For several of my pies I use a chocolate graham cracker crust. This works well in a 9″ plate, but can work as a thinner crust in a 10″ plate. I think I prefer it as the thinner crust.
Ingredients:
1 3/4 cups Chocolate Graham Crackers
1/4 cup Teddy Grahams
1/4 cup Brown Sugar
6 tblsp butter
Preparation:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F
I like to use a mortar and pestle for my crumb making. I think it is more fun than using a food processor and takes around the same amount of time since you have to keep emptying the food processor and that takes a little longer than emptying the mortar.
Grind 1 3/4 cups chocolate graham crackers
Grind 1/4 cup Teddy Grahams
You can play with the ratios here. The graham crackers and teddy grahams are slightly different consistencies and flavors and make a nice mix.
In a medium saucepan, melt the butter and brown sugar, mixing well over medium heat.
While still over medium heat, slowly add the graham cracker crumbs. Add only a tablespoon or two at a time, mixing until completely moistened. This will create a softer crust. As a hard crust turns into a HARD crust, keep this in mind while mixing.
Pour the mixture into your pie plate and using a spoon or flat kitchen implement, press the crumbs into the bottom of the plate and up the sides. Use the spoon or other implement to keep from burning your fingers.
If you’re using the larger plate, concentrate more on the bottom of the plate. If it doesn’t get all the way up the sides, that’s fine.
Bake the crust for 10 to 12 minutes. I usually go for the full 12, but check at 10 to make sure you don’t burn it.
Cool crust completely before adding filling.
Variations:
When I’m making pies with this crust, they are frequently pudding fillings with alcohol to add to the flavor. I’ve found that the flavored liquers can also add to the flavors of the crust.
Banana Creme Pie After you have the butter and brown sugar mixed, but before you start adding the crumbs, add 2 shots of banana liquor to the mix. It will bubble up quite a bit, so let it settle between shots. Mix the liquor in thoroughly before beginning to add the crumbs as above.
Mint Chocolate Pudding Pie While the butter is melting, add 3 or 4 Andes mints to the pot and let them melt with the butter and brown sugar. Then add 2 shots of Creme de Menthe, Creme de Cacao or one of each as with the Banana liquor, let the bubbles settle before adding the next shot.
Other Pies Try adding a tablespoon or two of vanilla extract to the crust just as the alcohol is added above.
Presentation:
The main reason I started adding Teddy Grahams to the crust is that I made a banana creme pie for halloween and made a diorama on the top of the pie with Teddy Grahams. I didn’t want the rest of the box to go to waste, so I ground some up and added them to the crust. I think the result was a more flavorful crust.
The first time it just had severed heads of the teddy grahams on the top. The second time I used toothpicks as pikes to mount the heads and used red icing to make blood. There were other teddy grahams standing on the whipped cream. The last time was red icing making a pentagram while others stood around preparing the sacrifice of another teddy graham. If I can find pictures, I’ll post them.