Happy Birthday to Me!

So it is tradition in the Weage family for the youngest child to celebrate a birthday month. And by tradition, I mean that I declared it to be so when I became the youngest child. As the "birthday princess" I forced everyone to bend to my will, and if they did not comply, they were bopped on the head with my birthday wand while I declared, "Poof! You're a peach!" (I have no idea how I decided that a peach was the proper punishment for a disobedient subject, but in my mind it was clearly appropriate.)

This year, instead of forcing everyone to do my bidding, I have decided to provide them with a pie for my birthday. And not just any pie. The love-child between two of the best pies I have ever consumed (and for those of you who like to say that there are many categories of pies, this is the best dessert pie I have ever eaten. Not to be confused with fruit pie, or meat pie of course). The first pie has been a part of my recipe repertoire since high school.

While in high school, I often used the kraftfoods.com website to find easy recipes to use. Our church had a picnic at a local camp and the meal is potluck style. This particular year they decided to have a pie baking contest. I wanted to participate, so I went on to kraftfoods.com and discovered this little gem. It's called Mile-High Fudge Brownie Pie. I won the contest. And for good reason. Not for any of my baking skills, but because it was a great recipe. We continued to bake that pie on many occasions. Then the unspeakable happened. And some things that should not have been forgotten...were lost. History became legend...legend became myth. Until, when chance came, it sparked a new flame...My precioussss. (But I digress).

The second recipe came to me in an even more modern fashion. I stumbled upon it. Literally. Through the use of stumbleupon.com. I have the tendency to email both EWeage and my roomie when I find recipes I think should be tried. My roomie decided that this is what she wanted for her birthday, and so I gave it a shot. And boy am I glad I did. It was a huge hit. And then I made it again.

But my thirst for the perfect pie could not be quenched. I continued to think about how to improve the pie, although it was pretty close to perfection. Until I came up with a crazy idea. Why not combine the two best pies into one. And that is when this pie was born. (As a side note, we still have yet to come up with a fitting name for this pie, so if any of you out there have a suggestion, feel free to leave it in the comment section).

Brownie Crust

4 ounces (squares) Baker's Semi-Sweet Chocolate

1/2 cup butter

3/4 cup sugar

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 cup flour

Preheat oven to 350*

Microwave chocolate and butter in large microwaveable bowl for 2 min. or until butter is melted

Stir until chocolate is completely melted.

Add sugar; mix well.

Blend in eggs and vanilla.

Stir in flour until well blended.

Spread onto bottom of a greased 9-inch pie pan.

Bake for 30 minutes.

When cool, scoop out middle, making a crust and saving the crumbs (Picture 1).

Peanut Butter Fluff

8 ounces (one bar) cream cheese

2/3 cup peanut butter

Beat until well blended.

Spread into brownie crust (Picture 2).

Chocolate Ganache

2-3oz good (preferably dark) chocolate

Chocolate Pudding Deliciousness

2 packages (3.9 oz. each) Chocolate Instant Pudding

2 cups cold milk

1/2 tub (8 oz.) Cool Whip

Beat pudding mix and milk together.

Fold in Cool Whip.

Add brownie bits scooped from crust.

Pile it high on the ganache layer (Picture 4).

Top it all off with the remaining Cool Whip and chocolate shavings (Picture 5).