Freezer Pies

These freezer pie recipes are from a 1979 magazine insert put out by General Foods Corporation (the makers of Jell-O and Cool Whip). I remember it like yesterday when Mother got these recipes and first made them. I think we had a new pie every night!

When Mother put together her cookbook a couple years ago, she went through all of her many checkout lane cookbooks (Pillsbury, Jell-O, Bisquick . . .) and church cookbooks in order to pull out her favorite, most used recipes. She then distributed all of these many, various cookbooks to me, my sister, and my sister-in-law.

I love the ones I got! They are so familiar - even somehow comforting. Crazy how looking through an old cookbook can make everything seem right with the world for me.

Fortunately, when the pile was distributed I landed the Jell-O freezer pie insert. Lucky me and now lucky you!

My favorite is the chocolate pie, but I remember Daddy always liked the coconut best so that is the one Mother usually made!

Milk Chocolate Pie

4 oz. milk chocolate
1/4 cup milk
2 Tbsp. sugar (for less sweet pie, omit sugar)
1 pkg. (3 oz.) cream cheese, softened
1 container (8 oz.) Cool Whip, thawed
1 graham cracker crust

Heat chocolate and 2 Tbsp. of the milk in a saucepan over low heat, stirring until chocolate is melted.

Beat sugar into cream cheese. Add remaining milk and chocolate mixture and beat until smooth.

Fold chocolate mixture into Cool Whip, in a bowl, blend until smooth. Spoon into crust, freeze about 4 hours. Store any leftover pie in freezer.

Creamy Coconut Pie

1 pkg. (3 oz.) cream cheese, softened
1 Tbsp. sugar
1/2 cup milk
1 1/3 cups coconut
1 contained (8 oz.) Cool Whip, thawed
1 graham cracker crust

In blender, combine cream cheese, sugar, milk and coconut. Blend for 30 seconds.

In a bowl, fold mixture into Cool Whip. Spoon into crust. Top with toasted coconut. Freeze until firm, about 4 hours.

Let stand at room temperature 5 minutes before serving. Store any leftover pie in freezer.

Creamy Cheese Pie

1 pkg. (8 oz.) cream cheese, softened
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 cup sour cream
1 tsp. vanilla
1 container (4 oz.) Cool Whip, thawed
1 graham cracker crust
topping of choice (cherry or strawberry pie topping,
fresh fruit . . .)

Beat cream cheese until smooth. Gradually beat in sugar. Blend in sour cream and vanilla.

Fold in Cool Whip, blending thoroughly.

Spoon into crust. Chill until set, about 4 hours. Serve topped with desired topping.

Banana Dream Pie

2 envelopes Dream Whip (can you still buy this?)
2 3/4 cups cold milk
2 pkgs. (4-serving) banana cream instant pudding
1 graham cracker crust (chocolate works well)

Prepare Dream Whip with 1 cup of the milk as directed on package, using large mixer bowl.

Add remaining milk and puddings. Blend; then beat at medium speed for 2 minutes, scraping bowl occasionally.

Spoon into pie crust. Chill at least 4 hours. Store any leftover pie in the freezer.

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Cherry Pie

Hope, Levi's fiance, has a cherry tree in her family's yard. It is a bing cherry tree if I am not mistaken.

The cherries are wonderfully plump, juicy, and tart - and I was the proud recipient of a zip lock bag full of them the other night!

They are absolutely tasty! I can eat them straight off the tree - but they are even better in a pie!

This is a recipe from the cookbook Mother made for me, my sister, and my sister-in-law. Cherries aside, it is the almond extract that makes the pie!

2 cans of tart cherries/or 4 cups of fresh, pitted tart cherries
2 1/2 Tbsp. tapioca (quick cooking)
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. almond extract
1 tsp. lemon juice
4 drops of red food coloring (if using canned tart cherries)
1 1/4 cup sugar (I usually use less - you know the whole sugar diabetes thing)
1 Tbsp. margarine

If using canned cherries, drain cherries reserving a small amount of liquid. Add tapioca, salt, almond extract, lemon juice and food coloring. If using fresh cherries add those ingredients to a small amount of water, or squeeze a few extra cherries to make juice.

Add cherries and 1 cup (or less) sugar. Mix and let stand while making pie crust.

Fill pie crust with cherry mixture. Dot with margarine. Sprinkle with remaining sugar.

Bake at 425 degrees for 40-45 minutes.

*Note: My mom makes this pie with a double pastry crust and makes a lattice top. She can do this because her pie crust is always impeccable and never burns.

I, on the other hand, usually make all my pies into cobblers. No fluting involved.

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Key Lime Pie (WW version)

I stopped by my parents house on Sunday afternoon and my mom was whipping up this pie. It is super quick and easy, and by using sugar free jello and light Cool Whip and yogurt it is great for those dieting or with diabetes - like me and my dad!

1 graham cracker crust
1 box (4 serving) sugar free lime jello
1/2 of a small carton of Cool Whip
2 Light Key Lime yogurt cups

Mix jello with 1 cup of boiling water. Stir until well dissolved. Put in refrigerator to chill until slightly set.

Mix Cool Whip with yogurt. Add chilled but still soft jello. Mix well. Pour into graham cracker crust. Chill at least 1 hour before serving.

Oh my! Think of the possibilities of this pie: any kind of jello with its corresponding yogurt. It could be a guiltless pie filled spring!

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Coconut Cream Pie

I am experiencing technical difficulties at Farmer's Daughter Cooks. I cannot for the life of me find my coconut cream pie recipe!

I will continue searching and promptly post the recipe as soon as it turns up!

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Raisin Pie (and the story Cinnamon the Cat and the Raisin Pie)

This is one of my all time favorite pies! I have loved it since I was a little girl.

To me this is a spring pie - if there is such a thing. I guess because Mother would sometimes make it for Easter.

But I can't write a post about raisin pie without telling the story of our cat, Cinnamon.

Back when we lived at the little house Mother baked a raisin pie one Sunday morning before church . . .

. . . okay, stop right there.

Does this not tell you something about my mother? She baked a pie BEFORE church WHILE getting two young girls dressed and ready for Sunday School.

In fact, she probably hung three loads of clothes out on the line and painted the north side of the barn before church as well.

Somehow still managing to leave on time with the two of us girls in matching dresses she made the night before - all without Daddy sitting in the car honking for her to hurry up.

Okay, back to the story about the cat . . .

Mother pulled the pie out of the oven and left it on the counter to cool. We would have it for dessert after we ate the Sunday roast beast - as Daddy would always call it.

I am not sure if I got jerked from the pew and whisked away to the side bathroom for some parental instruction during the sermon that particular Sunday - but if I did, it was probably because I was thinking about eating that raisin pie. That or picking my nose.

After listening to the Pastor sing Ship Ahoy - all six verses - we finally left for home.

When we got home, we found that our cat, Cinnamon, had eaten the crust from off of half the pie! Mother was afraid that Cinnamon had licked the pie itself or perhaps even done worse to the pie . . . you know, raisins being brown and all.

She refused to take a chance. She threw the whole pie out!

What a travesty! What a waste of precious, plump, sweet raisins!

And that, my friends, is the story of Cinnamon the Cat and the Raisin Pie.

2 cups raisins
2 cups water
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 Tbsp. cornstarch
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/8 tsp. salt
1 Tbsp. vinegar
1 Tbsp. butter

Pastry for double crust pie

Boil raisins in 1 3/4 cups water for 5 minutes.

Combine sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon, and salt; moisten with remaining 1/4 cup cold water and add to raisins, stirring until mixture boils.

Remove from heat and add vinegar and butter. Pour into pie crust and cover with strips of pie crust.

Bake 25 minutes in a 425 degree oven.

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Ritz Mock Apple Pie

While not low carb by any means - I love this recipe. It is one in my collection of Grandma White recipes.

There is just something historic about it - something novel that intrigues me.

This is an apple pie that does not contain apples. Instead of apples it has soda crackers that mysteriously change form to taste, well - like apples.

Background: In the nineteenth century, American pioneers, short on supplies of fresh apples, came up with an innovative way to make their favorite pie without apples. Their secret: soda crackers. Americans, though disappointed with the lack of apples, became so enthralled with a easy-and-quick-to-make pie that tasted very much like the original that the recipe became a public success. In 1936, Ritz Crackers introduced a recipe that called for their very own round-shaped crackers. This recipe has become a classic:

Pastry for two-crust 9 inch pie
36 Ritz Crackers, coarsely broken
2 cups water
2 cups sugar
2 tsp. cream of tartar
2 Tbsp. lemon juice
grated rind of one lemon
2 Tbsp. margarine
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
(No apples are needed)

Roll out half the pastry and line a 9-inch pie plate. Place crackers in prepared crust. In saucepan, over high heat, heat water, sugar and cream of tartar to a boil; simmer for 15 minutes. Add lemon juice and rind; cool.

Pour syrup over crackers. Dot with margarine; sprinkle with cinnamon.

Roll out remaining pastry; place over pie. Trim, seal and flute edges. Slit top crust to allow steam to escape.

Bake at 425 degress for 30-35 minutes or until crust is crisp and golden. Cool completely.

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Black Forest Pie

For some reason I have a strange attraction to cherries . . . I love fresh cherries, canned cherries, dried cherries . . . and chocolate covered cherries!

And for some reason I crave cherries in the winter. Go figure.

Well, it is winter and I am craving cherries. Maybe this sweet little lower calorie dessert will do the trick.

8 oz. thawed Lite Cool Whip
1 graham cracker pie crust
1 cup cold milk
1 pkg. (4-serving) Sugar-Free instant chocolate pudding
1 cup Lite or No Sugar Added cherry pie filling

Spread 1 cup of whipped topping on bottom of pie crust. Combine milk and pudding mix in bowl. Blend with wire whisk for 1 minutes. Fold in 1 1/2 cups of the whipped topping.

Spread pudding mixture over whipped topping layer. Spread remaining whipped topping over top, leaving a 1-inch border and forming a depression in the center of the topping.

Spoon cherry pie filling in the center. Chill at least 2 hours. Garnish with melted chocolate if desired.

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As Easy as Pie

Pie without the pressure of making a pretty fluted crust. What will they think of next?

Swiss Apple Pie

1 egg
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/8 tsp. salt
1 cup chopped peeled tart apple
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

In a bowl, combine the egg, sugar, and the vanilla. Combine the flour, baking powder, and salt; stir into egg mixture just until moistened. Fold in the apple and walnuts. Transfer to a greased 9-inch pie plate.

Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until golden brown and a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack.

Cold night is now warm.

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