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In the Oven: Classic Diner-Style Chocolate Pie

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We’re leaving our ovens off again to make a classic chocolate pie – but it wouldn’t be a Baked pie without whiskey or malt powder (or both!). Posting date is November 17.

Classic Diner-Style Chocolate Pie
 
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Yield: 1 (9-inch ) pie
Ingredients
For the chocolate cookie crust
  • 30 chocolate wafer cookies (about 6 ounces)
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
For the chocolate filling
  • ½ cup sugar
  • 3 tablespoons chocolate malt Ovaltine
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • ¼ cup cornstarch
  • 5 large egg yolks
  • 2 cups whole milk
  • ½ cup heavy cream
  • 5 ounces dark chocolate (60 to 72% cacao), coarsely chopped
  • 2 ounces milk chocolate, coarsely chopped
  • 2 teaspoons whiskey
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
To serve
  • Whipped cream or vanilla bean whipped cream
Instructions
Make the chocolate cookie crust
  1. In a food processor, grind the cookies to a very fine powder. You should have about 1½ cups. Put the crumbs in a bowl and stir in the sugar.
  2. Pour the butter over the crumb mixture and mix until well combined. The mixture will feel wet. Turn the crumb mixture out into a 9-inch pie plate and press it into the bottom and up the sides. You can use the back of a large spoon to even out the crust.
  3. Freeze the crust while you make the filling.
Make the chocolate filling
  1. In a medium saucepan, whisk together the sugar, Ovaltine, salt, and cornstarch. Add the egg yolks and whisk until combined. The mixture will look like a thick paste. Slowly pour in the milk and cream, whisking constantly.
  2. Bring to a boil over medium heat, whisking constantly to prevent the mixture from burning on the bottom of the pan. Boil for 30 seconds, then remove from the heat.
  3. Add the chocolates, whiskey, and vanilla and whisk until combined. Continue to whisk for a few minutes to cool the mixture slightly. Let the mixture stand for 15 minutes at room temperature. A thin skin may form during this cooling period. Simply whisk the mixture again until the skin is gone. Pour the filling into the frozen pie shell.
  4. Refrigerate the pie for 4 hours before serving, topped with whipped cream, if desired.

 

In the Oven: Baked Tricolor Cookies

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Fire up your ovens again, we’re baking up some classic Italian-style cookies next. These can be customized to whatever color suits your fancy, as long as you don’t try to color the chocolate layer. Posting date is September 22!

Baked Tricolor Cookies
 
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Yield: 20 cookies
Ingredients
For the cookie layers
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1⁄4 teaspoon salt
  • 7 ounces almond paste (recipe follows)
  • 3⁄4 cup sugar
  • 1⁄2 teaspoon pure almond extract
  • 3⁄4 cup (11⁄2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
  • 3 large eggs
  • Grated zest of 1 orange
  • Orange food coloring (liquid or gel)
  • 2 tablespoons dark unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted
For the Filling
  • 2⁄3 cup apricot jam
  • 2 tablespoons amaretto liqueur
For the glaze
  • 6 ounces dark chocolate (60% cacao), coarsely chopped
  • 1 teaspoon light corn syrup
  • 1⁄2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened, cut into cubes
Instructions
Make the cookie layers
  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter three 8-inch square baking pans. Line the bottom of each pan with parchment paper and butter the parchment. Dust with flour and knock out the excess flour.
  2. Sift the flour and salt together in a small bowl and set aside.
  3. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the almond paste, sugar, and almond extract together until small crumbs form. Add the butter and beat on high speed until the mixture is combined. Scrape down the bowl and add the eggs, one at a time, beating until each is incorporated. Add the orange zest and beat until combined. Add the flour mixture in three parts, beating on low speed after each additon until combined.
  4. Divide the batter among three small mixing bowls.
  5. In the first bowl, add a few drops of orange food coloring to the batter, and mix well. Continue to add a few drops of food coloring and mixing until the batter is medium orange in color.
  6. In the second bowl, add the cocoa powder to the batter and whisk until fully incorporated.
  7. Leave the third bowl plain.
  8. Pour each batter into a prepared pan and smooth the tops. Bake the layers for 12 to 15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of each layer comes out clean.
  9. Transfer the pans to a wire rack and cool for 20 minutes. Invert the cakes onto the rack, remove the pans, and let cool completely. Remove the parchment.
Make the filling
  1. In a small saucepan over low heat, stir the jam and amaretto until warmed through and completely blended, 3 to 5 minutes.
Assemble the tricolor cookies
  1. Place the chocolate layer on a serving rack and evenly spread half of the apricot jam over the top. Top with the plain (or white) layer and spread with the remaining apricot filling. Top with the orange layer and let the layers sit in the refrigerator for 5 minutes (or while you make the chocolate glaze).
Make the glaze
  1. In a large nonreactive metal bowl, combine the chocolate, corn syrup, and butter. Set the bowl over a saucepan of simmering water and cook, stirring with a rubber spatula, until the mixture is completely smooth. Remove the bowl from the pan and stir for 30 seconds to cool slightly.
  2. Spread the glaze over the top of the bar cookies, completely covering the orange layer (some glaze may spill down the sides of the cake). Place the tray in the refrigerator until the chocolate topping completely sets (about 1 hour). Remove the tray from the refrigerator, wait 30 minutes for the chocolate to warm up, and cut into 20 individual squares or use a small cookie cutter to create your own shapes.
Notes
How to store: The bars can be stored in the refrigerator, tightly covered, for up to 4 days.
How to make almond paste:
11⁄2 cups finely ground almonds
1 cup confectioners’ sugar, sifted
1⁄2 teaspoon pure almond extract

Put all the ingredients in a food processor with 2 tablespoons water and process until a paste forms. Remove from the food processor, wrap tightly in plastic, and refrigerate until ready to use. Extra almond paste, tightly wrapped, keeps well in the freezer.

 

In the Oven: Raspberry Crumb Breakfast Bar

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We’re sticking to the fruit-based category for our next baked, and despite the title it’s not a strictly breakfast treat. Posting date is August 25!

Raspberry Crumb Breakfast Bar
 
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Yield: 24 bars
Ingredients
For the crust and crumb
  • 1 1⁄2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
  • 1 1⁄4 cups rolled oats
  • 3⁄4 teaspoon salt
  • 3⁄4 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1⁄2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1⁄2 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 3⁄4 cup (1 1⁄2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch pieces
For the raspberry filling
  • 1⁄4 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
  • 1 tablespoon grated lemon zest
  • 1⁄2 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 1 pound raspberries, fresh or frozen
  • 1⁄4 cup fresh lemon juice
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled
Instructions
For the crust and crumb
  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter the bottom and sides of a 9-by-13- inch glass or light-colored metal baking pan. Put a long piece of parchment paper in the bottom of the pan, letting the parchment extend up the two short sides of the pan and overhang slightly on both ends. (This will make it easy to remove the bars from the pan after they have baked.) Butter the parchment.
  2. Put the flour, brown sugar, oats, salt, baking powder, baking soda, and cinnamon in a food processor. Pulse in short bursts until combined. Add the butter and pulse until loose crumbs form.
  3. Reserve 1 cup of the mixture and set aside. Pour the rest of the mixture into the prepared pan and use your hands or the back of a large wooden spoon to push the crust into an even layer in the bottom of the pan. The crust should touch the sides of the pan. Bake until golden brown, 12 to 15 min- utes. Transfer to a wire rack and let the crust cool. Keep the oven on while you make the raspberry filling.
Make the raspberry filling
  1. In a medium bowl, whisk the sugar, lemon zest, cinnamon, and flour together.
  2. Add the raspberries, lemon juice, and butter and use your hands to toss gently until the raspberries are evenly coated.
Assemble and bake the bars
  1. Spread the raspberry filling evenly on top of the cooled crust. Sprinkle the reserved 1 cup crust mixture evenly on top of the filling.
  2. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, rotating the pan every 15 minutes, until the top is golden brown and the filling starts to bubble around the edges.
  3. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely, then cut into squares and serve.
Notes
How to store: The bars can be stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 2 days.