Caramel-Chocolate Pie

Submitted by Muffin Goddess

"From Betty Crocker's Best Of Baking. For an equally good chocolate-orange version (if you don't like caramel and nuts), omit the caramel nut layer, and add a bit of orange extract to the cream cheese and chocolate layers (you may also want to add grated orange peel to the cream cheese layer). If you don't have a decorating bag and tip for the whipped cream, just spoon it on in dollops (the canned stuff just doesn't compare). Either way you make it, the taste definitely makes up for the effort."

 

• Ready In: 1hr 50mins
• Ingredients: 14
• Yields: 1 9inch pie
• Serves: 12

ingredients

• 354.88 ml vanilla wafer crumbs (about 25 wafers)
• 59.14 ml butter or 59.14 ml margarine, melted
• 30 caramels (I use Kraft)
• 29.58 ml butter or 29.58 ml margarine
• 29.58 ml water
• 118.29 ml chopped pecans, toasted (optional)
• 2 (170.09 g) package cream cheese, softened (I use Neufchatel cheese)
• 78.78 ml powdered sugar
• 113.39 g sweet baking chocolate (such as Baker's German Chocolate)
• 44.37 ml hot water
• 4.92 ml vanilla
• 473.18 ml heavy cream (or whipping)
• 29.58 ml powdered sugar
• chocolate curls, for garnish

directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Mix cookie crumbs and 1/4 cup butter.
3. Press firmly into a 9-inch pie plate (sides and bottom).
4. Bake for 10 minutes, then cool.
5. In a small heavy saucepan over medium heat, melt caramels, 2 tbs.
6. butter, and 2 tbs.
7. water, stirring frequently.
8. Continue until mixture is smooth.
9. Pour into baked crust.
10. Sprinkle with pecans (if using), and chill for about 1 hour.
11. Beat cream cheese and 1/3 cup powdered sugar until smooth.
12. Spread over cooled caramel layer, and return to fridge.
13. Heat chocolate and 3 tbs.
14. hot water over low heat in a heavy saucepan until chocolate is melted (don't ask me why it doesn't seize, I thought that too).
15. Cool to room temp.
16. Stir in vanilla.
17. Using a chilled bowl and beaters, whip cream with 2 tbs.
18. powdered sugar until stiff peaks form.
19. Reserve 1 1/2 cups.
20. Fold chocolate mixture into remaining whipped cream, and spread over cream cheese layer.
21. Top with reserved whipped cream (I pipe it over the top with a bag and tip) and garnish with chocolate curls.
22. Refrigerate leftovers.
23. TO MAKE CHOCOLATE CURLS: use a vegetable peeler on a large chocolate bar over waxed paper.
24. Works better on room-temp or slightly warm chocolate.
25. Use a toothpick to place chocolate curls on pie.

Reviews

[cindy_j_rice]

This pie is amazing! It depends on whether you make the crust as to how long it takes to make, but I also remove the almonds and use Oreo cookie pie crust instead.