Pieography & Brownie Pie

Disclosure: I was given a copy of Pieography in exchange for this review. All thoughts, opinions and extra inches on my waistline due to this cookbook are 100% true and all mine.

Wanted: A review of the new Pieography: Where Pie Meets Biography recipe book that features decadent, delicious pies and “42 fabulous recipes inspired by 39 extraordinary women.”

Where do I sign up and how soon can you send it to me?

Pieography is everything you’d expect from Jo Packham, the woman behind Where Women Cook, Where Women Create and Where Women Create Business magazines plus a host of other publications. It is full of gorgeous photos, wonderful stories about the featured pies and enough pie recipes to keep you (happily) in the kitchen for weeks on end.

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What kind of pie conveys the experience of starting a new job, getting married, becoming a mom? Over 30 of the country’s top foodies are here to tell you. Each one has devised a pie recipe that captures the essence of her life. Stir in beautiful photography, short essays, and brief bios, and voilá, you’ve got more than a cookbook: you’ve got Pieography. From Espresso Dream Pie to Salmon and Spinach Pie, this collection nourishes body and soul.

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Feeling fairly confident after success with Dutch apple pie and key lime pie (Nathan’s most favorite), I decided to try my hand at the Always Changing Brownie Pretzel Pie on page 100.

It’s basically the most decadent pie I’ve ever tasted.

The end.

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I’m glad I baked this pie for the family before baking it to take somewhere; I felt the recipe needed a little tweaking. The 1 1/4 cups butter in the pretzel crust seemed like way too much, so I cut it in half after finding this pretzel crust recipe.

And my brownie pretzel pie needed a good 5 to 10 minutes (or more) in the oven. The brownie pie filling wasn’t nearly as set as I think it should have been…not that it stopped us from eating a slice or two. It should be somewhere in between a fully baked brownie and brownie batter.

I added 1 cup each of dark chocolate chips and chopped walnuts, but I think next time I’ll try chopped Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups or Twix candy bars.

I’m crazy like that.

Printable recipe for brownie pie with pretzel crust below.

Brownie Pie with Pretzel Crust

 

Print

Prep time

30 mins

Cook time

45 mins

Total time

1 hour 15 mins

 

An extremely decadent pie featuring a brownie filling and buttery pretzel crust. Feel free to change up the mix-ins to suit your fancy.

Author: Emily ~ isthisREALLYmylife.com

Recipe type: Dessert

Serves: 12

Ingredients

Pretzel Crust

• 5 cups pretzels, crushed (approx. 2½ cups crushed pretzels)
• ¾ cup salted butter, melted
• ¼ cup granulated sugar

Pie Filling

• 1 cup unsalted butter
• 2¼ cups sugar
• 4 eggs
• 1¼ cups dark cocoa
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 T vanilla
• 1½ cups all-purpose flour
• 2 cups of mix-ins (chocolate chips, peanut butter chips, butterscotch chips, toffee bits, chopped nuts, crushed Oreos, chopped candy bars, etc.)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Using a food processor or blender, crush pretzels.
3. Pour pretzels into a medium bowl and add melted butter and sugar. Mix until thoroughly combined. Press pretzel crust into a 10-inch pie pan; set aside.
4. In a medium saucepan, melt butter over low heat. Stir in sugar and heat until mixture is hot but not simmering.
5. While sugar is heating, crack eggs in a large bowl and beat well. Add cocoa, salt, baking powder and vanilla. Beat until smooth. Add butter and sugar mixture and mix well, then add flour and stir until thoroughly combined.
6. Finally, add mix-ins. (NOTE: Let cool slightly before adding any variation of chocolate to avoid melting.)
7. Pour brownie mixture into pretzel crust and bake for 45 to 50 minutes (or more) until set. Remove from oven and cool completely before serving.

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Beautiful photos accompanied by real life stories only sweetens the deal.

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Speaking of pie, check out my friend Lindsey’s Pieography post featuring her goat cheese tart with fresh cherry tomato compote. Note how her food photography is just as delicious as the pie. That’s a Cafe Johnsonia post for you…every time.