Twix Pie

My sister was over the other day and said that she had a craving for some kind of Twix pie with chocolately, gooey caramel and crunchy cookies. I didn't think too hard about this, because I'd never heard of a Twix pie, and my limited imagination saw a pile of melted candy bars in a pie crust. However, when she came by the next day and started telling me about this craving for a second time, (me noticing that her hands were gesturing in the same motions, as though she were feeling its creamy goodness in between her fingers) I woke up and took notice and thought, "I've got to make this girl a pie!"

The next morning, I was struck by inspiration in the shower (where all good thoughts originate) and I made a list, perfecting the idea in my head. I was excited to get to work on it!

Staying true to the candy bar, I made a shortbread cookie crust. I combined the flour, sugar and butter until small crumbs formed in my mixer.

Next, I pressed the crumbs flat into a pie pan and baked the crust at 350 degrees for 15 minutes, until light golden brown. Then I allowed it to cool completely.

The second task required a proper filling. I didn't want the chocolate pudding to get too sweet, so I reduced the amount of sugar normally found in vanilla pudding. I used a 4 quart saucepot and blended the sugar and cornstarch together until there were no lumps.

I added cold milk, and whisked until the milk started to get frothy. I'm not sure why, but I've found from experience that the pudding seems to thicken more uniformly when I've really whisked the ingredients together first. Also, I like to make my puddings on the stove versus a microwave. I know there's a higher risk of scorching the milk, but the pudding is definitely creamier when stirred constantly over medium-high heat. (I found this out when our microwave died and I was forced to make my pudding on the stove! A blessing in disguise...)

While the milk starts to heat, separate the yolks from the eggs, discarding the whites and the "belly buttons," as my mom always called them. In puddings and custards, she always taught me to remove the wiggly white part of the egg that connects to the yolk. It's not very appetizing to come across "egg gristle" in a creamy dessert!

After the milk comes to a boil for 2 minutes (making sure that you've stirred constantly after the initial 2-3 minutes), slowly pour about half of it into your beaten yolks, stirring continuously as you do so. This allows the yolks to be gently warmed by the milk, and doesn't shock them into scrambling!

Now it's time to slowly pour the egg and milk mixture, back into the rest of the hot milk. Return to the stove, and bring it back up to a gentle boil for one minute.

My mama done tol' me... Best piece of advice (well, one of the best pieces of advice!) I learned from my mom: "Whenever there's chocolate, there should be vanilla." Since we're throwing in a cup of chocolate chips, throw in a teaspoon of vanilla too!

Turn off the stove, and let the chocolate chips melt in the hot pudding.

There's that whisk again!

Ah, the chocolatey goodness part is completed! Cover the pudding with plastic wrap, making sure that it touches the pudding. Otherwise, a film will form on the pudding and add "bits" to your otherwise silky velvet chocolate. Chill until cold ~2 hours.

Bring on the candy!

Pour the caramel ice cream topping over the crust. At first I had the idea to use chewy caramel candies and let them melt on the hot crust. But, I did that once for a different pie, and once the caramel cooled, it became too hard and dominated the dessert. The sundae topping worked perfectly and wasn't at all overwhelming.

Creamy goodness time! Slowly fold the Cool Whip into the chocolate pudding, being careful not to over-mix. We want "puffy" pie :)

Don't worry about mixing too thoroughly. It's pretty to see the swirled colors!

Almost done! Time to whip up the whipping cream. Start the mixer and slowly add the sugar. We're not making butter, but we do want it to hold its peaks!

Top with chopped up Snickers...just kidding...TWIX!!! I used two King Sized Twix bars. (Don't be surprised if the people in your house start hovering around you by this point...go ahead, let them snitch!)

Aha! Behold, Twix Pie!!! If you want it to come out in perfect pie shape, you will most likely need to chill it for 2 hours before serving. If you can't wait that long, and your family won't LET you wait that long, serve it up! It's actually pretty darn yummy to see a plate of...what was it?..."chocolately, gooey caramel goodness" in a big messy pile on your dessert plate!

Don't forget the shopping list!

Crust:

3/4 stick of butter

1/4 cup brown sugar

1 cup flour

Caramel Layer:

1/2 cup caramel flavored ice cream topping

Chocolate Pudding:

1/2 cup sugar

3 tablespoons cornstarch

3 cups milk

3 egg yolks

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

1 16 oz container Cool Whip

2 King Sized Twix Candy Bars

*Helpful hint: When making a pudding, I use the 1:1:1 ration: One tablespoon cornstarch to one cup milk to one egg yolk. Makes the perfect thickness!

From one hearty appletite to another...happy cooking! Thanks, Sis ;)