That doesn't mean you're stuck with store-bought pies that all look the same. Justin Krause, Bakers Square Marketing Manager (www.bakerssquare.com), came into our ABC 7 Eyewitness News studio to show us a few fun ways to decorate your pies - and you can even get your kids involved!
Justin's Recipes:
Upside-Down Cherry Pie
Ingredients/ Tools:
Whole Cherry Pie
White buttercream frosting
Chocolate fudge ice cream topping
Maraschino cherries
Fresh mint leaves
Pastry bag with medium size 'star' tip
Spatula
Preparation:
(1) Place a plate on top of a cherry pie and gentle flip the pie upside down so that the metal pie tin is facing upwards on the plate
(2) Center the pie on the plate and gently remove the metal pie tin
(3) Warm chocolate fudge topping in the microwave for about a minute or until the topping is soft
(4) With spatula gently cover the top of the pie with the chocolate topping allowing it to drip down the edge of the crust to the plate
(5) With the pastry bag create six large rosettes of buttercream frosting along the circumference of the crust equally spaced out to ensure each slice of pie will have a rosette when cut in sixths
(6) Place a maraschino cherry atop each of the rosettes of buttercream frosting
(7) Place two small leaves of fresh mint on either side of each cherry to create the appearance of holly
(8) Cut the pie into sixths and serve
Santa Hat Strawberry Cheesecake
Ingredients/ Tools:
Cheesecake
White buttercream frosting
Strawberries (small to medium size)
Strawberry syrup
Pastry bag with small size 'star' tip
Preparation:
(1) Select small to medium size strawberries with uniform symmetry
(2) Remove strawberry leaves and stem
(3) Slice the strawberry in half from top to bottom to create pieces that are similar in size and shape
(4) Place a strawberry haves with the flat side down along the circumference of the whole cheesecake
(5) With the pastry bag place a rosette of buttercream frosting on the tip of the strawberry and six to seven rosettes in a line along the bottom of the strawberry to create the look of a 'Santa Hat'
(6) Drizzle strawberry syrup on the cheesecake avoiding the strawberry 'Santa Hat' decoration
(7) Slice the cheesecake to ensure each slice has a 'Santa Hat' decoration and serve
Rudolph the Reindeer
Ingredients/ Tools:
Whole pie with small rosettes of whipped cream
Buttercream frosting
Gingersnap cookies
Mini Vanilla Wafer Cookies
Small Pretzels
Red Hot candies
Candy eyes (available for purchase at craft stores)
Pastry bag with small 'circle' tip
Preparation:
(1) Place a gingersnap cookie on a cutting board or plate and with the pastry bag put a small dot of buttercream frosting in the center of the cook
(2) Place a mini vanilla wafer cookie on top of the dot of buttercream frosting and press gently to secure the vanilla wafer to the gingersnap cookie
(3) With the pastry bag put a small dot of frosting in the center of the vanilla wafer
(4) Gently press a Red Hot candy on the dot of frosting on the vanilla wafer
(5) Using a dot of frosting affix two candy eyes to complete the reindeer face
(6) Repeat the process to create six reindeer faces
(7) Place the reindeer faces on top of the whipped cream along the circumference of the pie allowing at least two inches of space between the edge of the pie and the top of the cookie decoration. Space them out equally to ensure each slice will have a reindeer face
(8) Finish the decoration by placing small pretzels on either side of the top of the gingersnap cookie to create 'antlers'
