Strawberry Fudge Pie

This recipe comes from Pillsbury to celebrate Pi Day (3/14/10). The original recipe calls for baking this desert in a pie shell but I thought it was unnecessary so I omitted it. To see the original recipe, click here.

Strawberry Fudge Pie

INGREDIENTS

Crust
1	refrigerated pie crusts, softened as directed on box (optional)
Brownie Layer
1	(10.25-oz.) pkg. fudge brownie mix
Cheesecake Layer
1	(8-oz.) pkg. cream cheese, softened
1/4	cup sugar
1	teaspoon vanilla
1	egg
Topping
3	cups fresh strawberries, halved
2	tablespoons hot fudge ice cream topping (I used chocolate chips & a small amount of shortening)

DIRECTIONS

1.	Heat oven to 350°F. Place pie crust in 9-inch glass pie pan as directed on package for one-crust filled pie. (Optional)
2.	In large bowl, combine all brownie layer ingredients; beat 50 strokes with spoon. Spread in bottom of crust-lined pan (or greased pie pan).
3.	Bake at 350°F. for 30 to 35 minutes or until top is shiny and center is set. If necessary, cover edge of crust with strips of foil after 15 to 20 minutes of baking to prevent excessive browning. (omit foil if not using crust)
4.	Meanwhile, in small bowl, combine cream cheese, sugar, vanilla and 1 egg; beat until smooth. Working quickly, drop cream cheese mixture by small spoonfuls over partially baked brownies; carefully spread to cover brownie layer. Bake an additional 18 to 20 minutes or until cream cheese is set. Cool at least 1 hour.
5.	Arrange strawberry halves, cut side down, over top of cream cheese layer. Refrigerate 1 hour or until serving time. Immediately before serving, place ice cream topping in small microwave-safe dish. Microwave on DEFROST for 45 seconds. Spoon into small resealable plastic bag; seal bag. Cut small hole in bottom corner of bag; squeeze bag to drizzle topping over pie. Store in refrigerator.

I hope you enjoy this fresh strawberry dessert as much as I did. Brownies and cheesecake are always a favorite of mine so combining all of these together were wonderful & easy.

Andes Creamy Mint Brownies

I found this recipe on the internet when trying to find a fun dessert recipe for St Patrick's Day. To see the original recipe, click here. The pictures I took accidentally were deleted from my computer. The only difference from my compared to the one posted is that I tinted my frosting green for St Patrick's Day. These were very easy to make & a HUGE hit with everyone.

Andes Creamy Mint Brownies

Brownies:

1 package fudge brownie mix eggs, oil and water according to package
1/2 cup Andes Crème de Menthe Baking Chips
1/2 cup pecans or walnuts, chopped (optional)

Topping:

4 squares (1 oz. ea.) white baking chocolate, chopped
1 1/4 cups heavy whipping cream, divided (may use cool whip rather than 1 cup whipping cream)
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 tbsp. granulated sugar
1/2 cup Andes® Crème de Menthe Baking Chips, divided

Directions:

Preheat oven to 325° F.

Lightly grease baking pan.

Prepare brownie mix as directed; stir in Andes® Crème de Menthe Baking Chips. Add nuts if desired.

Pour batter into prepared baking pan and bake according to package directions. (I used a 9 x 13 baking dish)

Cool in baking pan completely.

Topping:

In a saucepan, combine white chocolate and 1/4 cup heavy whipping cream.

Cook over low heat, stirring constantly until smooth; remove from heat. Stir in 1 tsp. vanilla extract.

Refrigerate 30-40 minutes or until chilled.

In a mixing bowl, beat heavy cream, gradually adding the 2 tbsp. of granulated sugar, until stiff peaks form; fold into chocolate mixture. (May substitute this step with cool whip)

Fold in 1/4 cup Andes® Crème de Menthe Baking Chips. (May tint frosting with a few drops of green food coloring if desired)

Spread over brownies. Sprinkle top with remaining 1/4 cup chips. Cover; refrigerate.

Cut into bars. Store in refrigerator.

Yield: 9 - 16 Brownies

Double-Baked Brownies

When walking down the grocery store isles the other day trying to think about what to take to church, this recipe I saw somewhere once came to mind. I don't remember where I found it but I thought, this is something I'll have to try some time. So, when my husband thought we should take brownies for our small group, I thought, why stop with just brownies, why not make something more? So here it is, my recipe for "something more".

Double-Baked Brownies

1 box brownie mix

1 box cookie dough mix or tube of refridgerated cookie dough

Make brownies according to mix. Spread batter in a greased 9x13 pan. Drop spoonfuls of cookie dough on top of brownie mix. Bake according to brownie mix but I had to at least double my baking time.

On a side note, I ended up making to pans of brownies but used 2 brownie mixes & 1 tube of cookie dough. I'm not sure if this would be the same if you used the cookie mix or if you made the brownies & cookie dough both from scratch.

Secondly, I made one batch of brownies the recommended way & the other the low fat version. Both were moist & delicious. The applesauce I used had a lot of cinnamon & added a little hint of it to the brownies.