Chocolate Brownie Chunk Pie

Chocolate Brownie Chunk Pie


Crust
1-1/2 c. all-purpose flour
1-1/4 tsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. baking powder
8 Tbsp. unsalted butter, cold, in 8 pieces
4 Tbsp. vegetable shortening, cold
1 tsp. cider vinegar
1/4 c. water, cold

Mix flour, sugar, salt, and baking powder in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse in the butter until the pieces are the size of large beans. Pulse in the shortening until mixture resembles coarse wet sand and there are no pieces larger than peas.
Add the vinegar to the water. Pulse in the water mixture until incorporated but before a dough ball forms.
Remove the dough from the processor and pat into a 4-inch disc on a sheet of plastic wrap. Wrap tightly and refrigerate for at least 3 hours.
Roll out the pie dough out to a circle large enough to fill a 9-1/2 inch deep-dish pie pan. Line the pan with the rolled crust and crimp the edges as desired. Freeze for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 425F.
Line the dough with parchment paper and pie weights. Bake for 18 minutes.
After 18 minutes of baking, remove the weights and parchment. Continue baking until the crust is golden brown, 5 to 10 minutes more. Allow the crust to cool completely.


Brownie Layer
3 eggs
1 c. cocoa powder
1/2 tsp. instant espresso powder
3/4 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking powder
1-1/2 c. unsalted butter, melted
3 c. sugar
1 Tbsp. vanilla extract
1 c. all-purpose flour
1 c. semisweet chocolate chips
1-1/2 oz. dark chocolate, chopped
3 Tbsp. heavy cream

Preheat oven to 350F. Grease an 18x13-inch baking sheet and line with parchment paper.
Beat together the eggs, cocoa powder, instant espresso powder, salt, and baking powder.
In a second bowl, whisk together the melted butter, sugar, and vanilla extract.
Stir the butter mixture into the egg mixture. Stir in the flour and chocolate chips until combined and no streaks of flour remain.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with moist crumbs. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely in the pan.
Bring the heavy cream to a simmer and pour over the chopped chocolate. Whisk to combine. Spread evenly over the bottom of the cooled pie crust.
When the brownies are cool, remove the brownies from the pan and cut an 8-inch circle from the brownies. Trim away any additional brownie to ensure that the brownie will sit flat on the bottom of the cooled pie crust.
Press the brownie round into the melted chocolate mixture and allow to set for 30 minutes before topping with the chocolate cheesecake layer.
Chop the remaining brownie into small pieces and set aside 2-1/2 cups of these pieces. The remaining brownie can be used for another purpose.


Chocolate Cheesecake Layer
2 (8 oz.) blocks cream cheese, softened
3/4 c. powdered sugar
2 tsp. vanilla extract
3 Tbsp. sour cream
5 oz. dark chocolate, melted
2-1/2 c. reserved brownie pieces, divided

Beat the cream cheese and powdered sugar together until creamy, about 3 minutes. Beat in the vanilla and sour cream. Fold in the melted chocolate and 1-1/2 cups reserved brownie pieces.
Pour the mixture over the brownie round in the prepared crust and smooth the top.
Use the remaining 1 cup of brownie pieces to decorate the top of the pie as desired.


Topping
1 c. heavy cream
2 Tbsp. powdered sugar
2 Tbsp. piping gel
1 tsp. vanilla extract

Whip together heavy cream, powdered sugar, piping gel, and vanilla until mixture holds stiff peaks.
Decorate the top of the pie as desired.




Christopher Taylor, Atlanta, GA
2016 Amateur Cream Cheese