Nothing Says Thanksgiving Like Masterbaking - Amaretto Pumpkin Pie

I wish I could find a pumpkin pie I liked. I thought for sure, this would be a great pie, I mean what's not to like? Pumpkin with amaretto, good. Amaretto cookie crust, good. Pralines on top, good. It should have hit the spot, satisfied that desire to find the perfect tasting pumpkin pie. Sadly, it wasn't. It was maybe the least popular pie of Thanksgiving. It was ok, the filling was good, but not great, the crust was not crispy enough. I probably needed to blind bake it longer, but it looked cooked when I took it out. Couldn't get the pralines right. All in all a miss, a recipe that can be forgotten. But it does look pretty, doesn't it?

Can I Really Keep Masterbaking? - Pear Cranberry Crumble Pie

The problem is when you make 7 pies for Thanksgiving and you only have 8 guests, there are leftovers. You also have too many good options, so ranking them is hard. Had I made this pie as one of 2 pies, it would have been the belle of the ball. It is the age old problem of a small fish in a big pond - too many good fish.

That said, great pie. I enjoy a fruit pie, especially when it is not too juicy. As you can see, no goop in the bottom of the pie plate. It really held together well. And the crust? It called for a tablespoon of vinegar, and when I put it in, it smelled terrible. But fully baked, it was fantastic. Flaky and tasty. The pie filling was great, the pears were nice and sweet, the cranberries, tart contrast. And the crumble topping, best way to end a pie.

Another Triumph in Masterbaking - Chocolate Toffee Pecan Tart

I wish I could have taken a picture that would have done this tart justice. It was a great addition to our Thanksgiving table. Not too sweet, the toffee was perfect consistency wise. I love tart crusts - short cut pastry is a tiny pleasure in life. I don't think there is a single thing I would change about this tart, the recipe as I followed it was fine by itself. (Note: 2nd place to the Toffee Apple Upside Down Pie - I think people like toffee!)

Masterbaking with Alcohol - Caribbean Sweet Potato Pie

Alcohol makes everything better, well, almost always. This pie was not my favorite, it wasn't bad, but the rum I put in was overwhelming in terms of the overall flavor of the pie. The crust was yummy - gingerbread cookies, smashed up and mixed with butter. I would make the crust any time. The pie was good consistency wise, but next time, I will either do it with less rum, or potentially no rum at all. Maybe it needed Malibu, something more tropical to play off of the coconut milk that was added to it. I'll give it another go, maybe merge the crust with another sweet potato pie recipe I have that I love.

More Thanksgiving Masterbaking - Toffee Apple Upside Down Pie

Yep, this is as amazing as it sounds. It was by far the house favorite, it got the most votes as the best pie of the evening. And there is nothing I would do to change it. Instead of using the recipe that came with the recipe, I substituted with an all-butter pie crust that I found in some magazine. OMG, so wonderful. So to make this pie, you put parchment paper in the bottom of a pie place, then you put the toffee (made from butter, brown sugar, and pecans) on top of that. Then you lay out the bottom pie crust. Apple filling comes next, then the other pie crust. Bake, and when it comes out of the oven, you flip it over so the toffee is on top. AMAZING! The filling is great, and the topping is awesome. And this crust really stood up to the pie filling. Two thumbs up!

Masterbaking for Two Days - Butterscotch Pie (Thanksgiving 2010)

Ahhhh, Thanksgiving, time with friends and family, football, turkey, and of course, baking. For me, that meant baking 7 pies of the holiday. As it turns out, that would mean almost an entire pie for each of the guests we had at the table. I love pie, who doesn't LOVE pie? I like to experiment with new recipes, and this year was no exception - 5 of the 7 were new.

Butterscotch pie sounds weird, but it was very tasty. You either love or hate butterscotch in the first place, and this pie is packed with butterscotchy flavor. It was really creamy, and the crust was the tops. My friend Fitz didn't think it needed the meringue, I think it was ok, but might go with a whipped cream topping the next time I try this pie (yes, it will stay in the rotation).

OK, Enough Masterbaking Talk For Today - Chocolate, Coconut, and Almond Cookies (with Almond Joy pieces too!)

I enjoy a fun cookie, and this was it. I had recently purchased the Coconut M&Ms and the Almond Joy pieces, thinking I would find a creative way to use them in my baking. The Coconut M&Ms, not so much, they had a very artificial taste to them. But the Almond Joy pieces, wonderful. Then all I had to do was find the right cookie . . . almond coconut cookies with chocolate chips? Perfect. I liked this cookie a whole lot. Not the most creative, not the most out of this world cookie, but a solid cookie, a cookie you can stand behind. I really like almonds and coconut and chocolate, so it was a great way to bring all of the flavors together.

Enough posting for today, when you masterbake on the weekends, and then fly 8 hours on Mondays, you end up tired. Nighty night!