Coffee Toffee Pie
Instructions:
- Pastry Shell:
- ½ package pie crust mix
- ¼ cup brown sugar, packed
- ¾ cup finely chopped walnuts (use blender)
- 1 square unsweetened chocolate, grated
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Filling:
- ½ cup soft butter or margarine
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 1 square unsweetened chocolate, melted and cooled
- 1 teaspoon instant coffee
- 2 eggs
- Topping:
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 2 teaspoons instant coffee (1 - 1 ½ if you want it weaker)
- ½ cup confectioners sugar
- Chocolate curls made with sweet cooking chocolate
- Preheat oven to 370º. Make pastry shell:
- In medium bowl, combine pie crust mix with brown sugar, walnuts, and grated chocolate.
- Add 1 tablespoon water and the vanilla; using fork, mix until well blended. (You can add just a tiny bit more water; it's supposed to be a dry crust, but not too dry.)
- Turn into well-greased 9-inch pie plate; press firmly against bottom and side of pie plate. (Be sure the pan is greased really well as this tends to stick. Using lots of PAM is good.)
- Bake for 15 minutes. Cool pastry shell in pie plate on wire rack.
- Meanwhile, make filling:
- In small bowl with electric mixer at medium speed, beat butter until creamy.
- Gradually add sugar, beating until light.
- Blend in cool melted chocolate and instant coffee.
- (Note: Be sure the chocolate is cool. If it isn't, it changes the texture of the filling. The filling is best if it's beaten really well.)
- To the filling
- add 1 egg; beat 5 minutes.
- Add remaining egg; beat 5 minutes.
- Turn filling into cooled baked pie shell. (Be sure pie shell is cool or filling will melt, changing its texture.)
- .
- Refrigerate pie, covered, overnight. Make topping the next day: In large bowl, combine cream with 2 teaspoons coffee and sugar. .
- Refrigerate mixture, covered, one hour. .
- Beat cream mixture until stiff. Decorate pie with topping using pastry bag with #6, or larger decorating tip, if desired. .
- Garnish with chocolate curls. Refrigerate at least two hours. .
- Note: If you use freeze-dried coffee, crush it between two spoons to make it into a powder before using in recipe, as it will not dissolve otherwise. You can use Dream Whip or Cool .
- Whip for the topping, but real cream is better. This pie freezes beautifully either before or after adding the topping. .
- If you freeze after adding topping, don't cover with plastic wrap until it is completely frozen. .
- To make chocolate curls: Buy sweet cooking chocolate. Freeze it. .
- While still frozen, use a carrot peeler (as though you're peeling a carrot) to make chocolate curls. .
- If the chocolate is very hard and frozen, they will not be curls, but specs of chocolate. .
- As the chocolate begins to warm just a bit, if you peel along the edges, you'll get great curls.