Mile High Pie Recipes

MILE-HIGH LIME PIE

Steps:

• In a large bowl, combine the milk, sour cream, lime juice and food coloring if desired. Fold in whipped topping. Pour into the crust. Refrigerate for at least 12 hours.

MILE-HIGH PEANUT BUTTER PIE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 375 degrees F.
• Mix wafer crumbs and butter until blended; press onto bottom and up side of 9-inch pie plate. Bake 10 minutes; cool.
• Beat chocolate pudding mix and 1 cup milk with whisk 2 min. (Pudding will be thick.) Spread onto bottom of crust. Gradually add remaining milk to cream cheese in large bowl with mixer until blended. Add vanilla pudding mix; beat 2 min. Reserve 1 Tbsp. peanut butter. Add remaining to vanilla pudding mixture; beat until blended. Stir in 1 cup COOL WHIP. Spread over chocolate pudding layer to within 1 inch of edge. Spoon remaining COOL WHIP onto center of pie.
• Refrigerate 3 hours. When ready to serve, microwave remaining peanut butter in microwaveable bowl on HIGH 15 sec. or until melted. Melt chocolate as directed on package. Drizzle peanut butter and chocolate over pie.

MILE HIGH MUD PIE

Steps:

• Line an 8-quart bowl with overhanging plastic wrap.
• Tip the coffee ice cream into the bowl and smooth the surface. Sprinkle over the chopped pecans and freeze until the ice cream is firm, at least 1 hour.
• Tip the chocolate ice cream into the bowl and smooth the surface. Sprinkle over the chocolate-coated toffee pieces and freeze until firm, at least 1 hour.
• Meanwhile, make the crust: Put the sandwich cookies in a food processor and pulse until fine crumbs. Pour in the melted butter and pulse to combine.
• Tip the vanilla ice cream into the bowl and smooth the surface. Tip the crust on top of the vanilla ice cream, spread it evenly and press down firmly. Freeze again until completely set, 4 hours and up to overnight.
• Turn out the pie onto a board or serving platter lined with 4 squares of parchment arranged so that the paper overhangs the edges of the platter. Peel off the plastic wrap and pour over the chocolate shell ice cream sauce to coat the entire pie. Carefully slide out the sheets of parchment and discard.
• To serve, cut big slices of pie, drizzle over some warm caramel sauce and stick a steak knife into the center standing up.

MILE-HIGH APPLE PIE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C). Position an oven rack in the lower part of the oven and place a baking stone on it.
• Place the apples into a large mixing bowl, and toss with the lemon juice.
• Stir the potato starch, 3/4 cup sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg together in a bowl.
• Roll out half of the pie crust pastry on a lightly floured surface and fit it into a 10 inch pie plate. Pile half the apples into the crust, and dot with half the butter pieces. Sprinkle half of the potato starch-cinnamon sugar mixture over the apples. Pile the remaining apples into the pie plate. Sprinkle with the remaining butter pieces and sugar mixture. Roll out the remaining pie crust pastry, and place carefully over the apples. Pinch and crimp the edges to seal the crusts. Use a fork to poke holes in the top crust in a few places. Brush the top crust with milk, and sprinkle with 1 tablespoon sugar.
• Place the pie in the preheated oven on the baking stone. Immediately lower the heat to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Bake until the crust is golden brown, about 60 minutes. Check half way through the baking time, and cover the edges with aluminum foil for the last 30 minutes if necessary to prevent over-browning. Cool 3 hours on a wire rack before serving.

MILE-HIGH LEMON PIE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 400 degrees. On a lightly floured surface, roll out dough to a thickness of 1/8 inch, and use to line a 9-inch pie tin. Crimp the edges decoratively. Chill until firm. In a small bowl, whisk together egg yolk and cream to make a glaze. Prick the bottom of the shell with a fork, brush the top edges with the glaze, and line with parchment paper. Weight the shell with pie weights or dried beans, and bake until the edges begin to brown, 10 to 15 minutes. Remove paper and weights; continue baking until golden brown, 7 to 10 minutes more. Let cool.
• To make filling, combine cornstarch, cake flour, salt, and sugar in a medium nonreactive saucepan over medium heat. Gradually add 2 cups cold water. Bring the mixture to a boil, whisking constantly, about 4 minutes.
• Remove the pan from heat. Temper egg yolks by beating a small amount of hot mixture into the yolks before adding them to pan. Cook over low heat for 5 minutes.
• Remove the pan from heat, and whisk in the lemon juice and rind. Add the butter one piece at a time. Pour the mixture into a large bowl, and let cool.
• Pour the filling into the cooled shell and refrigerate, covered with aluminum foil, until firm, about 1 hour.
• To make the meringue, combine egg whites, sugar, and salt in a heat-proof bowl. Set over a pan of simmering water; beat until warm and sugar is dissolved. Remove bowl from heat; whip into stiff peaks.
• Spread the meringue over pie so that it touches crust all around. Broil until brown, about 2 minutes, watching constantly. Serve at room temperature.

MILE-HIGH CHOCOLATE PIE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F. Line pie dish with crust; crimp edges decoratively. Fully bake pie crust according to recipe or box instructions. Let cool completely.
• Whisk egg whites and sugar in a medium heatproof bowl set over a medium saucepan of simmering water until sugar dissolves and egg whites are warm but not hot, 3-4 minutes. Remove from heat. Using an electric mixer, beat on medium-high speed until cool, tripled in volume, and stiff peaks form (the tips of the peaks won't fall over when beaters are lifted from bowl and turned upright), about 6 minutes.
• Stir chopped chocolate and butter in a large bowl set over same saucepan of simmering water until melted and smooth, 4-5 minutes; set aside.
• Beat 2 cups cream in another medium bowl until medium peaks form (cream should be soft and pillowy), 5-6 minutes.
• Gently fold egg whites into warm chocolate mixture until fully incorporated (work quickly to prevent chocolate from turning gritty). Gently fold in whipped cream just until no white streaks remain; do not overmix or mixture will deflate. Spoon 1/2 cup chocolate mousse into bottom of prepared pie crust; spread evenly over bottom of crust. Sprinkle 3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons crushed chocolate wafers over mousse. Top with remaining mousse, mounding in the center to create a dome. (The point is to add height, not to spread out evenly to edges.) Chill pie.
• Beat remaining 2 cups cream, crème fraîche, and salt until medium-stiff peaks form (when the beaters are lifted from the cream, the peaks will hold their shape but the tips will fall over). Top chocolate mousse with whipped-cream mixture, following the same rounded dome shape. Chill pie for at least 4 hours or, covered, for up to 3 days. (It will slice best if chilled overnight, allowing mousse to set properly.)
• Garnish pie with 2 tablespoons chocolate wafers and chocolate shavings. Slice pie using a clean, dry knife; wipe between slices to ensure clean, elegant pieces.

MILE-HIGH APPLE PIE

Steps:

• Prepare pastry: In large bowl, combine flour and salt. Cut vegetable shortening and butter into flour mixture until coarsely blended. Slowly add water, mixing, until dough binds. Form dough into two balls, one slightly larger than the other; wrap and refrigerate.
• Make apple filling: Cook apple slices in a large pot over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until barely tender-about 10 minutes. Watch so they don't burn! Drain apple slices completely. Transfer to large bowl and add sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and vanilla; stir to blend. Set aside.
• Prepare Pecan Crumb Topping: In medium-sized bowl, combine flour, brown sugar and salt. Cut butter into flour mixture until mixture resembles cornmeal. Add pecans and mix.
• Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Roll out out both pieces of dough. Place the smaller round in bottom of dish. Carefully fill pie dish with apple filling. (It will be quite full!) Roll our larger piece of dough to a 12-inch round and cover top of pie. Trim and pinch together edges of bottom and top crusts.
• Brush top crust lightly with water. Top with crumb topping and carefully press into crust. Make several slits in top pie crust.
• Put a tray beneath the pie to catch any overflow during baking. Bake 45-50 minutes or until crust is golden brown. Cool at least 25 minutes, sift confectioners' sugar over top, and serve.

MILE-HIGH STRAWBERRY PIE

Steps:

• With an electric mixer, beat the egg whites, strawberries, lemon juice, and sugar for 20 minutes (that's not a typo; it really takes 20 minutes!). It will resemble meringue when ready.
• Fold in the Cool Whip.
• Put in the prepared crust.
• Freeze for several hours.

MILE HIGH SALSA PIE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 400°F. In 10-inch nonstick skillet, cook beef or chicken, stirring occasionally, until thoroughly cooked; drain. Stir in seasoning mix (from dinner kit), water and half of the cheese sauce (from dinner kit). Heat to boiling over high heat, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat to medium-high. Simmer uncovered 4 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in kidney beans and remaining cheese sauce; heat until hot.
• In ungreased 2-quart casserole, place 1 tortilla (from dinner kit). Layer with 1/4 of the salsa, beef mixture and cheese. Repeat layers, using up ingredients and ending with cheese on top.
• Cover; bake 17 to 22 minutes or until cheese is melted. Let stand 5 minutes.

MILE HIGH MUD PIE (ICE CREAM CAKE)

Steps:

• Place the entire package of cookies in the base of a food processor* (or a handful at a time if you have a smaller food processor) and pulse until the cookies are coarse crumbs. Melt 1/2 of a stick (1/4 cup) of butter; pour into food processor while on low/pulse until butter is incorporated. Remove 1-2 tablespoons and set all aside.
• First, grab a sturdy freezer and heat friendly bowl, like these traditional clear glass Pyrex bowls, so you can see your layering. Size is your preference, use between 1.5 liter - 2.5 liter bowls.
• Making an ice cream cake or mud pie is more art than recipe, it's simply taking your favorite ice creams, toppings, cookies and fillings and making it your own!
• Using an ice cream spade (a spatula will work just fine too) scoop about 1-2 inch layers of ice cream and place in the bottom of the bowl. Press using the back of the spade or a large spoon to smooth out completely, or use some parchment or plastic wrap and press down until even. Spoon on a layer of fudge topping over the ice cream. If you need to warm it to pour easier, warm slightly so you don't completely melt your ice cream. FREEZE for 30-60 minutes!
• Remove from freezer for your next round of ice cream and toppings. If desired, chop some Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, Chocolate Sandwich Cookies or your favorite candy and place on top of first layer, pressing in slightly. If desired, spoon on some of the cookie crumb crust (be sure to leave plenty for the actual crust) and press into the nooks and crannies filling in any holes and cracks.
• NOTE | My son said he liked the "crumbly" cookie parts the best, on one of the cakes I added a second layer of the cookie crumbs to the middle of the cake and omitted the ganache. Scoop and press on your next layer of ice cream and repeat with fudge layer; return to freezer for 1 hour. Or replace a fudge layer with a ganache layer (instructions below). I like to use 2-3 different ice creams in my ice cream cakes, appeals to most. After cookie crust and/or ganache layers are firm to the touch from freezing, add your final layer of ice cream. Smooth and refreeze for 30 minutes.
• Finally, pack on your cookie crumb crust and smooth down firmly using parchment paper or plastic wrap. Keep covered and freeze overnight preferably, or at least 4-6 hours.
• If making the ganache now is a great time to make it and add to your cake. In a microwave proof bowl pour in your chocolate chips and whipping cream and heat in 30-40 second bursts, stirring well in between. It melts faster than you think and will continue to melt. Do not overheat, it will burn and ruin your ganache. It might be overkill to do both a layer of cookie crumbs AND ganache, but who am I to tell you what to do!
• Once smooth, toss in your butter and stir until blended and smooth. Mix in your vanilla and a pinch of salt. Allow to cool for 10-15 minutes then spoon over frozen ice cream layer, smoothing to edges and return to fridge for 30 minutes to 1 hour.
• Grab a plate or platter that will fit your Mud Pie creation! Using a small knife, slide around the edge of the cookie crust.
• Fill a sink or much larger bowl with hot tap water. Carefully lower the bowl into the water, dip until just before the rim (careful, you don't want to water log your cookie crust). Hold for about a minute.
• TIP | If holding the frozen glass bowl is to chilly or the water is to hot, put on some dishwashing gloves; extra points for cute gloves!
• Place platter upside down on top of bowl; flip holding both the bowl and the plate until bowl is sitting on the plate. You may want to angle the bowl slightly and insert a knife on one edge, gently encouraging the cake to come forth! If it's being stubborn hold in the hot water for another 30 seconds and try again.
• Once plated, return to freezer for 30 minutes or more, then if desired before serving, spoon on more fudge sauce, sprinkle with tablespoon of reserved cookie crumbs and/or drizzle with Magic Shell. Remove ice cream cake from freezer 10 minutes prior to serving. Slice into desired size slices, running a long knife under hot tap water or setting in a glass to heat up helps cut the cake easier and leaves a smoother finish. Serve IMMEDIATELY. Freeze leftovers.
• Drizzle a little more fudge or topping of choice over top, including magic shell.Add crushed cookies chunks or chopped Reese's Peanut Butter cups, some whipped cream. It sounds harder than it is, but it's one of the easiest desserts you will ever make and comes out gorgeous every time!

MILE HIGH STRAWBERRY PIE DESSERT

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350º.
• Place flour, brown sugar, chopped pecans, and melted butter into a bowl and mix well. Pat into the bottom of a 9" x 13" pan.
• Bake for 20 minutes or till lightly browned. Cool to room temperature
• Combine egg whites, sugar, berries, and lemon juice in the bowl of a stand mixer. Beat for 8-10 minutes till whipped and stiff.
• In another bowl, whip the cream until firm peaks form. Fold into strawberry mixture, then spread over the crust.
• Freeze for at least 6 hours before serving. Remove from the freezer about 10 minutes before serving.
• Slice into squares and garnish with a dollop of whipped cream and berries, if desired.

MILE HIGH PIE

Steps:

• Combine walnuts and biscuits. Add butter and mash thoroughly.
• Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Butter a 10-inch diameter springform pan and press biscuit crust into base and 2-inches up side. Cover this crust with waxed paper, cut to fit bottom exactly. Fill pan with split peas, up to height of sides and bake "blind" for 1 hour. Let cool while still filled.
• When crust is cooled, removed pea weights and paper. Meanwhile, whip egg whites with cold water and salt until peaked. Fold in sugar a little at a time. Add vanilla and keep cool.
• Unmold ice cream from containers and cut horizontally through middle of each to yield 4 discs total. Place disks in pie crust, alternating strawberry and vanilla flavors. Top with meringue, letting it fall all around the ice cream. Set in freezer for 2 hours.
• Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Remove pie from freezer and place in oven to brown meringue tips. You may also use a blowtorch instead. Serve with chocolate sauce.