Catching Up

Wow! So much has changed since I've last blogged two years ago! My older kids are now almost an 8th and 5th grader, and I've also had a new baby since then! My baby Ethan turned 16 weeks yesterday and is more cute, cuddly and lovable than I could have ever imagined. My life is consumed more than ever with my family, and I wouldn't have it any other way. I do hope to blog more often when time permits, but we'll see how that goes. :)

Life is good!

Dessert Recipe: Snickerdoodle Pie

I made two of these yesterday...one for Tyler's cakewalk at the kid's Harvest Festival and the other for us to try, because you can't send a new recipe anywhere without trying it first, right? ;) It was soooo good and the aroma coming out of my kitchen yesterday was amazing! The recipe is a little involved, but so worth it. It's a cross between a cake and a snickerdoodle cookie all rolled into one and baked in a pie. Healthy it's not, but everything in moderation! I forgot to take a picture of it before we cut ours and Tyler took his to school, so here's a picture from the Better Homes and Garden's website, where I found the recipe. Enjoy!

Snickerdoodle Pie

Prep time: 40 min.

Baking time: ~44 min. (depending on your oven, see note at the bottom)

Cooling time: 30 min.

Stand time: 30 min.

Ingredients:

1 recipe Single-Crust Pie Pastry, or 1 rolled refridgerated unbaked pie crust (1/2 of a 15 oz. package)--I actually used a frozen 9-inch deep dish pie crust in pan, thawed, and it turned out fine

1 Tbsp. raw or course sugar

1/2 + 1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon, divided

2 tsp. butter, melted

1/2 c. packed brown sugar

1/4 c. butter

3 Tbsp. water

2 Tbsp. light colored corn syrup

1/2 + 1 tsp. vanilla extract, divided

1/4 c. butter, softened

1/2 c. granulated sugar

1/4 c. powdered sugar

1 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. cream of tartar

1 egg

1/2 c. milk

1 1/4 c. flour

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. For the crust: Prepare pastry and line a 9-inch pie plate with crust. In a small bowl, combine raw or course sugar with 1/2 tsp. cinnamon. Brush melted butter over unbaked pie crust and sprinkle with 1 tsp. of the cinnamon-sugar mixture. Set aside.

For the syrup: combine brown sugar, 1/4 c. butter, water, corn syrup, and 1/4 tsp. cinnamon in a saucepan. Heat to boiling over medium heat, stirring to dissolve sugar. Boil gently for two minutes. Remove from heat and stir in 1/2 tsp. vanilla. Set aside.

In a mixing bowl, beat the 1/4 c. of softened butter with a mixer on medium speed for 30 secondes. Beat in granular sugar, powdered sugar, baking powder, salt, and cream of tartar until well blended. Beat in egg and 1 tsp. vanilla extract. Gradually beat in milk until combined. Beat in flour. Spread evenly in unbaked crust.

Very slowly, pour syrup over pie filling in crust. Sprinkle remaining cinnamon-sugar mixture over the pie. Cover crust edges with foil.

Bake at 350 degrees F. for 25 minutes*(see note at bottom), then carefully remove foil and bake for 20 more, or until top is puffed and golden brown, and a toothpick inserted near center comes out clean. Cool for 30 minutes on rack. Serve warm. Makes 10 servings.

Nutritional Information:

Calories 385, Total Fat (g) 17, Saturated Fat (g) 8, Cholesterol (mg) 49, Sodium (mg) 289, Carbohydrate (g) 53, Fiber (g) 1, Protein (g) 4, Vitamin C (DV%) 0, Calcium (DV%) 4, Iron (DV%) 9, Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet

*By the way, I had to add an extra 10 minutes to each the 25 and the 20 minute baking times, thus making the total baking time to be an hour and 5 minutes. Please adjust the baking times to your ovens at home.