creamy charleston key lime pie

Last summer, Sam and I visited Charleston for the first time. And we were immediately smitten. The food, the people, the history, the charm! Our very first night in the Charleston, we hopped in an Uber and asked our driver to take us to a restaurant we had heard rave reviews about. BUT our driver insisted that we try one of his favorite spots instead. So we always lean on the locals, and we let him drop us off at some spot he loved down at the end of a long cobblestone-paved alley. Now I may not have come home with the name of that place, but I did most certainly come home with memories of the best key lime pie I'd ever eaten. And that was all there was to it. I wanted to create my own recipe for a chilled, creamy key lime pie - similar to the one I enjoyed in Charleston that first night! 

My Charleston Key Lime Pie is rich and tart like key lime pie should be. Sweet flaked coconut is stirred into the homemade buttery graham crust that sends this pie over the moon! It's easy. It's chilled. And it hits the spot on these muggy summer nights! 

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CHARLESTON KEY LIME PIE

Makes one 9” pie

1 cup graham cracker crumbs

⅓ cup sweetened coconut flakes

⅓ cup sugar

¼ cup salted butter, melted

2 (8-oz) packages cream cheese, softened

1 (14-oz) can sweetened condensed milk

1 tablespoon lime zest

¾-1 cup freshly squeezed key lime juice

1 teaspoon coconut extract

⅓ cup powdered sugar

1 drop green + 2 drops yellow food coloring, optional

OPTIONAL WHIPPED CREAM

1 cup heavy whipping cream, chilled

¼ cup powdered sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

½ teaspoon coconut extract

Fresh lime slices and mint for garnish

In a bowl, combine graham cracker crumbs, coconut flakes, and sugar; stir in melted butter and mix until combined. Press into the bottom and sides of an 8 ½-9” pie dish. Chill in the freezer.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese until light and fluffy, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Beat in the condensed milk, lime zest, lime juice, and coconut extract. With mixer on low, stir in the food coloring. Stir in ⅓ cup powdered sugar. Pour filling into chilled crust and return to the freezer for 2 hours or until set.

When ready to serve, remove pie from freezer, cut and plate slices while it's still firm-ish, and allow slices to stand at room temperature for several minutes while you make the whipped cream. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, combine the whipping cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla; whisk together on medium high until thick and creamy.

Dollop each slice of pie with whipped cream and garnish with a slice of lime.

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mama grace's chocolate pie

It wouldn't be Thanksgiving without Mama Grace's chocolate pie. I am so delighted that she shared this family-favorite with me before she went to be with Jesus at the ripe old age of 99 3/4! Food equals memories, especially at the holidays. And we can't help but think of her when we eat this pie when we're together. Y'all share your recipes with your people. Stand together in the kitchen and stir them and measure them and serve them and eat them. You'll all be so glad ya did. 

MAMA GRACE’S CHOCOLATE PIE

{with or without meringue}

Makes one 8-9” pie

One unbaked pie dough round, either homemade or storebought

1 cup sugar

½ cup flour

1 12oz can evaporated milk plus enough whole milk to make 3 cups total

2oz unsweetened chocolate, chopped

1oz semisweet chocolate, chopped

4 eggs, separated (plus one more white if you’re making meringue)

1 Tbs unsalted butter

1 ½ tsp vanilla

-for the meringue-

5 egg whites, room temperature

1 tsp vanilla

1 tsp cream of tartar

7 Tbs sugar

In a standard pie dish (not a deep or oversized pie dish), blind bake a pie crust at 450F for 10 minutes with pie weights, then remove the weights and bake another 3-5 minutes until the crust looks golden and no longer wet-looking. Turn off oven, remove and set aside.

In a 3qt saucepan, combine the flour, sugar, and milk. Whisk together. Add chopped chocolate. Over medium high heat, whisk until chocolate melts and the mixture gets thick and bubbly, as long as 5-10 minutes. Remove from heat. Spoon about ½ cup of the chocolate mixture into the egg yolks, stirring constantly to temper the eggs. Add the yolks/chocolate mixture to the saucepan, stir well. Return pot to medium heat and allow to bubble up and simmer for about 2 minutes or so until nice and thick. Remove from heat, and stir in butter and vanilla. Pour into the baked pie shell.

You may choose NOT to top your pie with meringue. If that’s the case, then at this point you may allow the pie to cool at room temperature then chill in the refrigerator for four hours before cutting and serving with homemade whipped cream! OR if you’d like to top with meringue, then keep reading...

Turn the oven on to 350F. In a mixer, combine 5 egg whites, 1 teaspoon cream of tartar, 1 teaspoon vanilla. Whisk on medium high until soft peaks form. With mixer on medium high, add all of the sugar one tablespoon at a time. Then turn mixer to high and whisk for 2-3 minutes until glossy, fluffy, stick peaks form. Pile meringue in the middle of the pie, spreading gently to the outer edges, making sure to seal the meringue to the pie crust which will help keep the meringue from shrinking. Bake for 5-7 minutes or until meringue is lightly browned. Allow pie to cool entirely on the counter 1-2 hours. Refrigerate uncovered in the refrigerator. Serve cooled. Cut with a wet, sharp knife.

Alternately, you might wish to serve the chocolate pie with homemade whipped cream. Find that recipe in our recipe archives.

drunken raisin bread pudding with whiskey cream sauce

There is a reason that they sing about figgy pudding in Christmas carols. Because it's amazing and rich and perfect for every holiday reason in the world!

Dinner party? Check.

Taking dessert to a gathering? Check.

Curling up and watching a movie by the fire? Check.

Breakfast? Check.

Blustery night? Check.

Itching for something shamefully good? Check.

See? So many reasons to love this Drunken Raisin Bread Pudding with Whiskey Cream Sauce. (Yes, whiskey. Run the liquor store on Wednesday nights when your Baptist friends are at choir practice. HA!) (I have Baptist in my genes, so I can rightfully poke fun.)

Back to this comfort dish! Rich and creamy. Warm and cinnamony. Sweet and boubon-y. Toasty and mushy. 

And the sauce. No more words needed, y'all. And I meant that. 

Here's the recipe. 

Oh, and click HERE to watch me make this on my cooking show with additional tips and instructions! 

DRUNKEN RAISIN BREAD PUDDING WITH WHISKEY CREAM SAUCE

Makes one 9x13 pan

1 loaf of french or Italian bread, torn (about 6 cups of bread)

⅔ cup golden raisins

2-3 Tbs bourbon

1 Tbs unsalted butter

2 cups heavy cream

4 cups whole milk

6 large eggs

1 ¾ cups brown sugar

4-5 teaspoons good vanilla

1 ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

½ teaspoon ground nutmeg or freshly grated which I love

¼ teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 250F Place torn bread on a baking sheet in the oven for about 15 minutes to dry so the bread won’t become soggy when it soaks. While the bread bakes, heat the raisins and 3 Tbs bourbon in the microwave for about 30 seconds; remove and allow raisins to soak. Remove the bread from the oven, and turn oven to 350F. Place bread in a very large bowl. Grease the bottom and sides of a 9x13 casserole or a 3qt baker with butter. Set aside.

Combine the heavy cream, milk, eggs, brown sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, and raisins in a large bowl preferably with a pour spout. Whisk to mix and pour the cream mixture over the bread. Stir to combine. Allow the mixture to sit at room temperature for 20 minutes or so.

Transfer the bread mixture to the buttered casserole dish. Place the casserole dish inside a larger pan and fill half-way up the sides with the hottest tap water available. Cover loosely with foil, tenting so as not to touch the top of the bread pudding. Cut a few slits in the top of the foil to allow steam to escape. Bake 45 minutes covered, then remove foil and bake another 30-45 minutes more until the bread pudding poofs up. Carefully remove from the oven, remove the pan from the water bath, and allow to cool. Serve warm or at room temperature. While it’s cooling down, make the sauce.

WHISKEY CREAM SAUCE

2 cups heavy cream

½ cup whole milk

½ cup granulated white sugar

2 Tbs cornstarch

¼-½ cup bourbon or whiskey of your choice

Pinch salt

2 Tbs unsalted butter

In a 1 qt saucepan over medium heat, combine the milk, sugar, and cream. Place the cornstarch and ¼ cup of bourbon in a small mixing bowl and whisk to blend, making a slurry. Pour the slurry into the cream mixture and bring to a boil. Once the sauce begins to boil, reduce the heat to a gentle simmer and cook 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove the sauce from the heat, add the salt and stir in the butter. Taste and add more bourbon if you’re brave enough. Store sauce and bread pudding separately and covered in the refrigerator.

*adapted from Emeril Lagasse recipe*

chocolate peanut butter dream pie

Y'all. I don't even know what to say about this pie. I've sat here thinking about how to start telling you about this dreamy, creamy goodness. And I can only come up with two things. And both may convince you to make this pie.

1. I am always one to choose fruit dessert over chocolate dessert. Hands down. No questions asked. No looking back. And I made four of these pies in four days.

2. I'm convinced that my picture is blurry because I was shaking with uncontrollable joy at getting to cut into my fourth pie in four days. 

note: I didn't eat all four pies.

note: I totally could have though.

note: They're. that. good.

Watch the episode and see me make this pie on Cooking Today by clicking HERE! 

CHOCOLATE PEANUT BUTTER DREAM PIE

Makes one 9” pie

2 cups chocolate cookie crumbs

8 Tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

¾ cup creamy peanut butter

4oz cream cheese, softened

1 ½ cup powdered sugar

½ teaspoon vanilla

8oz carton cool whip, thawed

1-2 cups chopped chocolate peanut butter cups

¼ cup semi sweet chocolate chips

¼ cup milk chocolate chips

2 Tablespoons coconut oil

In a small bowl, combine cookie crumbs and unsalted butter with a fork until crumbs are moist. Pour crumbs into a 9” pie dish (not a deep pie dish, just a regular one) and press into the bottom and up the sides. Refrigerate crumb crust while you prepare the filling so it firms up a little.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the peanut butter and softened cream cheese with the powdered sugar and vanilla. On low speed, stir in the carton of thawed cool whip. Carefully spread the peanut butter filling into the chilled crumb crust. Cover the top with chopped peanut butter cups.

In a small microwaveable bowl or glass measuring cup, melt chocolate chips and coconut oil for 20 seconds at a time until smooth, stirring between each interval. Using a small spoon, drizzle melted chocolate all over the top of the pie. Chill for at least an hour or more before serving. It. Is. Rich. So you may get 10-12 pieces out of one pie! Have cold milk on hand! Delicious!

Skillet Apple Crisp

Click here to watch this Cooking Today episode online!

SKILLET APPLE CRISP WITH CARAMEL SAUCE

8-10 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, thinly sliced

(sometimes I substitute in 2-3 Pink Lady, Honeycrisp, or other sweet firm apple)

½ cup sugar

½ cup brown sugar

⅔ cup flour

1 tsp salt

1 tsp cinnamon

½ tsp nutmeg

½ cup (1 stick) of unsalted butter, cut into small cubes

juice of 1 ripe lemon

For the crumb topping:

2 cups flour

1 cup sugar

1 cup brown sugar

1 tsp salt

½ tsp cinnamon

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into small cubes

Preheat oven to 375.

In a small bowl, combine sugar, brown sugar, flour, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg.

In a large bowl, toss the thinly sliced apples with the lemon juice; then toss in the sugar mixture.

Stir in the butter cubes.

Carefully pour or spoon the apples into a 12” cast iron skillet or other large oven-safe skillet.

Cover with a lid and heat over medium heat, stirring occasionally until the apples are tender and the sugar and butter mixture becomes a yummy caramelized glaze.

While the apples cook on the stove, mix together the crumb topping, cutting the butter bits into the dry ingredients using two forks or a pastry cutter.

When the apples are tender and the liquid is glaze-y and good, spread the crumb topping all around the top of the apples. Bake uncovered in the oven for 25-30 minutes or until the topping is golden brown and the juices are thick and bubbly.

SALTED CARAMEL SAUCE

1 cup sugar

6 Tbl unsalted butter

½ cup heavy cream

1 tsp fine sea salt

1 tsp vanilla

In a large heavy-bottomed pot (large enough that the sauce can bubble up without bubbling over),

stir sugar with a wood spoon over medium+ heat until completely melted and a warm caramel color. The sugar will start dry, then clump, then partly melt and clump more before completely melting smooth and darkening. Keep stirring!

Add 6 Tbl butter, one tablespoon at a time stirring constantly; let boil for about 2 minutes or so.

Slowly and carefully pour in the heavy cream, stirring constantly.

Allow to rise up and boil for a minute or so. Stir well before removing from heat.

Stir in teaspoon of salt and teaspoon of vanilla.

Give it a few minutes to cool.

Don’t lick the spoon or stick your finger in it because it will scald your mouth! (trust me!)

Pour into a heat-proof jar or bowl with a lid.

Serve over warm skillet apple cobbler.

classic strawberry pie

Today we celebrated Pi Day of the Century. And at Euna Mae's, we did it up right! We served more than 150 slices of pie to customers who came in the shop. And we sold 25 whole pies to folks who bought one to take home to their people. So naturally on Pi(e) Day, I can't let the day go by without sharing one of my very favorite pie recipes ever.

There is nothing like fresh strawberry pie. It tastes like home and summertime. And I've heard so many of y'all say that you don't know how to make one. Well, I'm about to change that! Listen, you can do this! And if you don't have it in you to start with a homemade crust, then you can get a refrigerated crust or even a pre-made shortbread crust. This recipe is simple and it's beautiful. You can also toss in a some fresh local blueberries for even more flavor and color! Any way you slice it, strawberry pie is hard to beat.

Now let me say that this pie is easy and quick to assemble, but it takes T-I-M-E to set up. So this pie isn't one that you whip up when you hear your parents are stopping by in an hour. The filling takes several hours to set up before you can slice it. So just know that. It's important. 

One more thing. This picture was taken when I was testing different pie recipes. I have a variation that includes a custard-y layer below the berries. But I decided I didn't like it as much as just the classic pie. So that little tiny peek of cream in the picture? Nevermind it.

CLASSIC STRAWBERRY PIE

 {makes one deep 9" pie}

One bottom crust using Euna Mae's pie crust recipe, baked and cooled

(or something easier and faster if you must)

2 cups of water

2 cups of sugar

6 Tbsp cornstarch

1 6oz package strawberry jello (not sugar-free)

3 quarts strawberries, sliced in half

zest of 1 lemon

Recipe for homemade sweetened whipped cream

 

In a heavy-bottomed pot, bring the water, sugar and cornstarch to a boil, stirring until thick and clear. Stir in the package of strawberry jello and mix well. Remove from heat and pour into a large glass or ceramic bowl to cool. When the liquid has partly cooled, carefully fold in the strawberries and lemon zest. Add 3/4 cup fresh blueberries if you'd like! Fold carefully until nicely combined. Pour into the pie shell, piling them high in the center, and arranging the strawberries on top to lay tucked in and pretty. Store in the refrigerator until completely cooled and set - usually several hours. Carefully slice and serve with sweetened whipped cream. Mmm. Mmm. Mmm.

Enough Cobbler to Feed a Football Team

I live in a small town in Arkansas. We're not as small as Dillon, Texas - but football is still as precious to us as it is to most small towns in the South. We wear our team's gear on our bodies and on our cars. We have signs in our yards boasting our player's name and number. We have body shops, coffee shops, and diners that showcase murals, jerseys, and newspaper articles about our team. We travel for hours in the cold to watch our boys play. And I've even closed my store early on Fridays to be sure I have time to get BBQ with friends and get in my seat with plenty of time to spare! 

My son plays football. And his friends that spend the night here and eat my food play center, receiver, running back, corner, safety, defensive lineman, offensive lineman, and quarterback. I've learned over the years, having been in youth ministry for more than ten years, that food is a magnet that attracts teenagers to your home. Throw in a heaping dose of real-talk, authentic concern, a lot of laughs, and even more hugs, and it'll make it hard for teenagers to want to leave your house....even when you sometimes want them to!

So when our Coach and his wife invited the 30 seniors over to their house to eat and watch the BCS National Championship Game, I was glad to offer help feeding the masses. After all, I've fed most of them in my own kitchen more times than I can count! And since my specialty is "feeding the masses", I knew this easy and enormous peach cobbler would do the trick! Thus I've titled this dessert "Enough Cobbler to Feed A Football Team"! I wish I could've shown y'all a dreamy picture of ice cream melting on this peachy, crumbly little number, but I'm sending it to their party! So I can't scoop into it! I'm having to exercise more restraint that I possess outside of the help of God's Holy Spirit. I'm serious. 

"Enough Cobbler to Feed a Football Team" is a perfect dish for community groups, holiday parties, teacher meals, family gatherings, potlucks, and, well, football teams. This peach cobbler requires zero skill and only a little time. It's delicious served warm out of the oven, and even better served room temperature. Mmmm. And with ice cream.

 click here for printable recipe

ENOUGH COBBLER TO FEED A FOOTBALL TEAM

 {serves a ton of people. a ton being maybe 16-20. it depends on how much those people eat.}

{football players eat a lot. for the record.}

4 lbs. frozen peaches

2 C sugar

1 C brown sugar

3 C flour

2 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp salt

juice of one lemon

4 Tbls unsalted butter, melted

*You'll also need the ingredients for a doubled recipe of My Favorite Brown Sugar Crumble Topping

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Open and pour the frozen peaches into your very biggest bowl, allowing to partially thaw. Squeeze the juice of one lemon over the top of the peaches. Set aside.

In a separate large bowl, combine the sugar, brown sugar, flour, cinnamon, and salt. Whisk together to combine; and pour over the peaches. Toss well to coat.

Into your largest casserole dish, preferable a lasagna dish or roasting dish, (a 9x13 will not be big enough!) pour the peaches and all of the sugar/flour mixture that may have settled in the bottom of the big peach bowl. Spread the peaches around to make the top flattish with no peaches poking up.

Then top the peaches with the doubled recipe of the brown sugar crumble topping, making sure to spread it around all over the top. I use every single bit of this topping even though it looks like a gob of crumble! As it bakes, it'll settle down into the nooks and crannies between the peaches, and it'll bake down. The crumble is the best part anyway! Actually it's the part where the crumble meets the fruit and it's sweet and soggy and peachy and cinnamony and delicious!

After covering the peaches with the crumble topping, drizzle a half-stick (4 Tbl) of melted unsalted butter all over the top. Yum. Yum. Yum.

Bake uncovered for 45-60 minutes or until the crumble topping is golden brown and the juices are bubbling and thickened. If the topping looks like it's getting too dark before you know your peaches have baked well, then just lay a flat piece of aluminum foil over the cobbler while it finishes baking. You'll need to watch and use common sense on when your cobbler is finished. You can do it! Allow to cool at least 30 minutes. I prefer cooling for hours on the counter so it's room temperature. If you think it's too juicy and the liquid is too thin, then you can use a turkey baster to remove some of the liquid if you'd like.