Ultimate Pumpkin Pie

1 unbaked pie crust

1 (15 oz.) can pumpkin puree (not pie filling)

½ c. light brown sugar, lightly packed

¼ c. granulated sugar

½ tsp. ground cinnamon

¼ tsp. ground ginger

¼ tsp. ground nutmeg

½ tsp. kosher salt

2 tsp. grated orange zest

3 extra large eggs, lightly beaten

1 c. heavy cream

½ c. whole milk

2 Tbsp. dark rum

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Put prepared crust into pie pan.

Whisk together the pumpkin, brown sugar, granulated sugar, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, salt, orange zest, eggs, cream, milk, and rum. Pour into pie shell. Bake for 50-60 minutes, until filling is just set in the middle and a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool completely. Serve with whipped cream or Cool-whip.

This recipe is from Ina Garten’s Barefoot Contessa Foolproof.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Pudding

2/3 c. granulated sugar

4 Tbsp. cornstarch

4 Tbsp. powdered cocoa

3 c. 2 % milk

1 c. heavy whipping cream

4.5 oz. milk chocolate, finely chopped (I used Hershey bars)

1 c. creamy peanut butter

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 6 oz pkg chocolate covered peanuts, chopped (or dry roasted peanuts or chopped Reese’s Pieces or chopped Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup candy)

8 or 9 inch Graham cracker pie crust or Mini Graham cracker pie crusts (optional)

Cool Whip

Combine sugar, cornstarch, and cocoa in a large saucepan; stir with a whisk. Whisk in milk and cream. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Cook 1 minute or until thick and bubbly, stirring constantly while mixture boils. Remove from heat. Add chopped chocolate, peanut butter, and vanilla, stirring until smooth.

Allow mixture to cool. I cool any type of pudding or custard mixture by pouring it into a glass bowl and covering the mixture with plastic wrap. Lay the plastic wrap directly on top of the surface of the pudding and lightly press with your fingers to get a good seal. This prevents the pudding from developing a skin on top as it cools.

Serve in bowls or mini graham cracker crusts topped with Cool Whip and sprinkled with chopped chocolate covered peanuts or topping of your choice. Can use as a pie filling in an 8 or 9 inch graham cracker crust (you will have enough filling for 2 pies) or any type of prebaked pie shell. Also good as the pudding layer in trifles or parfaits with any combination of ingredients you like. Recipe can be halved to make a smaller amount.

Lemon Delight

1 ½ sticks butter

2 cups flour

2 cups crushed pecans, separated

16 oz. cream cheese, room temperature

1 cup powdered sugar

12 oz. Cool Whip, divided

1 recipe Lemon Custard (see below)

2 Tbsp. grated lemon zest

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Cut butter into flour to make crumbly pastry dough. Add 1 cup crushed pecans. Press into a 9 x 13 casserole pan. Bake 15 minutes or until flour starts to brown. Remove and cool.

Cream together cream cheese and powdered sugar. Add six oz. of Cool Whip and stir until fluffy. Spread over crust.

Spread COOLED lemon custard on top of the cream cheese mixture.

Spread remaining Cool Whip over the top of both pies and sprinkle with remaining pecans and lemon zest.  Keep chilled.

Lemon Custard

1 c. sugar

6 Tbsp. cornstarch

¼ tsp. salt

2 c. milk

3 eggs, separated

3 Tbsp. butter, melted

1/3 c. lemon juice

1 tsp. vanilla

Combine the sugar, cornstarch and salt in the top of a double boiler. Slowly add the milk, stirring constantly. Slowly add the milk, stirring constantly. Cook and stir these ingredients over hot water until the mixture thickens—about 15 minutes. Cover the pan and allow to cook 10 minutes longer. Stir occasionally. Remove from heat. Beat the egg yolks in a separate bowl and add about ½ cup of the thickened milk. Then stir this mixture back into the double boiler. Cook and stir over boiling water for 5 to 6 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in melted butter, lemon juice, and vanilla. Cool this custard, stirring gently every 10 minutes or so.

Lemon Meringue Pie

Baked 9 in pie shell

1 c. sugar

6 Tbsp. cornstarch

¼ tsp. salt

2 c. milk

3 eggs, separated

3 Tbsp. butter

1/3 c. lemon juice

1 Tbsp. grated lemon rind

¼ tsp. cream of tartar

3 Tbsp. sugar

½ tsp. vanilla

Combine the sugar, cornstarch and salt in the top of a double boiler. Slowly add the milk, stirring constantly. Slowly add the milk, stirring constantly. Cook and stir these ingredients over hot water until the mixture thickens—about 15 minutes. Cover the pan and allow to cook 10 minutes longer. Stir occasionally. Remove from heat. Beat the egg yolks in a separate bowl and add about ½ cup of the thickened milk. Then stir this mixture back into the double boiler. Cook and stir over boiling water for 5 to 6 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in butter, lemon juice and lemon rind. Cool this custard, stirring gently every 10 minutes or so. When cool, pour into pie shell.

For the meringue, beat egg whites with cream of tartar until they are stiff but not dry. Beat in sugar, ½ tsp. at a time, followed by vanilla. Heap onto pie and spread with spatula so that meringue goes all the way out to the crust, around the whole pie.

Use a back and forth motion of the spatula to make decorative waves in the meringue. Bake at 350 degrees for 12-15 minutes until the meringue is delicately browned on top.

Serves 6.

This recipe is attributed to Alice O’Connell and was published in the cookbook Country Cooking.

This is my favorite lemon meringue recipe because it's a creamy lemon filling that's not too sweet or too tart. It's the complete opposite of that typical gelatinous fake yellow colored filling that most lemon meringue pie consists of. The custard is also good in other recipes, like Lemon Delight. You can also skip the meringue all together and just top with whipped cream or cool whip. It's also good in a graham cracker crust for another variation.

Possum Pie

1 ½ sticks butter

2 cups flour

2 cups crushed pecans, separated

1 8 oz. package cream cheese, room temperature

1 cup powdered sugar

12 oz. Cool Whip, divided

1 box milk chocolate instant pudding

1 box chocolate fudge instant pudding

3 cups milk

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Cut butter into flour to make crumbly pastry dough. Add 1 cup crushed pecans. Press into two 8 or 9 inch pie pans or a 9 x 13 casserole pan. Bake 15 minutes or until flour starts to brown. Remove and cool.

Cream together cream cheese and powdered sugar. Add six oz. of Cool Whip and beat until fluffy. Spread over crust bottom of both pies.

Blend together both pudding mixes with milk. Pour in on top of the cream cheese mixture and allow to set.

Spread remaining Cool Whip over the top of both pies and sprinkle with pecans.

Makes two pies.

This recipe is from the book Arkansas Pie, A Delicious Slice of the Natural State by Kat Robinson.

You can experiment with various pudding flavors and mix in’s that you stir into the various layers or use as toppings. I stirred toasted coconut into the cream cheese layer and then mixed more toasted coconut with the nuts for the topping.

This is basically the same thing as 4 Layer Delight in a different shape and with a slightly different pudding mixture.