Nestle Tollhouse Cookie PIe! Yum!

Good Morning!

This wasn't the post I was planning on doing today, but the pie was just too yummy to not share immediately!

My Grandma Grace went into the hospital 2 weeks ago with chest pain.  She's 87 years old, had been very healthy until this time, doesn't dye her light brown hair and has no gray.  She's spunky, smart, independent, sassy, still works half time, drives and is full of love for her family.  We're pretty lucky to have her around and I know that this hospital stay was a wake up for me and other members of my family; I've taken it for granted that she'd always be here for us, that we'd always get to tease her about making up her own rules for SkipBo, or that I'd get to hear her story of riding a bus from Missouri to San Francisco in the 1940's ALONE to be with  my Grandpa, who was in the Navy one more time, that she'd quilt my little guy another quilt or help me with my orders...

My Grandma is also a fantastic cook - she doesn't cook as much as she used to, although she still makes dozens and dozens jars of jam each year.  That's serious work.  But one of my top GiGi dishes is pie - any pie that she makes is amazing.  Since I was thinking about her so much, I decided to make pies this weekend and stumbled on this amazing cookie pie recipe that is so rich and delish, I had to share it today so that everyone can make one and this will the happiest week of your life because this pie has yummy, magical happiness boosters in it!  I promise, I was so happy after eating my slice of pie... it was like a chocolate high!

(Photo and Recipe Source)

 

Tuscaloosa Tollhouse Pie

Author: Matt Lewis & Renato Poliafito

 Serves: 8

 

Ingredients

• 1 recipe single pie crust dough, chilled
• ½ cup all-purpose flour
• ½ cup granulated sugar
• ½ cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
• 2 large eggs
• ¾ cup (1½ sticks) unsalted butter, softened, cut into cubes
• 1 Tb whiskey
• ¾ cup walnuts, toasted and chopped
• 1¼ cups (about 8 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips

Instructions

1. Dust a work surface with a sprinkling of flour. Unwrap the ball of chilled dough and put it directly on the work surface. Roll out into a 12-inch round. Transfer the dough to a pie dish and carefully work it into the pie dish, folding any overhang under and crimping the edge as you go. Wrap and freeze the crust until firm, about 2 hours, or up to 3 months.
2. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
3. In a medium bowl, whisk the flour and sugars together until combined. Set aside.
4. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the eggs on high speed until foamy, about 3 minutes. Remove the whisk attachment and add the paddle attachment. With the mixer on low, gradually add the flour mixture. Turn the mixer to high and beat for 2 minutes. Scrape down the bowl and add the butter. Beat on high speed until the mixture is combined. Scrape down the bowl, add the whiskey, and beat the mixture on high speed for 1 minute.
5. Fold the walnuts and ¾ cup of the chocolate chips into the filling.
6. Pour the filling into the frozen pie shell and spread it out evenly. Top the filling with the remaining ½ cup chocolate chips.
7. Bake in the center of the oven for 25 minutes, then cover the edges of the crust loosely with aluminum foil and bake for another 25 minutes (this will prevent the crust from browning too quickly). Test the pie by sticking a knife in the center of the filling. If the knife comes out clean, the pie is done. If the knife comes out with clumps of filling sticking to it, bake for another 5 minutes and test again. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool before slicing.
8. The pie can be stored in the refrigerator, tightly covered, for up to 2 days.

 

*  The pie filling wasn't as liquidity as I thought it would be, but just go with it, you'll still the gooey texture that the recipe promises.

**  I used a frozen, Marie Callendars Pie Crust from my supermarkets freezer section.

***  I substituted vanilla extract for the whiskey

****  I baked my pie at 325 degrees for 55 minutes.  I still covered the edges of my pie after 25 minutes.  My knife never came out clean, and my top got a little crispy so I took it out when the top was getting too dark.  I let it cool and set for about 5 hours before cutting it and it was totally done.

 

So that's it!  I had all the ingredients on hand because we're always ready to bake some chocolate chip cookies in our house!  You'll probably want to have a few copies of the recipe on hand, the people you share your pie with are going to want a copy!

 

Have a yummy day!

Andrea