Recipe: Easy Cheap Chocolate Walnut Mock Apple Pie

Original Mock Apple Pie Recipe Image by 3liz4 via Flickr

From Denny: Looked like it was going to rain this morning so I had to stop my posting and get out there and mow the lawn. Louisiana grows some beautiful thick lush lawns in this hot and humid heat! These are the kind of lawns you enjoy going barefoot on because they feel like thick deep moss. They also are wet to mow...so it took me a while to cool off and start writing again. :)

This little easy inexpensive recipe comes down to us from our grandmothers' and great-grandmothers' time during the Great Depression. Folks were looking for little luxuries they could afford and someone came up with the brilliant idea of using Ritz crackers in a recipe and found out it was so close to the real thing it was amazing! It took the nation by storm.

Over the years, people have played with this easy recipe, made it their own and developed all kinds of interesting variations. Try experimenting with your own variations. This week our local paper featured the antique recipe and it caught my interest. You knew I had to share it because it had chocolate! Yum!

The 1930's was the same time our beloved classic Chocolate Chip Cookies recipe was invented by an inn keeper too. Hard economic times seem to bring out the innovation in good cooks and bakers. Since our own economy is uncertain these days - people are looking for ways to reduce their spending - this is offered as an inexpensive alternative so you can still have fun no matter what is going on around you. Enjoy!

Chocolate Walnut Mock Apple Pie

From: Kraft Foods

Serves: 10

Ingredients:

2 cups sugar

2 teaspoons cream of tartar

1-3/4 cups water

Zest and 2 Tablespoons juice from 1 lemon

Pastry for 2-crust, 9-inch pie

36 Ritz Crackers, coarsely broken (about 1-3/4 cups)

2 Tablespoons butter or margarine, cut into small pieces

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

½ cup chopped walnuts

½ cup semisweet chocolate chips or chunks


Directions:

1. Mix sugar and cream of tartar in medium saucepan. Gradually stir in water. Bring to boil on high heat; simmer on low 15 minutes. Stir in zest and juice; cool 30 minutes.

2. Heat oven to 425 degrees. Roll out half of pastry on lightly floured surface to 11-inch circle; place in 9-inch pie plate. Place cracker crumbs in crust. Place chocolate chips and walnuts over cracker crumbs. Pour sugar syrup over crumbs, chips and nuts; top with butter and cinnamon.

3. Roll out remaining pastry to 10-inch circle; place over pie. Seal and flute edge. Cut several slits in top crust to permit steam to escape. Place on parchment-covered baking sheet.

4. Bake 30-35 minutes or until golden brown. Cool.

Note: To prevent crust from browning too much, cover edge with foil near end of baking time if necessary.


Chocolate Walnut Mock Apple Pie, healthy recipes, Ritz Crackers, Great Depression, Baking and Confections, Baking, Chocolate chip, Apple pie, Cooking, Home

Recipe: Chocolate Blackout Cake

Chocolate Blackout Cake Recipe

From Denny: In the mood for something totally decadent? Granted, this is more time consuming when you feel like a labor of love afternoon but it's still easy. She takes you through it step by step. You can also link to Karen's fab cookbook for more of her chocolate genius!

Tomorrow: Chocolate Peanut Butter Streusel Cake

From -
Sweet Stuff: Karen Barker's American Desserts

Yield: 12 servings

Ingredients for Pudding:

• 3 cups milk
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 4 tablespoons cocoa (preferably Dutch processed)
• 2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons cornstarch
• 2 eggs
• 2 egg yolks
• 8 ounces semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
• 3 tablespoons butter, at room temperature

Ingredients for Cake:

• 1 1/2 cups plus 1 1/2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup cocoa (preferable Dutch processed)
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 2 eggs
• 2 cups sugar
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1 cup brewed coffee, at room temperature
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3 dozen chocolate wafer cookies

Directions:

1. To make the chocolate pudding: Combine 2 cups milk with 4 tablespoons sugar in a small saucepan and bring to just under a boil.

2. In a mixing bowl, combine remaining sugar with salt, cocoa, and cornstarch. Whisk in remaining 1 cup unheated milk. Gradually whisk cocoa mixture into hot milk. Heat, over medium heat, stirring, until mixture thickens and starts to bubble.

3. Whisk together eggs and egg yolks in a small bowl. Temper the eggs by adding a few tablespoons of the heated milk. Add the tempered eggs to the saucepan and stir for 30 seconds. Remove from the heat and whisk in chopped chocolate and butter. The pudding should be relatively thick and will firm up when cooled. Cool, cover with plastic wrap and reserve in refrigerator.

4. To make the cake: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly butter 2 (8-inch) cake pans and line with parchment. Butter the parchment and flour pans, shaking out the excess.

5. Sift together flour, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Reserve.

6. In a mixer with a paddle attachment, beat eggs and sugar until thick and lemon-colored. Beat in vegetable oil. Alternately add dry ingredients with buttermilk, scraping the bowl once or twice. Add the coffee and vanilla to form a thin batter. Divide between prepared cake pans.

7. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center of a cake comes out clean, about 40 to 45 minutes. Cool in pan for 15 minutes. Invert onto cooling racks, peel off paper and cool completely.

8. When cool, split each cake in half with a serrated slicing knife. Spread bottom layer with 1/4 of the reserved chocolate pudding. Repeat with remaining layers, ending with pudding on top.

9. In a food processor, pulse the cookies into crumbs. Sprinkle on top of the cake.

Tomorrow: Chocolate Peanut Butter Streusel Cake