Cook Book Sunday ... Amaretto Brownie Chip Pie ... !!!

It's Cook Book Sunday over at Brenda's Canadian Kitchen and I have been wanting to get a post ready to share with Brenda and her readers ... check out all the terrific offerings at her site! My post today is an homage to all those small fundraising cookbooks out there. They may be sponsored by local churches, cultural groups, women's clubs, or in this case, research foundations. I managed to find a treasure for Silent Bob and I ... a sweet dessert that we remember from a favorite New Hampshire restaurant that we have visited now and then in our rambles. Read on ...

There are certain places in small towns that pull the locals in for that cold beer at the end of a work day, a family pizza party after a little league game, or a woman's club lunch. You know the kind of place I'm talking about. Every town has one restaurant that becomes an institution for the locals and the tourists passing through. Well, up New London way, there's a place called Peter Christian's Tavern and IT is a local institution. So much so, that last Spring when the owner fell on hard times and had to declare Chapter 11, the locals freaked out ... literally. There was a bank auction and locals showed up to see just what would happen to their favorite local restaurant and watering hole. Well, to make a long story short, a couple of business folk bought it and kept it opened  - same decor (rustic Colonial tavern), same type of menu (sandwiches, burghers, pizzas, chef specials ... killer desserts), same signature mustard available (one of the best tasting ever!), and same name (hallelujah!).  There were a lot of very relieved locals, college students, and tourists when Peter Christian's Tavern reopened, let me tell you. Nothing like a happy ending and speaking of happy endings ...

This Amaretto brownie pie is one of the signature desserts offered at the tavern. Personally, I have never been able to order dessert when we visited PC's because I'm always too stuffed full of their Reuben sandwich and spicy fries. I always end up scarfing a bite of Silent Bob's pie or a scoop of his ice cream. You can imagine how excited I was when I found this recipe in my Taste of New Hampshire Cookbook. It was a donation to this charity fundraiser book for the American Cancer Society. Anyway, I made it for Silent Bob today ... to satisfy his sweet tooth.

This is an easy recipe - a basic Brownie placed in a pie plate with a flavored whipped cream topping that is garnished with toasted almond slivers. What makes it special is the coffee vanilla flavoring, chocolate chips that are added to the brownie batter and the Amaretto and coffee vanilla added to the whipped topping. It makes for a rich, rich, rich dessert ... so yummy.

So gather all that's needed and mix the dry ingredients in a deep bowl.

Melt the butter and while it's melting, beat the eggs in a small bowl.

Add the melted butter, eggs and coffee vanilla to the dry ingredients and beat to make a thick batter. Turn it into a prepared 9-inch pie plate.

Bake in a 325 degree F oven for about 35 minutes and then cool the Brownie pie completely. Put it someplace cold to chill it enough to receive the whipped topping.

Make the whipped cream topping, toast the almond slivers, and top the chilled pie. Cut in smallish pieces and serve with a good cup of coffee. Heaven!

Store the leftovers in a cold place to preserve the whipped topping. Better yet, serve this at a party where there will be no leftovers! Here's the recipe ... enjoy!

Peter Christian Tavern’s Amaretto Brownie Chip Pie

Pie Ingredients:

1 c. sugar
¼ tsp. salt
1/3 c. good quality cocoa powder
½ c. plus 2 tbsp. flour
1 tsp. baking powder
2 large eggs, slightly beaten
6 tbsp. butter, melted
1 tbsp. instant coffee granules
1 tsp. vanilla extract
¼ c. chocolate chips

Making the Pie:

1. Preheat the oven to 325° F.

2. Melt the butter.

3. Combine the dry ingredients and whisk to break up the cocoa.

4. Add the eggs and melted butter and beat until a thick smooth batter forms.

5. Add the coffee granules to the vanilla and mix to make a smooth paste.

6. Add the coffee paste to the batter and beat to incorporate.

7. Butter and flour (or spray with Pam) a 9-inch glass pie plate.

8. Turn the batter into the plate and smooth to fill the plate evenly.

9. Bake for about 35 minutes. The pie will swell up and then sink. It’s done when it sinks.

10. Remove from the oven, bring to room temperature, and then chill.
Topping Ingredients:

1 pint heavy cream
½ c. powdered sugar
3 tbsp. Amaretto liqueur
1 tbsp. coffee granules
1 tsp. vanilla extract
Slivered almonds for spreading atop the pie, toasted

Making the Topping:
1. Whip the cream until peaks start to form.

2. Gradually add the sugar and Amaretto.

3. Mix the coffee granules into the vanilla again to make the paste and turn that into the whipped cream.

4. Cream should be whipped smooth.

5. Spread on the top of the chilled pie, smoothing evenly and then patting to form some pretty peaks.

6. Chill well.

7. Toast the almond slivers until golden and aromatic. Cool and then sprinkle atop the pie before serving.

Peter Christian Tavern's Amaretto Brownie Chip Pie - printer friendly

Brenda's Canadian Kitchen and Cookbook Sundays