German chocolate pie takes the cake

If it's time to gear up for holiday cooking, that means getting in the mood for baking pies. Every family has its favorites, but I'm all for adding new ones to the repertoire each year.

Good ideas are coming this way from the Midwest, where German chocolate pie is a classic. When we put out the call for this recipe, several readers sent those from their Iowa and Kansas moms and grandmas. Pauline Stevie of Granbury says the one here is from her mother, "a wonderful Iowa cook."

Becky Glasgow of Willow Park sent a similar one, adding that "if you must eat it right out of the oven, be careful - and have a big glass of milk with ice in it, ready to cool your tongue."

Linda Traylor of Fort Worth sent a variation, a hand-held pie or empanada, from a cooking newsletter, which we've adapted here. It's rather like a fried pie, only it's baked.

German chocolate pie

Serves 8 to 10

1 package (4 ounces) Baker's German's Sweet chocolate

1/4 cup butter

1 2/3 cups (14 1/2-ounce can) evaporated milk

1 1/2 cups sugar

3 tablespoons cornstarch

1/8 teaspoon salt

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 unbaked pie shell

1 1/3 cups flaked, sweetened coconut

1/2 cup chopped pecans

1. Melt chocolate with butter over low heat; stir till blended.

2. Remove from heat; gradually blend in milk.

3. Mix sugar, cornstarch, salt; beat in eggs and vanilla, gradually blend in chocolate mixture. Pour into pie shell.

4. Mix coconut and pecans; sprinkle over filling.

5. Bake at 375 degrees for 45 minutes or until top is puffed. (Filling will be soft but will set while cooling.) Cool at least 4 hours before serving.

Nutritional analysis per serving, based on 8: 576 calories, 31 grams fat, 71 grams carbohydrates, 8 grams protein, 84 milligrams cholesterol, 344 milligrams sodium, 2 grams dietary fiber, 47 percent of calories from fat.

- Pauline Stevie, Granbury

Hand-held chocolate pie

Makes 2 dozen

1 cup sugar

3/4 cup light corn syrup

6 tablespoons butter, melted

3 eggs

1 1/2 cups chopped pecans, walnuts or almonds

4-ounce bar sweet, semisweet or dark chocolate

1 cup sweetened flaked coconut

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 1/2 (15-ounce) packages refrigerated piecrusts (3 sheets)

1 egg yolk, beaten

1. In a medium saucepan, combine sugar, corn syrup, melted butter, eggs and nuts. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring frequently.

2. Remove from heat. Add chocolate, coconut and vanilla, stirring until chocolate melts.

3. On a lightly floured surface, unroll 1 piecrust. Cut out rounds, using a 46.1/2-inch cutter, re-rolling dough as needed. Repeat procedure with remaining piecrusts.

4. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Lightly grease two baking sheets; set aside.

5. Place 1 piecrust round on a clean, flat surface. Lightly brush edges of crust with beaten egg yolk.

6. Place 1 heaping tablespoon chocolate mixture in center of piecrust round. Fold dough over filling, crimping edges with a fork to seal. Repeat with remaining piecrust rounds and chocolate mixture.

7. Place pies on prepared baking sheets. Bake for 15 to 18 minutes or until lightly browned.

Nutritional analysis per serving: 297 calories, 18 grams fat, 34 grams carbohydrates, 3 grams protein, 48 milligrams cholesterol, 151 milligrams sodium, 1 gram dietary fiber, 52 percent of calories from fat.

- Linda Traylor, Fort Worth

Reader requests

Send us your favorite recipes for acorn squash and fresh pumpkin. Readers are also looking for recipes for carrot soup, taco salad, chicken potpie, stuffed potatoes and oven-baked french fries.

Send recipes and requests to June Naylor via e-mail, june@junenaylor.com, or mail to June Naylor, Star-Telegram, Box 1870, Fort Worth, TX 76101. Include your name, city and contact information.