into a ball, flatten into a disk, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 4 hours.
2. Roll dough into a 12-inch circle. Gently fold the crust into quarters, center over 9-inch pie plate and unfold. Ease the crust into the plate. Trim pastry, leaving a 1-inch overhang beyond plate edge. Fold crust edge under and crimp or flute the edge using a fork or your fingers.
3. Prick pastry with a fork. Line bottom and up sides of crust with foil and add dried beans or pie weights. Bake for 15 minutes, remove foil. Bake an additional 10 to 15 minutes, until crust is golden. Remove to a wire rack; cool completely.
4. Prepare the filling. In a bowl, beat the butter, cream cheese and sugar together. Combine the egg product and whipping cream, and gradually add to butter mixture while beating, scraping bowl often. Beat until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Reserve half of mixture in a small bowl.
5. Add the cooled white chocolate to remaining half of mixture; beat well. Stir in crushed candy. Spread in baked pie crust; chill 10 minutes.
6. Return the reserved butter mixture to bowl, add cooled semi-sweet chocolate; beat well. Spread over white chocolate layer.
7. If desired, garnish with crushed peppermint candies. Refrigerate at least 2 hours.

Yield: 8 servings.

Recipe © copyright Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board. Other written material