Caramel Chocolate Pie

I was flipping through my sister's cookbook the other day while we were making our Five Spice Almond Raspberry Nests, and found this recipe.  I had to do some adjusting to the recipe but I think that we have a winner here.  This pie starts with a pecan pastry crust, followed by layers of caramel, sweetened cream cheese, chocolate whipped cream and is topped with sweetened whipped cream.  While this pie is extremely delicious, I didn't really understand the cream cheese layer.  I didn't think that the flavor quite fit in  with the rest of the pie.  Next time I make this pie, I will have to revise that somehow.

Caramel Chocolate Pie

Pastry Crust:

1 cup flour

½ cup chopped pecans

2 Tablespoons sugar

½ teaspoon salt

1 stick (½ cup) cold butter

50 caramels (14 ounce bag), unwrapped

3 Tablespoons butter

3 Tablespoons water

½ cup chopped pecans

1 Package (8 ounces) cream cheese, room temperature

1/3 cup powdered sugar

4 ounces (½ cup) sweet baking chocolate, chopped (or chocolate chips)

3 Tablespoons hot water

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 cups whipping cream

1/3 cup powdered sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350F. In a bowl, combine flour, pecans, sugar, and salt. Cut in butter with a pastry blender. Press onto the bottom and up the sides of a 9 inch pie plate. Bake for 15 minutes. Remove from oven.

In a saucepan or microwave, heat the caramels, butter, and 2 tbsp water until melted, stirring frequently. Pour into the hot pastry crust, sprinkle with pecans. Chill 1 hour.

Beat together the cream cheese and 1/3 cup powdered sugar, spread over caramel layer. Chill

In a saucepan or microwave, heat the chocolate and water until melted, stirring frequently. Cool to room temperature, stir in vanilla.

Beat whipping cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla until stiff peaks form. Remove 1 ½ cups of whipped cream to use for topping.

Fold chocolate mixture into the remaining whipped cream. Spread over cream cheese layer. Spread reserved 1 ½ cups whipped cream on top. Garnish with chocolate curls, if desired. Cover and chill 1 to 4 hours until firm. Makes 12 servings.

Enjoy!  -Cardamommy