I seem to be torn between cookies and pie these days. Choices, choices. It’s so hard, but… When you can combine the two, I consider that a win for the home team! I love chocolate chip cookies. Peanut butter. Oatmeal. Oh…who am I kidding? I love all the cookies. Except maybe fig newtons. I don’t like mincemeat pie either and those two sort of remind me of each other. But chocolat pie? Lemon meringue. Pecan. Chess. Apple. All the pies! But when push comes to shove, my favorite cookie is a big ol’ soft snickerdoodle. And yes, I just so happen to have a pie for that!

Snickerdoodle Pie

Prep Time: 30 minutes
Bake time: 45 minutes
Total time: 1 hour 45 minutes (including 30 minutes to cool)
Servings: 10

Ingredients

Crust:
1 unbaked 9″ pie crust (premade or from scratch)
1 Tablespoon raw or coarse sugar
1/2 Teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 Teaspoons melted butter

Syrup
1/2 Cup packed brown sugar
1/4 Cup butter
3 Tablespoons butter
2 Tablespoons light-colored corn syrup
1/4 Teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 Teaspoon vanilla

Filling
1/4 Cup softened butter
1/2 Cup granulated sugar
1/4 Cup powdered sugar
1 Teaspoon baking powder
1/2 Teaspoon salt
1/4 Teaspoon cream of tartar
1 egg
1/2 Cup milk
1 1/4 Cups all-purpose flour

Let’s Make It

1 – Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 9″ pie pan with pastry crust. In a small bowl, combine 1 Tbsp. raw sugar and 1/2 tsp. cinnamon. Brust the melted butter over the crust. Sprinkle with 1 tsp. of cinnamon-sugar mix. Set aside.

2 – For syrup, combine brown sugar, butter, water, corn syrup and cinnamon in a sauce pan. Heat to boiling over medium heat, stirring to dissolve sugar. Boil gently for 2 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in 1/2 tsp. vanilla. Set aside.

3 – In mixing bowl, beat softened butter with electric mixer on medium speed for 30 seconds. Beat in granulated sugar, powdered sugar, baking powder, salt, and cream of tarter until well comined. Beat in egg and 1 tsp vanilla. Gradually beat in milk until combined. Beat in flour until mixed, making sure to scrap sides. Spread batter evenly in pie pan.

4 – Slowly pour the syrup mixture over the filling. Sprinkle with remaining cinnamon-sugar mixture. Cover the edges with foil or a pie ring.

5 – Bake pie for 25 minutes. Carefully remove foil/ring. Bake about 20 minutes more or until the top is puffed and golden brown, and a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool 20 minutes on wire rack. Serve warm.

Tips:

1 – Serve with ice cream if that’s your catnip.

2 – The pie will keep for about 4 days after baking. Seal in plastic wrap. You’ll want to enjoy warm so re-heat in the microwave 30-60 seconds before serving.

I happen to know a certain DHS investigator who likes pie. A lot. Unlike FBI Agent Dale Cooper of Twin Peaks fame, Derek Alexander is not that fond of cherry pie but put a snickerdoodle pie in front of him? He might just ask you to marry him. Or he would if Katherine “Kit:” Carson weren’t his one and only. Kit, an ARFF with DFW, makes a mean snickerdoodle pie. The guys at the firehouse are partial to it as well but they know not to get between a Wolf and his pie…or his mate. If you’d like to read about how these two met in the middle of a plane crash invovling human traffickers, grab CRASH & BURN, a Moonstruck Wolf stand-alone to grab a copy from your favorite on-line seller. Just click on either pic with the cover or the title and you’ll whisk away to Books2Read where you will land on CRASH & BURN‘s page. Enjoy your trip!

For those who might wonder, ARFF stands for Airport Rescue Firefighter and DFW is the FAA designation for Dallas/Ft. Worth International Airport.