Toll House Pie (yes, really)

I know I’ve been on a Gluten-free kick on here, lately, and talking about ways to make some of your meals and desserts at least a little healthier (at least for your friends with food issues) with some basic swap-outs.

This week, however, has none of that.

This week has gluten-, soy-, and nut-based products. It has two kinds of sugar. It even has LARD (it's in the pie crust). And it is *so* good.

I mean, just look at this thing:

Yes, it would be better with a side of vanilla ice cream.

Let me explain what all we’ve got going on in that photo:

Yep. That’s right. This week we’re just looking at decadence in all its chocolate-chip-pie goodness. Let’s get right to it. Here’s the recipe:

And here are the ingredients.

I think the hardest part about this recipe is actually the melting of the margarine (or butter). You have to avoid splattering, obviously, while also getting it down to liquid. And then it needs to cool a bit before you use it. (If it’s too warm when you mix things… well… we’ll talk about that in a little bit.)

Well, that looks kind of disgusting.

While the butter is melting, it’s the perfect time to lightly beat your eggs.

Then add in the two kinds of sugar and the (NOT gluten-free) flour.

For the record, I know this is the exact wrong kind of whisk for this. But - if you use a regular whisk the chocolate chips get stuck in it later on. And I refuse to use two whisks just for that.

...moments later...

At this point, it does get a bit thick. But that will be taken care of when you pour in the butter:

Next, it’s time for the chocolate chips. This is where the whole “temperature of the melted butter” issue becomes important. If the mix is still overly warm when you add in the chocolate chips, they can melt. If it’s cool, they’ll stay solid, and you’ll have a pie with chips in it - still with a little solidity.

For the record, I’m guessing you could also add in nuts, or some other kind of chips at this point. Basically, when you come right down to it, you can put in pretty much anything that would taste good in a chocolate chip cookie.

Usually, I’m working on this in bits and pieces, and the chips go in when it’s a little cool, so they stay solid. I have to admit I like that about them.

At the same time, though, I also like the creamy chocolate texture of them being melted into the buttery mix. Which – as you can see – is what happened in this version.

See the brown on the top? That's melted chocolate.

Once this goes into your prepared (unbaked) pie crust, it goes into the oven at 325 degrees for about an hour. The main thing you’re looking for, here, is the top to be kind of golden brown – and the middle not to be too “jiggly” when you shake the pan.

Did I mention that this pie is really easy? So is the clean-up. This photo gives you literally every utensil I used to make it – including the rolling pin. How great is that?

Because I was doing other things (like dishes) and didn’t check it before the timer went off, the pie got a little darker than usual. Will that impact the flavor? No. Does it impact the look of the crust? A little. Do looks really matter in a Toll House Pie? Not at all.

The top, as you can see, puffs up just a bit in the oven...

I really wish that I could offer you a scratch-and-sniff blog post.

... but that flattens out once it cools.

How does it taste?

Yeah. Seriously. This recipe is so good. I highly recommend it if you have to take anything to a Memorial Day potluck on Monday. After all – it’s quick, it’s easy, and it’s sure to get raves from all of your friends (assuming they’re not allergic to it, at least).

Oh – and it makes your house smell amazing, too.

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Have a potluck go-to that you want to share - or at least want me to try? Or are you looking for a potluck go-to that will win a blue ribbon? I’d love to hear about them!