​THE BACKSTORY
​Technically speaking, I guess I've made pies before, but I feel like I cheated.  You see, the only pies I ever made before this one were Pumpkin and Pumpkin Pecan pie for Thanksgiving and for both of these pies, I am pretty sure I just used store bought pie crust.  Now don't get me wrong, I am not saying there is anything illegal with store bought pie crust, but I figured if I had a baking blog I had to at least make my own pie crust once.....

So, I decided I would try my hand at making my first ever pie from scratch, and use fresh strawberries from the farm right up the street.  

SOURCES
I used a recipe from the Wild Wild Whisk Baking Blog, and made a few small adaptations.  I've also got some helpful tips and advice to supplement the original recipe.  
https://wildwildwhisk.com/strawberry-and-cream-pie/


PIE CRUST INGREDIENTS

• 1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 rounded tablespoon granulated sugar
• 1/4 rounded teaspoon kosher salt
• 5 ounce unsalted butter - cold (Essentially 1 and 1/4 sticks of butter)
• 3 tablespoon cold water
• Extra flour for rolling
• Parchment Paper*
• Dry Baking Beans**

CREAM FILLING INGREDIENTS

• 8 oz cream cheese - room temperature
• 1 cup heavy whipping cream - cold
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (or almond extract)

FRUIT TOPPING INGREDIENTS

• 1 lbs fresh strawberries
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar

 
*Parchment Paper:  For this recipe, you will use the parchment paper to help in the blind baking process.  Essentially, you will cover the pie crust with some parchment paper and then use some baking beans to weight down the parchment paper, which will help the pie crust bake and not rise up.  
**Dry Baking Beans:  These are used with the parchment paper above to help you "blind bake" your pie.  You may be wondering what kind of beans to use...I just used some dry Navy Beans and they worked fine.  Here is what Wikipedia says about Blind Baking:  

Baking blind (sometimes called pre-baking) is the process of baking a pie crust or other pastry without the filling. Blind baking a pie crust is necessary when it will be filled with an unbaked filling (such as with pudding or cream pies), in which case the crust must be fully baked. It is also called for if the filling has a shorter bake time than the crust, in which case the crust is partly baked.[1] Blind baking is also used to keep pie crust from becoming soggy due to a wet filling.  [Wikipedia]

DIRECTIONS 

GET THE FRUIT FILLING READY

1. Wash the strawberries in water and cut the leaves off of the top.  After you have washed the strawberries, cut the bigger ones into quarters and halve the smaller ones.
2. Put the strawberries in a bowl and toss them with 1/4 cup of sugar.  Cover and refrigerate until you need them for the final step.  

​MAKE THE PIE DOUGH

1. Add the flour, sugar and salt in a small bowl and mix together with a whisk. After you have mixed things together a bit, transfer the dry ingredients to a food processor fitted with a dough blade (essentially a plastic blade, there is a picture above).  
2. Cube the cold butter and add it to the food processor with the flour mixture. Pulse the ingredients together several times until the butter is about pea / bean size.  This is not an exact science, so don't worry if the mixture is not perfectly homogeneous.  
3. After the ingredients are mixed well, turn the food processor to the “on” position and drizzle the cold water over the dough mixture through the water hole.  As you add the water you will see that the dough mixture will start to pull together, as it does you can turn the food processor off.  If things are not mixing that well, you may need to stop the food processor in between and get a spatula to get the flour at the bottom to mix up.
4. Take the pie dough out on the counter and shape it into a disk. Wrap it in plastic and rest it in the refrigerator for an hour.

PREPARE THE PIE CRUST IN THE DISH

1. After you have let the pie dough chill in the fridge, take it out of the fridge and let it sit out for a few minutes to get warmer and more pliable.  After the dough has softened use a rolling pin to roll the dough into a circle that is about 2” larger than your pie dish. Feel free to use extra flour to keep dough from sticking to the counter and roller. *Note: I found that that as I was rolling the dough it started to break apart at the edges.  Eventually I honed my technique and found that gently applying pressure in the center of the dough and then carefully rolling outward with less pressure helped keep the crust together.  
2. After you have rolled out the pie dough, carefully place the dough over the pie dish, and lightly press the dough into the bottom and side of the pie dish.  Let the excess pie dough hang over the side.
3. Trim some of the excess dough if is necessary, and use it to fill in any gaps or holes that may have formed when you pushed it into the dish.  Make sure to leave enough pie dough on the edges so that you can fold it under itself, and make your pie crust pattern. (see photos above for some visual cues).
4. Cover the prepared pie dough with plastic wrap and freeze for 10 - 15 minutes.

BAKE THE PIE CRUST

1. Preheat the oven to 425°F.
2. Take the frozen pie crust out of the freezer and poke some holes with a fork (pierce the dough completely) on the bottom and side of the dough so that air beneath the crust can escape; this will help prevent the dough from over "puffing" and forming giant air bubbles.  
3. Line the frozen pie crust with parchment paper, large enough to cover the crust completely.  
4. Add pie weights or dry beans (I used dried Navy Beans) on top of the parchment paper, enough to fill to the top.  Trim any excess parchment paper to prevent it from burning.  
5. Bake the pie crust for 20 minutes and then remove from the oven.  
6. Carefully remove the pie weights / baking beans, and bake for another 8 - 10 minutes (or until it is golden brown.)  I baked mine for twelve minutes and it got a little bit burned, so be careful!
7. After the second bake, remove the pie from the oven and let it cool completely on a wire rack, for about 2 hours.  Really you just want to make sure it is cool enough so that the the filling does not melt when you put it in.  

PREPARE THE CREAM FILLING

1. In a stand mixer bowl (or using a handheld electric mixer), beat the heavy whipping cream to make some whipped cream.  After about 3 - 4 minutes it should start to look like whipped cream and form stiff peaks. Transfer the whipped cream to another bowl and set aside.
2. In the same stand mixer bowl, cream the cream cheese with the sugar and vanilla (or almond) extract until smooth.  I also decided to add in a dash of cinnamon.  
3. After all of that is mixed together add the whipped cream back in, and set the mixer on “stir” to gently mix everything together, or fold the mixture by hand using a spatula until everything is thoroughly mixed.
4. Cover and refrigerate the filling until needed.

ASSEMBLE THE PIE

1. Spoon the creamy filling mixture into the cool crust using a rubber spatula and level out the top. Then arrange the strawberries on top of the cream into whatever pattern you would like.  
2. Feel free to drizzle the strawberry juice over the top of the whole pie, or reserve the juice to drizzle over the pie when it is served.
3. Keep the pie covered and refrigerated until you are ready to serve.  

ENJOY!

THE BACKSTORY
During the first few weeks of each academic semester I distribute a midterm feedback survey to my students to solicit their comments on how they think the course / my teaching is going.  One of the most typical responses I usually get on these surveys goes something like this "Mike when are you going to bake for us!?!" 

In my ENES 102 course during the fall 2019 semester, I came across a similar comment:  "Please bake white chocolate chip macadamia nut cookies on 11/13".  At first I got a good chuckle from this comment,  but then I came to the conclusion that because the request was so uniquely polite and specific, I just had to honor it!

It turns out that the request was made by a student who's birthday was on 11/13.  I hope that they enjoyed their special treat as much as I enjoyed trying out this delicious recipe!

SOURCES
I used a recipe from Sally's Baking Addiction as inspiration for this endeavor.  You can find the original recipe here:
https://sallysbakingaddiction.com/super-chunk-white-chocolate-macadamia-nut-cookies/

YIELD
I found that the recipe makes about 30 or more cookies.  

COOKIE DOUGH INGREDIENTS

• 2 cups + 2 Tablespoons (265g) all-purpose flour* 
• 1 teaspoon cornstarch
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 3/4 cup (1.5 sticks) unsalted butter, melted + slightly cooled
• 3/4 cup packed light or dark brown sugar
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 large egg + 1 egg yolk, at room temperature
• 1 and 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract or vanilla flavor
• 1.25 cups of white chocolate chips
• 1 cup roughly chopped macadamia nuts*
• Parchment Paper*

*It might be useful to invest in a small kitchen scale to help with measuring things like flour, just to make sure you get the perfect amount.  
*Parchment Paper:  I use parchment paper every time I bake to assist with cleanup and to make the whole baking process easier.  I'd definitely recommend it here as well. 

*WHAT KIND OF MACADAMIA NUTS DID I USE?
I purchased a 10 oz package of roasted and salted macadamia nuts from Target for this recipe.  The recipe had originally called for 1/2 teaspoon of salt, but I feel that this could be considered optional because the nuts themselves are roasted with salt already.  

WHY MELTED BUTTER?  
Using melted butter in cookies produces an extra buttery flavor as well as a chewier texture.  That being said, you've got to be careful using melted butter because it can create runny / melted cookies.  That is why chilling the cookie dough will be paramount.  

I used butter straight from the refrigerator, and melted it in a standard bowl by microwaving it for 1 minute on medium heat.  At the end of the 1 minute, I removed the bowl from the microwave, used a whisk to stir the butter, and microwaved it for another minute on medium power.  Be careful not too "boil" the butter or melt it too much, slow and steady wins the race.  Let the butter cool for a while before adding it to the other ingredients, because if it is too hot it can cook your eggs, which would probably make the cookies turn out pretty terrible!

CHILLING THE DOUGH FOR MORE THAN 2 HOURS IS IMPORTANT
I definitely messed this part up when I first made the cookies.  if you do not chill the dough enough, you'll end up with puddles rather than cookies.  Be patient and plan to chill the dough for at least 4 hours, or overnight if possible.  Remember, good things come to those who wait!  Also, while the cookies bake, you should transfer any unused dough back into the refrigerator to ensure that the dough stays chilled!

DIRECTIONS 

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F
2. Line baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats and set aside.
3. Whisk the flour, cornstarch, baking soda, and salt together in a large bowl. Set aside.
4. Whisk the melted butter, brown sugar, granulated sugar, egg, egg yolk, and vanilla extract together until combined. Pour into dry ingredients and mix everything together with a rubber spatula until completely combined.
5. Fold in the white chocolate chips and macadamia nuts. (You can use a mixer for this step if needed.)
6. Cover and chill the dough (or transfer to a plastic / ziploc bag) and place in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours and up to 4 days.  When I first made this recipe I put the dough in the refrigerator for only 2 hours, and found that the cookies tended to melt and spread out easily in the oven.  Personally, I'd recommend refrigerating the dough overnight, or for as long as you can so that you achieve the best results.  
7. Use a cookie dough scooper to form the cookie dough into balls, about 1.5 Tablespoons of dough per cookie, and arrange the dough about 3 inches apart on the baking sheets.
8. Bake the cookies for 12-13 minutes or until they are lightly browned on the sides.  *While the cookies bake, you should transfer any unused dough back into the refrigerator to ensure that the dough stays chilled!
9. Remove the cookies from the oven and allow them to cool on the baking sheet for about 3 to 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.  To enhance the look of the cookies, feel free to press some white chocolate chips into the dough as they come out.  
10. Cookies stay fresh covered at room temperature for up to 1 week.

ENJOY!

INTRODUCTION
While cookies are definitely my favorite sweet treat, I also am a big fan of brownies, especially they fudgy kind.  The fudgier the better!
I scoured the internet looking for the best "fudgy" brownie recipe, and I eventually came across one that had the following description:

"These chocolaty brownies have dense, fudgy middles and crinkly tops. They aren’t overly sweet. If you are like us and find yourself reaching for darker chocolate over milk chocolate, these are most certainly for you. They are one-bowl and come together in minutes. There’s also a good chance you already have all the ingredients on hand."

While there are a lot of good things in that description, they honestly hooked me at "dense, fudgy middles"...

SOURCE
The recipe I used was adopted from one used by Adam and Joanne Gallagher
https://www.inspiredtaste.net/24412/cocoa-brownies-recipe/​

YIELD
I found that the recipe makes about 12 or so brownies.  

INGREDIENTS

• 10 tablespoons (145 grams) unsalted butter
• 1 1/4 cups (250 grams) granulated sugar
• 3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons (80 grams) unsweetened cocoa powder, natural or Dutch-process
• 1/4 rounded teaspoon kosher salt, use slightly less if using fine sea or table salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 large cold eggs
• 1 tablespoon of Nutella
• 1/2 cup (65 grams) all-purpose flour​
• 1 cup of mini-marshmallows, optional
• Aluminum Foil and Parchment Paper*

*Parchment Paper:  I use parchment paper every time I bake to assist with cleanup and to make the whole baking process easier.  I'd definitely recommend it here as well.  Lining the pan with aluminum foil and parchment paper makes cleaning up a breeze for this recipe!  

DIRECTIONS 

1. Preheat the oven to 325°F
2. Line the bottom and sides of an 8-inch square baking pan with parchment paper or aluminum foil.  Leave a bit of an overhang on two opposite sides. (This will help you remove the baked brownies when done.)
3. Add water to a medium saucepan so that it is a few inches inches deep. Heat the water until it just starts simmering.
4. Combine the butter, sugar, cocoa powder, and the salt in a medium heat-safe bowl.  (I used my big metal mixing bowl)
5. Rest the bowl on top of the pot of simmering water.  Make sure the bowl is not touching any water, if so just pour some water out.  
6. Stir the mixture occasionally until the butter has melted and the mixture is quite warm.  *The mixture will look quite grainy to start, but don;t worry, it'll look much smoother when you add the other ingredients! 
7. Remove the bowl from heat and set aside for 3 to 5 minutes until it is only warm, not hot.
8. Stir in the vanilla with a wooden spoon or spatula. 
9. Then, add the eggs, one at a time, stirring vigorously after each one.
10. Here is where I added the Nutella to try and sweeten the mixture a bit and add some extra flavor.  
11. When the batter looks thick, shiny and well blended, add the flour and stir until the mixture is fully incorporated.
12. The recipe then says to beat this mixture with a wooden spoon or spatula for 40 to 50 strokes to thicken the batter.  *Beat vigorously so that you begin to see the brownie batter pulling away from the sides of the bowl (if you do not have the strength to do this by hand, use an electric mixer).
13. Stir in the white chocolate chips, nuts or any other ingredients you think might be nice.
14. Pour and spread the mixture evenly in lined pan.
    
15. Bake the brownies for 20 to 25 minutes or until a toothpick can be inserted into the center and come out almost clean (you want it to be a little moist with batter).  According to my source recipe, they said it might be necessary to bake the brownies a bit longer, possibly 10 minutes.  Just keep an eye on the "doneness" of the brownies and use the toothpick test as your guide.
16. After I deemed the brownies to be mostly done, I covered the top of the brownies with miniature marshmallows.  Place the mixture back into the oven and set to broil, watch the marshmallows and remove the mixture once the marshmallows have become nice and toasted on the top.  
    
17. After the marshmallows have been browned, remove the brownies from the oven and then cool them completely. 
    
18. For the cleanest lines when cutting, place the brownies into the freezer for 20 to 30 minutes to firm up. Cut into squares.

Here is a pointer from the creators of this recipe that seems pretty important to mention:

• "Some readers have had problems with the fat separating during baking. Since the recipe calls for so much butter and so little flour, it is vital that the batter is beaten vigorously enough so that it emulsifies. Otherwise, you risk the fat seeping out when baking in the oven. Just after adding the flour, you should be beating for about 40 strokes until the batter becomes very thick and begins to pull away from the sides of the bowl."  

ENJOY!