Big City, Little Kitchen

A more descriptive name for this could be Cookie Dough Pie.  The filling is composed of very basic ingredients (eggs, sugar, a little flour, butter) and accessorized with chocolate chips, walnuts, and whiskey; when it comes out of the oven, it’s not exactly custardy (due to the flour) and not exactly cakey, with the sweetness of pecan pie filling but not the gelatinous texture.  It is also surprisingly easy to make, especially if you have pie crusts on standby.  The most important part of the process is achieving volume while beating the eggs, dry ingredients, and butter to make the filling; this will ensure a rich, but not-too-dense, end result.

To get clean slices, this pie definitely needs to set for a couple of hours, but try to be patient–it is easily revived by doing as the authors suggest and popping it into the microwave for 15 seconds; the filling gets soft, and the chocolate chips turn warm and melty.

Baked’s Tuscaloosa Tollhouse Pie

• 1/2 recipe pie dough, chilled
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
• 2 eggs, room temperature
• 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened and cut into pieces
• 1 tb whiskey (I used Southern Comfort)
• 3/4 cup walnuts, toasted and chopped
• 1 1/4 cups chocolate chips

On a lightly-floured surface, roll out dough to form a 12-inch round.  Press into a pie dish, folding under edges.  Freeze crust while you make the filling.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a bowl, whisk together flour and sugars; set aside.

Fit an electric mixer with its whisk attachment, and beat eggs on high speed until foamy, about 3 minutes.  Switch to the paddle attachment, and mix in flour and sugars on low.  Turn mixer to high and beat for 2 minutes; add butter and beat on high until combined.  Scrape down sides, add whiskey, and beat on high for another minute, then fold in walnuts and 3/4 cup of chocolate chips. 

Pour filling into chilled pie shell, scatter remaining 1/2 cup chocolate chips across the top, and bake for 25 minutes.  Cover edges of crust with foil and bake for another 25 minutes; remove from oven when inserted knife or pie tester comes out clean.  Cool on a cooling rack completely (at least one hour) before serving.