Brownie Pie

Oh boy, do I have a good one for you guys today...ooey gooey, made-from-scratch, perfectly delicious brownie pie. And you know what? I don't really have a story to tell for this one. So for everyone who hates scrolling through a blogger's life story to get to a recipe, this one's for you!

Honestly, I don't remember my mom ever making this recipe before. But that's ok. I read this recipe card, written out in her handwriting, and it made me so happy. It's so special, of course, to recreate things she used to cook all the time and bring those memories back to life. But there's something equally special about finding a recipe that was undoubtedly hers with no memories attached. It gives me the opportunity to make new memories with my mom. And if you've lost someone you love, you know how special it is to create anything new with them.

So without further ado, let me tell you about making this delicious brownie pie.

Now I should say, I've checked out other brownie pie recipes floating around out there and most of what I see involves using a pre-made pastry dough and just pouring box brownie batter into it, then baking. This is not that! This, in my opinion, is much better. My mom's recipe involves baking your own chocolate crust and then whipping up a decadent brownie filling from scratch.

So first off: the crust! First, preheat your oven to 350°. Then, mix together 1 cup of flour, 1/4 cup of sugar, 1/4 teaspoon of salt, and 3 tablespoons of cocoa powder. Once fully mixed, cut in 6 tablespoons of cold butter. The texture should be nice and crumbly! Next, add in 1/2 a teaspoon of vanilla extract and 2-3 tablespoons of ice water. This is your crust mixture! Press it into a pie dish.

Now, Mom doesn't say to pre-bake the crust in her recipe. But I've found that if you don't, the crust kind of fuses together with the filling when they bake together. I like them to be distinct entities, thank you very much! So my recommendation is to bake the crust at 350 for 12 minutes. Then, take it out and let it cool while you work on the filling!

At this point, bump your oven temperature down to 325°.

For the filling, beat 3 eggs and then add in one cup of granulated sugar. Add 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract, 1/4 teaspoon of salt, and 1 full stick of butter.

Now, you'll notice in the recipe that Mom just calls for "chocolate." And I was like, "???" So I texted my Aunt Barbara to ask what the heck Mom meant. Thankfully, she was able to clear it right up. By chocolate, Mom meant unsweetened chocolate baking bars! In case you're unfamiliar, you can find these in the baking aisle of the grocery store by chocolate chips. But before you add in the 4 oz of chocolate, you need to melt it!

This is a job best suited for a double boiler (don't microwave your chocolate bars, or they'll scorch!) However, if you don't own a double boiler, like me, it's still easy enough. Get a pot of water boiling on the stove, then situate a glass bowl over top of the water (see picture below.) Put your chocolate bars into the glass bowl and stir continuously as they melt—it'll happen fast! And there you go: melted baking chocolate! This is such an important aspect of the recipe, as it gives it that rich, made-from-scratch deliciousness.

Now that your 4 oz of chocolate is melted, add that to the filling. Mix all together. Now add in 2/3 cup of flour and 1/2 teaspoon of baking powder. Here, Mom says to add in 1 cup of chopped nuts. But, as a brownie purist, here is how I feel about that...

To me, nuts belong nowhere near brownies! Sorry, Mom! But hey, if you're feeling nutty, you do you!

Your filling is complete! I'll be honest, I was a little worried when I first made this because the consistency of the filling seemed like frosting. But trust the process! That's how it's supposed to look!

Pour your filling into the baked pie crust and pop your pie into the oven at 325° for 40 minutes. And prepare for your house to smell AMAZING.

That's it! That's how you make brownie pie! It's a little more involved than a box mix into premade pastry dough, but I think you'll agree that it's SO worth it. Mom advises to serve the pie warm with whipped cream. But you know what my favorite thing ever is? A hot dessert served with ice cream. Omg, heavenly.

So what do you think? Will you try out this recipe for brownie pie? Let me know how it goes down in the comments below. I always love hearing how your recipes turn

out. Love you all and bon appétit! XOXO

Ingredients

Crust

• 1 cup flour

• 1/4 cup granulated sugar

• 1/4 teaspoon salt

• 6 tablespoons cold butter

• 3 tablespoons cocoa powder

• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

• 2-3 tablespoons ice water

Filling

• 3 eggs

• 4 oz. unsweetened baking chocolate bars

• 1 stick of butter

• 1 cup granulated sugar

• 1/4 teaspoon salt

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

• 2/3 cup flour

• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

• 1 cup chopped nuts of choice (if you're not a brownie purist)

• For serving: whipped cream and/or ice cream

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350°

2. Mix together dry crust ingredients, then cut in butter.

3. Add vanilla and ice water, then mix to combine.

4. Press into pie dish, then bake for 12 minutes. Allow to cool while making filling.

5. Preheat oven to 325°

6. Beat three eggs, then add 1 cup sugar.

7. Melt 4 oz of baking chocolate over double boiler or glass bowl over boiling water (see note in description above)

8. Add melted chocolate to eggs and sugar

9. Add vanilla, salt, butter, and mix to combine.

10. Add flour, baking powder, and optional chopped nuts, then mix to combine.

11. Pour filling into cooled pie crust, then bake at 325 for 40 minutes.

12. Serve warm with whipped cream and/or ice cream. Enjoy!