Stargazer Pie

Dude...I made an entire pie. You would think with all the bajillions of servings and slices I got from this one pie, I would have managed to take at least one picture of the darn thing. Nope. El Dork-a-rino! Everytime I dished up servings this weekend, I realized as we were all eating our slices that I hadn't taken a picture of it. I told myself that was ok because it was a big cake and I would have plenty of opportunities to take a picture. Apparently not.

Last night as we were all halfway through our pieces I said, um these are the last pieces of the cake and I didn't get a picture of any of it. Bah.

The cake was very very good and rich and sweet and chocolatly and rich. Did I mention it was rich? The base was chocolate chip cookie, topped with a cocoa boosted double chocolate brownie. Then there was a layer of chocolate. Then, a chocolate ganache layer, topped off with whipped cream.

You could consider this cake to be a cheater recipe. The base is premade cookie dough, and the brownie is from a box. I figured if we are being cheater cheaters then why not cheat completely and use cool whip. So I did. This was my birthday cake so I is the boss. And I said it too! So check it out!

I liked this cake, but I'm not so sure I would make it again. The first time I ate a piece, I gave myself too big of a slice. I felt sick all night from the uber rich chocolatey sweetness. I think 15 years (or more)ago , this would have been my favorite dessert. Now, I think it is just too much.

If you like chocolate-y sweet rich desserts, head on over to Dozen Flours for the recipe (and pictures) for Glenn's Stargazer Pie.

Glenn's Stargazer Pie From Dozen Flours
Crust
1 16.5 oz tube of refrigerated chocolate chip cookie dough, softened

Brownie Layer
1 box of Betty Crocker Triple Chunk Brownie Mix (my preference)
1/2 cup of cocoa powder, sifted
3 tablespoons of lukewarm water
1/2 cup of vegetable oil
2 eggs, at room temperature
1 teaspoon of almond extract or vanilla if that's all you have

Cream Cheese Truffle Layer
1 cup of milk semisweet chips
4 oz of cream cheese, softened
1/2 stick of unsalted butter

Whipped Cream Layer
2 cups of whipping cream
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
1/4 cup of powdered sugar, sifted
1/3 cup (give or take) of chocolate curls or other garnish, optional

Preheat oven to 350F. Grease a 9 or 9 1/2" springform pan with butter. Spread cookie dough into bottom of pan, making one big even cookie. It will be a little on the thin side, but don't worry, there will be enough. Use a fork to tamp it down. Stick it in the freezer.

Mix brownie mix and cocoa powder in big bowl. Add water, oil, eggs, and almond extract *just* til dry ingredients absorbed. Be careful not to over mix! The batter will be somewhat lumpy.

Remove springform pan from freezer and add brownie batter right over top. Bake 34-38 min til toothpick inserted into center of brownie comes out *almost* clean -- just a few bits of brownie sticking to the toothpick is okay. You want it to where it's not raw in the center and doesn't jiggle when you shake the pan a bit. You want it just a tad bit less baked than you would a normal brownie. Remove from oven and promptly sprinkle about a 1/3 c chocolate chips over top. Let it sit for a minute or two and once chocolate chips are soft, evenly spread over top of brownie's surface. Cool on counter.

While pie cooling, microwave remaining chips on low power on 30 sec intervals til chips melted, stirring well each time. Set aside. Cream butter, and cream cheese together for 1 min. Add vanilla and stir again. Add melted chocolate, one big t at a time til totally incorporated into cream cheese. Spread cream cheese mix over top of pie and store it uncovered in refrigerator for an hour.

About an hour or two before serve pie (or when totally cooled off), whisk whipping cream on high til soft peaks form. Add vanilla and powdered sugar and mix again til combined. Spread evenly over top of pie. Grate chocolate directly over top , sprinkle chocolate curls, or embellish with chocolate sprinkles. Cover and put it back in the refrigerator for at least 1/2 hour.

When ready to serve, run thin knife/spatula around edge of pan to free from outside ring. Gently remove ring and serve. Let it come to room temperature at least 1/2 hour before serving. You'll know it's ready to serve when you're able to cut it from the center fairly easily.