Summer is all about simple, and these flavor-packed pies top our list of fun desserts. There's no need to wrangle with a rolling pin-just pat the crust in the pan. Fold together a creamy cheesecake filling, stir up a stovetop custard, or grab a muffin pan and bake off a batch of Chocolate-Key Lime Cupcake Pies. Then sit back and chill. Homemade has never been so easy.
We're serving up more quick, cool ideas for crumb-crust pies at myrecipes.com.
Come by for pie! Pretty enough for a front-porch party, Chocolate-Key Lime Cupcake Pies and Icebox Cheesecake make Irresistible canvases for fresh fruits and berries.
Food YOU'LL LOVE THESE...
Chocolate-Key Lime Cupcake Pies
MAKES 1 DOZEN; PREP: 30 MIN., BAKE: 20 MIN., COOL: 30 MIN., CHILL: 4 HR.
12 jumbo-size aluminum foil baking cups
Vegetable cooking spray
1 (9-02.) package chocolate wafer cookies
½ cup butter, melted
3 (8-oz.) packages cream cheese, softened
1 ½ cups sugar
2 tsp. key lime zest
1/3 cup fresh key lime juice
3 large eggs
Garnishes: sweetened whipped cream, fresh cherries and blackberries, fresh mint leaves
1. Preheat oven to 350°. Place 12 jumbo-size aluminum foil baking cups in lightly greased muffin pans, and coat with cooking spray.
2. Pulse chocolate wafer cookies in a food processor 8 to 10 times or until finely crushed. Stir together cookie crumbs and butter; firmly press on bottom and twothirds up sides of each baking cup (about 3 Tbsp. crumbs per cup).
3. Beat cream cheese and sugar at medium speed with an electric mixer until blended. Add lime zest and lime juice, beating at low speed until well blended. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beatingjust until yellow disappears after each addition. Spoon mixture into prepared cups, filling completely full.
4. Bake at 350° for 20 minutes or until set. Cool in pans on wire racks 15 minutes. Remove from pans to wire racks, and let cool 15 minutes or until completely cool. Cover and chill 4 hours. Garnish, if desired. -SUSAN SULIBURK, TULSA, OKLAHOMA
A dark chocolate cookie-crumb crust and jumbo foil baking cups give Chocolate-Key Lime Cupcake Pies a chic twist. Pour the filling all the way to the top of the extra-tall cups-it doesn't rise during baking.
Candy Bar Pie
MAKES 8 SERVINGS; PREP: 20 MIN., BAKE: 40 MIN., COOL: 1 HR., CHILL: 2 HR.
3 (2.07-oz.) chocolate-coated caramel-peanut nougat bars
1 baked Pretzel Crust (page 136)
1 ½ (8-oz.) packages cream cheese, softened
½ cup sugar
1/3 cup sour cream
1/3 cup creamy peanut butter
2 large eggs
2/3 cup semisweet chocolate morsels
2 Tbsp. whipping cream
¼ cup coarsely chopped, lightly salted peanuts
1. Preheat oven to 325°. Cut candy bars into ¼-inch pieces; arrange over bottom of crust.
2. Beat cream cheese and sugar at medium speed with an electric mixer until blended. Add sour cream and peanut butter, beating at low speed until well blended. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating just until yellow disappears after each addition. Spoon cream cheese mixture over candy on crust.
3. Bake at 325° for 35 to 40 minutes or until set. Remove to a wire rack, and let cool 1 hour or until completely cool. Cover and chill 2 hours.
4. Microwave chocolate and cream in a microwave-safe bowl at HIGH for 30 seconds or until melted and smooth, stirring at 15-second intervals. Drizzle over top of cooled pie, and sprinkle evenly with peanuts.
- KATHRYN T. HALL, BROOKHAVEN, MISSISSIPPI
Note: For testing purposes only, we used Snickers candy bars.
Candy Bar Pie pairs a decadent trio of caramel-laced chocolate and peanut butter with the salty crunch of Pretzel Crust.
Pineapple Meringue Pie
MAKES 8 SERVINGS; PREP: 20 MIN., BAKE: 24 MIN., COOL: 2 HR., COOK: 10 MIN., CHILL: 4 HR.
Pineapple, like lemon juice, is acidic and will prevent the cornstarch from thickening properly if added before the custard is cooked. Chilling the pie after it cools at room temperature further sets the filling and makes for perfect slices.
2 cups pecan shortbread cookie crumbs
1 1/3 cups sweetened flaked coconut, divided
¼ cup butter, melted
2 cups milk
¼ cup cornstarch
3 large eggs, separated
1 cup sugar, divided
1 (20-oz.) can crushed pineapple, drained
1 Tbsp. butter
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1. Preheat oven to 350°. Stir together cookie crumbs, 1 cup coconut, and ¼ cup melted butter; firmly press on bottom, up sides, and onto lip of a lightly greased 9-inch pieplate.
2. Bake at 350° for 10 to 12 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove to a wire rack, and let cool 1 hour or until completely cool.
3. Whisk together milk and cornstarch in a heavy saucepan, whisking until cornstarch is dissolved. Whisk in egg yolks and ¾ cup sugar, whisking until blended. Cook over medium-low heat, whisking constantly, 8 to 10 minutes or until a chilled pudding-like thickness. (Mixture will just begin to bubble and will be thick enough to hold soft peaks when whisk is lifted.) Remove from heat; stir in pineapple, 1 Tbsp. butter, and vanilla. Spoon immediately into cooled piecrust.
4. Beat egg whites at high speed with an electric mixer until foamy. Add remaining ¼ cup sugar, 1 Tbsp. at a time, beating until stiff peaks form and sugar is dissolved. Spread meringue over hot filling, sealing edges. Sprinkle remaining 1/3 cup coconut over meringue.
5. Bake at 350° for 10 to 12 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from oven to wire rack, and let cool 1 hour or until completely cool. Chill 4 hours.
- LILLIAN JULOW, GAINESVILLE, FLORIDA
Topped with toasted coconut, Pineapple Meringue Pie is one sweet slice of down-home delicious.
Icebox Cheesecake
MAKES 8 SERVINGS; PREP: 15 MIN., CHILL: 8 HR.
1 (8-oz.) package cream cheese, softened
1 cup powdered sugar
1 (8-oz.) container frozen whipped topping, thawed
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 baked Butter Cookie or Pretzel Crust (see recipes at right)
4 cups assorted fresh berries, pitted cherries, or sliced fruit
½ cup seedless blackberry jam
¼ cup orange liqueur
1. Beat cream cheese and powdered sugar at medium speed with an electric mixer until blended. Fold in whipped topping and vanilla; spoon into prepared crust. Cover and chill 8 hours.
2. Arrange fruit over cream cheese filling. Stir together jam and liqueur; drizzle over fruit. -SANDEE KAY DOWNHOUR, COLUMBUS, OHIO
Mascarpone Pie: Substitute 1 (8-oz.) container mascarpone cheese for cream cheese, ¼ cup granulated sugar for powdered sugar, 2 cups whipped cream for whipped topping, and 1 baked Chocolate Butter Cookie Crust for Butter Cookie Crust. Prepare recipe as directed.
Cook's Notes
* Pulsing cookies in a food processor is a quick way to create crumbs. Some recipes call for finely ground crumbs, while others benefit from the texture of more coarsely crushed pieces. If you don't have a. processor, place the cookies in a large zip-top plastic bag; partially close the bag, leaving a small opening in the top of the bag to allow air to escape. Gently crush cookies with a rolling pin or mallet.
* Spread the crumb mixture all the way up the sides and onto the lip of the j pieplate. Pressing the crumb mixture partially up the sides of the pieplate creates a dense, uneven crust that is too shallow to hold the filling. To ensure the crust holds together and slices easily, firmly pat the cookie mixture in the pieplate so there are no loose crumbs.
* Be careful not to overbake the crust or it may become too hard when cool-10 to 12 minutes is usually all that's needed to solidify the crumb mixture.
* Use a sharp, thin-bladed knife to cut through the filling and crust; then insert a pie server underneath each I slice and lift it from the pan.
* A 9-inch glass pieplate works best for these recipes. Pottery pie dishes vary in size and shape, but most are large enough to hold a glass pieplate and make beautiful serving containers.
Crumb Crust Recipe Box
Crisp and cookie-thick, these over-the-rim crusts add a signature look to every pie. Unless otherwise noted, one standard-size (12- to 16-oz.) package of cookies or pretzel sticks will yield more than enough crumbs for each recipe. Different types of cookies require different amounts of butter and sugar, but the basic method for preparing and baking a crumb crust remains the same.
Crumb Crust Prep Steps: Stir together all ingredients; firmly press crumb mixture on bottom, up sides, and onto lip of a lightly greased 9-inch pieplate. Bake at 350° for 10 to 12 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove to a wire rack, and cool crust l hour or until completely cool before filling.
* Pretzel Crust: 2 cups finely crushed pretzel sticks, ¼ cup firmly packed light brown sugar, ¾ cup melted butter
* Chocolate Cookies-and-Cream Crust: 2 ½ cups coarsely crushed cream-filled chocolate sandwich cookie crumbs, 1/3 cup melted butter
* Vanilla Wafer Crust: 2 ½ cups coarsely crushed vanilla wafer crumbs, ¼ cup powdered sugar, ½ cup melted butter
* Butter Cookie Crust: 2 ½ cups butter cookie crumbs (about 1 ½ [7.25-oz.] packages), ¼ cup powdered sugar, 1/3 cup melted butter
* Chocolate Butter Cookie Crust: 2 ½ cups chocolate-flavored butter cookie crumbs (about 1 ½ [2.25-oz.] packages), ¼ cup powdered sugar, 1/3 cup melted butter. Note: For testing purposes, we used Pepperidge Farm Chessmen Cookies and Pepperidge Farm Chocolate Chessmen Cookies for regular and chocolate-flavored butter cookies.
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