Wednesday, February 13, 2013

Vanilla & Honey Shortbread Pie (Walkers Shortbread Recipe Challenge)

Vanilla & Honey Shortbread Pie
So um...
I kinda won a recipe contest Monday?

WHAAAT!?
Yes. I am still in shock. I mean it when I say I had 0 expectations of winning. Everyone had such amazing, beautiful, delicious desserts, so I am just humbled. I am so so thrilled that I did win, though-definitely a highlight of my time as a baker/food blogger :).

And now I get to enjoy the awesomeness that is Michael being adorable and saying things like "A kiss for the winner!" "I love you my little champion", etc. etc. :) :) :)
(not to mention the awesome prizes I won. Including 2 tickets to the Summer Fancy Food Show-which I'm super excited about!)

On Monday I (along with 8 other food bloggers, including my friends Susan from The Girl in the Little Red Kitchen and Mallory of Total Noms) brought our recipes, featuring Walkers Shortbread, to the NASFT center in Manhattan. We all had to bring 1 copy of the dish for the 3 judges, and 1 for everyone there to try. This whole thing has been in the works since the fall, so we had all been thinking about our recipes for quite some time. I'll be posting a bunch more about the actual event later. For now, let's talk pie:
Vanilla & Honey Shortbread Pie
I decided to make pie. In my head, shortbread is warm and comforting tasting. So I thought that vanilla and honey were two flavors that would compliment that. And then I sort of just had a vague idea of what to do. And then I decided to just wing it the Sunday before the contest. Because I'm insane, I guess?

Anyway, the recipes I was sort of adapting the elements from didn't behave the ways I thought they would so I really had to think on my feet to make it all work. But it did! And the plus side is, the recipe is now 100% Kayle original :). Lemme sum it up for you:
  1. A buttery shortbread crust with honey and peanut butter (although 1 judge, Corina, suggested omitting peanut butter from the crust, as it can overwhelm the other flavors-so feel free to mess around with it).
  2. A rich, vanilla-honey pudding filling.
  3. Whipped cream on top! (I used honey & a lot of vanilla in mine)
Vanilla & Honey Shortbread Pie
The aforementioned judge, Corina, said it was like "eating a hug", and she made an audible noise of happiness when she took a bite. Best compliment ever :).

Oddly enough, the first time I tasted the entire pie together was while at the contest. I was pretty happy with it, tasted good to me. And Michael really really really liked it (he said it was extremely flavorful without being overwhelming). You will too. It is pure joy in pie form. 

I've got a ton left over, feel free to come on over and have some.


Vanilla & Honey Shortbread Pie

A Cooking Actress original

Vanilla & Honey Shortbread Pie
Makes 2, nine inch, pies
Ingredients:
Crust
Filling
  • 4 cups cold milk
  • 1 tsp. salt
  • 2 tsp. vanilla extract
  • 3 egg yolks
  • 1/2 cup cornstarch
  • 3 tbsp. unsalted butter
  • 2/3 cup granulated sugar
  • 3-4 tbsp. honey
  • 3 Walkers Pure Butter Shortbread Fingers, crushed/ground
Topping
  • Whipped cream (I used 2 cups/1 pint worth of heavy cream, whipped, with cornstarch, powdered sugar, honey, and a lot of vanilla)
  • Optional-Walkers shortbread cookies/cookie crumbs
Preparation:
Crust
Vanilla & Honey Shortbread Pie
  • Spray 2 nine inch pie pans with non-stick cooking spray. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  • In a food processor (or blender) process the shortbread until thoroughly ground into crumbs.
  • Add butter, peanut butter, and honey to the crumbs and process until combined.
  • Evenly divide between the pie pans and press down into the pan and up the sides.
  • Bake for 10-12 minutes, until the crust is beginning to turn golden brown. Remove and allow to cool completely.
Filling
Vanilla & Honey Shortbread Pie
  • Whisk together 1 cup milk, salt, vanilla extract, egg yolks, and cornstarch until smooth.
  • In a saucepan heat butter, sugar, and 3 cups milk on medium heat, stirring constantly, until scalding (just before it boils).
  • Pour in the cornstarch mixture, whisking constantly. Cook until it has thickened into a pudding consistency, just before it starts to boil. Remove from heat. Whisk in the honey.
  • Store pudding in the refrigerator until cooled completely.
  • Whisk/stir shortbread crumbs into the filling.’
  • Evenly divide filling between the 2 pies.
Topping
  • Smooth desired amount of whipped cream/whipped topping onto the top of each pie.
  • If desired, use whole shortbread cookies, or cookie crumbs to place/sprinkle on top of the whipped cream.
  • Store in the refrigerator and serve chilled!
Vanilla & Honey Shortbread Pie
Disclaimer: Walkers Shortbread  provided me with  product (to develop a recipe for a recipe challenge), and I was under no obligation to provide a positive review.  My opinions, as always, are all my own. As the winner of the challenge, I was also awarded additional prizes.
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I love it when you try & want to share recipes you found here! Please just rewrite in your own words, use your own photos, & always link back to me! Thanks!

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