Bready or Not: Chocolate Chess Slab Pie
Do you need a lot of pie? (Honestly, who doesn’t need a lot of pie these days?) This Chocolate Chess Slab Pie recipe makes a huge serving of rich, delicious pie, perfect for a potluck or other large gathering!
The pie filling here is similar to a brownie but is also richer and softer, very much a set custard. The crust adds some balance, but seriously, this is a pie that needs ice cream or Cool Whip or spray cream or something. That will really send this over the top as far as super-tastiness.
I boxed up leftovers, using waxed paper between layers to stack, and they kept well for a few days.
Modified from Food Network Magazine Oct/Nov 2024.
Bready or Not: Chocolate Chess Slab Pie
Use a jelly roll pan to create a chocolate pie that’ll feed a crowd! Note that these are richer than the standard brownies, even with the crust, and really are best with ice cream or whipped cream to add balance. Modified from Food Network Magazine Oct/Nov 2024.
Equipment
- food processor
- 10×15 pan
- large aluminum foil
- nonstick spray
- pie weights/beans
- bench knife
Ingredients
Crust
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour plus more for dusting
- 2 Tablespoons white sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 cup vegetable shortening cold
- 12 Tablespoons unsalted butter (1 1/2 sticks) diced and chilled
- 3 Tablespoons white vinegar
- 6 to 8 Tablespoons water
Filling
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter (1 stick)
- 4 ounces semisweet chocolate chips
- 1 3/4 cups white sugar
- 6 Tablespoons unsweetened Dutch-processed cocoa powder sifted
- 1/2 teaspoon espresso powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup half & half or milk or cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 4 large eggs plus 2 egg yolks room temperature
Instructions
Make the crust
- Use a food processor to pulse together the flour, sugar, and salt. Add the shortening and butter to form coarse crumbs. Add the vinegar and the minimum 6 tablespoons water. [Note that the vinegar may smell quite strong but that will bake away.] Pulse repeatedly. If the dough doesn’t start to come together, drizzle in more water and pulse more but don’t overwork.
- Turn the dough out onto a piece of plastic wrap and press together into a 1/2-inch thick rectangle. Chill in fridge for at least an hour, or up to a few days.
- Line jelly roll pan with a large piece of foil that covers bottom and up all four sides. Apply nonstick spray.
- Roll out the dough to create a very large rectangle, about 13×18, and use the rolling pin to lift it into the pan. Press crust in, folding over excess dough and crimping. Chill pan in fridge, uncovered, for at least an hour.
- Preheat oven at 375 degrees. Line the interior of the crust with foil. Fill up with pie weights or dried beans.
- Bake crust for 20 to 25 minutes, until turning golden at edges. Carefully use the foil to lift the pie weights onto another pan to cool completely.
- Return the crust to the oven to bake for another 25 to 30 minutes, until golden across the bottom. Transfer to a rack to cool.
- Reduce oven temperature 325 degrees.
Make the filling
- Place butter and chocolate in a large microwave-safe bowl. Heat in microwave in 20-second intervals, stirring between each pass, until melted and smooth.
- Mix the sugar, cocoa powder, espresso powder, and salt into the chocolate. Follow up with the half & half, vanilla, whole eggs, and yolks until smooth without any streaks of egg.
- Pour filling into the cooled crust. Bake until pie is set with only a slight jiggle to the middle, 25 to 35 minutes.
- Transfer to a rack to cool. A bench knife will be easier to cut the pie within the pan, but regular sharp knife will also do. Serve warm or at room temperature. It is best with ice cream, Cool Whip, canned dairy cream, etc.
OM NOM NOM!
Bready or Not: Almond Crinkle Cookies
These Almond Crinkle cookies achieve a bold almond flavor through a combination of almond flour and almond extract. Do note that they are not gluten-free, as they also include regular all-purpose flour!
I found these cookies to be pleasantly chewy. And, of course, they are a little messy thanks to a coating of confectioners’ sugar.
Modified from Better Homes & Gardens December 2023 issue.
Bready or Not: Almond Crinkle Cookies
These cookies use a mix of standard flour and almond flour to create a almond-infused dough with a delicate coating of powdered sugar on top. Makes about 40 cookies.
Servings: 40 cookies
Equipment
- plastic wrap
- small cookie scoop or teaspoon
- parchment paper
Ingredients
Dough
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter softened
- 1 1/4 cups white sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup almond flour sifted
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Topping
- 1 cup confectioners’ sugar
Instructions
- In a large bowl, beat together butter and white sugar until fluffy. Follow up with the eggs, vanilla, and almond extract.
- In another bowl, combine the two flours along with the baking powder and salt.
- Gradually mix the dry ingredients into the wet, scraping the bottom of the bowl to incorporate everything. At this point, wrap the dough in plastic to chill for at least an hour, or freeze dough for later.
- When ready to bake, preheat oven at 350 degrees. Line baking sheet with parchment paper. Measure the confectioners’ sugar into a small bowl.
- Use a small cookie scoop or spoon to shape small balls of dough. Roll in confectioners’ sugar to coat. Place spaced out on parchment-covered sheet.
- Bake for 13 to 15 minutes. Let set a few minutes then transfer to a rack to fully cool. Store cookies in a sealed container at room temperature.
