I’ve lost 2 of my favorite Gingers in the past week. First Conan’s tear-jerking last hurrah on NBC, and then I found out one of my favorite people at work, Chris the resident snarky redhead, was leaving. So of course, I put pastries on the pain. And since Chris probably has the biggest sweet tooth in the building (next to mine), I knew I wanted to bake something pretty over-the-top while hopefully continuing my pie crusade for his goodbye dessert.

And wow, does this cover over-the-top. It’s basically cookie dough pie. With walnuts. And Irish whiskey.

Are you still with me? Good.

This pie is one of those great things you could most likely throw together since the ingredients are all pretty standard baking (and drinking) fare. I keep everything except the walnuts in my baking pantry, and the whiskey I used was actually from a teeny bottle of 12-year-old Jameson my friend Robbie got me while she was interning for Irish parliament (thanks, Robbie!). It comes together incredibly fast which is good because once you taste the filling it will take the hand of God to stop you from eating the rest of it.

So rich and chocolatey and indulgent… it’s got one of those pecan pie-esque ooey gooey sticky fillings, except it’s chocolate and walnuts and…  you really, really need to serve this with milk. Or ice cream. Or both. And maybe a gym pass.

Check that pie crust out!

Need I say more?

MY WALNUTS!

Cookie dough filling (basically).

Of course more chocolate chips.

A giant cookie pie. Jesus take the wheel!

Ooey gooey.

Dig in!

—

Tuscaloosa Tollhouse Pie

Based on the recipe from the Baked cookbook.

This is my second real foray into pie world. The first crust I made was from The Modern Baker and this one was from Baked. Although Malgieri’s dough came together much easier (Baked’s was extremely sticky and loose), the taste and texture of Baked’s is far superior. It has a little more body and flavor, so for now, it’s ranked #1 (out of two… heh).

Makes one 9-inch pie.

Ingredients

For the crust:

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 tsp fine salt
• 1 cup (2 sticks) cold, unsalted butter, cut into cubes
• ¾ cup ice water

For the filling:

• ½ cup all-purpose flour
• ½ cup granulated sugar
• ½ cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
• 2 eggs, at room temperature
• ¾ cup (1½ sticks) unsalted butter, softened and cut into pieces
• 1½ tablespoons whiskey
• ¾ cup walnuts, toasted and chopped
• 8 oz (about 1¼ cups) semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions

For the dough:

1.) Make the dough well in advance or ideally, the night before. In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, and salt. Toss the cold butter cubes in the dry ingredients and then put into the bowl of a food processor. Pulse a few times until the butter is pea-sized.

2.) Pour in the water while pulsing every few seconds until the dough comes together in a loose ball. My dough was incredibly loose and sticky (and I read other bloggers who have had the same issue with Baked’s recipe) but don’t worry – it firms up very well.

3.) Remove it from the bowl and pour out onto a floured surface. Divide into two balls and flatten/shape into discs. Wrap each disc in parchment paper, then in plastic wrap. Refrigerate at least 1 hour before forming in the shell, or freeze up to 3 months.

For the pie:

1.) Preheat your oven to 350° F with the rack set in the center.

2.) Lightly flour a large surface and roll out the refrigerated dough into a 12-inch round. Press into a 9-inch pie dish, trimming the excess and folding under/pinching the edges. Wrap loosely with plastic wrap and freeze at least two hours before using. (You can also freeze the prepared shell for up to 3 months.)

3.) Once the crust is ready, make the filling, but keep the pie shell in the freezer while you do so. Whisk together the flour and sugars in a mixing bowl and set aside.

4.) In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, beat the eggs on high speed until very foamy – about 3 minutes. Switch to the paddle attachment and with the mixer running on low, slowly add the dry ingredients. Turn the mixer to high and beat for 2 minutes.

5.) Add the butter, and beat on high until combined, about 30 seconds. Scrape down the sides, add the whiskey, and then beat on high for another minute. Remove the bowl from the stand and then fold in the walnuts and ¾ cup of the chocolate chips.

6.) Remove the pie shell from the freezer and pour in the filling. Sprinkle the remaining ½ cup of chocolate chips over the top and bake for 25 minutes. Wrap the crust in foil so it doesn’t get too brown, and then bake for another 25 minutes or until a cake tester is clean when inserted and removed.

7.) Cool the pie on a wire rack before slicing. Serve with vanilla bean ice cream, milk, and more Jameson at the goodbye party.

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