Church cookbooks.
If you have not discovered the treasures in these time capsules you are in for a treat. In East Texas, I find church cookbooks in thrift stores, resale shops and garage sales. Look for the ones with worn pages and stains from someone’s kitchen.
The recipes I'm sharing in this post are from the original cookbook published in the late 1970's by the women of Eastside Baptist Church, Gary Texas. I have credited each lady with her recipe. Writing this blog post has a been a sweet trip down memory lane.
These have been well loved and used!
In addition to three amazing pie recipes, I have also included two easy piecrust recipes to ensure success. Because a delicious pie requires the perfect crust.
Below are three amazing pie recipes that will always make you the star of any potluck!
Watch my pie baking YouTube video HERE
Pie #1
This pie made an appearance (briefly) at any holiday get-together in my family. Easter, Thanksgiving, Christmas; everyone requested my mothers’ sweet potato pie. It is so much better than the canned pumpkin pie most Americans are familiar with during the holidays.
Sweet Potato Pie Sue Campbell Koonce (my mom)
½ stick butter
1 ¼ cup sugar
1 ½ cup baked & mashed sweet potato
2 eggs
1 tsp allspice
½ tsp cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla
Dash salt
½-cup buttermilk
¼ tsp baking soda
The secret to smooth, creamy sweet potato pie is baking the potatoes in a covered roaster. Baking adds a depth to their flavor not found in boiled potatoes. Allow them to cool and peel the skin off. I feed my chickens the leftover skins and any little blemishes I cut away from them. Place the warm, peeled potatoes in a mixer bowl and beat on high for several minutes until smooth and creamy. Add the room temperature butter and continue to beat lowering the speed to medium. Add sugar, spices and dash of salt. In a separate bowl, mix the baking soda and buttermilk, then stir into the first mixture. Pour into an unbaked pie shell & bake on middle rack at 350 until firm on top. It may take an hour as oven temperatures can vary. You may need to make a ring of foil to protect the crust from overbrowning. Remove from the oven when the top is firm and a dinner knife inserted in center comes out clean.
Pie #2
Million Dollar Pie is perfect for hot summer evenings when something special is required for dessert without heating up the oven or the kitchen! Southern women are masters of the ‘icebox pie’ and this dreamy dessert does NOT disappoint.
Million Dollar Pie Barbara Mason
1 Cool Whip (9 oz. container)
1 can Eagle brand condensed milk
1 large can crushed pineapple
2 pre-made vanilla wafer pie crusts
1 ½ cup chopped pecans
2 cups shredded coconut
¼ cup fresh lemon juice
Drain all the liquid from the crushed pineapple. Add the other ingredients and gently stir together. Pour into the piecrusts and chill for several hours. Serve on chilled pie plates & garnish with fresh mint.
Vanilla Wafer Piecrust
Crush 10 oz. of vanilla wafers (or an 11 oz. box if you are not using homemade wafers) I pulverize them in a food processor. Transfer the crushed cookies to a bowl and mix with ½ stick of softened butter. Pat/press the mixture into an ungreased glass pie dish. Chill before filling.
Pie #3
Chocolate Pie Mrs. Opal Vaughn
1 cup sugar
2 Tbsp. flour
3 egg yolks (separated from whites)
1 cup evaporated can milk
1 tsp vanilla
Dash of salt
1 Tbsp. butter
2 Tbsp. cocoa
Dissolve cocoa in just enough hot water to mix. Stir into milk and add egg yolks, salt, flour, sugar vanilla and butter. Mix will and pour into an unbaked piecrust (gently prick the crust with a fork 2-3 times). Bake at 350 until firm, about an hour. Top with meringue and toast.
Meringue for one pie:
Carefully separate 3 egg whites from yolks. Do not get any yolk into your whites or they will not beat into fluffy, stiff meringue. Beat egg whites until very stiff in a chilled, dry mixing bowl. This may take 5-8 minutes depending on your mixers’ power. Once stiff peaks form, add 2 Tbsp. sugar and ½ tsp. vanilla flavor. Continue to beat until the mixture is glossy and stiff. It should hold onto a spoon when turned upside down. Using a rubber spatula, gently spread over a cooled pie and toast in the oven 5-8 minutes just until the peaks are lightly toasted. Never spread meringue on a hot pie.
Flaky Pie Crust Hattie Ball
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. salt
1 ¼ cup shortening
1 egg well beaten
1 Tbsp. vinegar
4 Tbsp. cold water
Sift flour and salt together. Add the shortening and use a pastry blender or food processor to cut the shortening into the flour until coarse crumbs are formed. In a small bowl mix the egg, vinegar and chilled water; drizzle over the flour mixture, mixing lightly until a dough ball is formed. Divide into 4 balls and chill. To make pie shell, roll out a single ball on a lightly floured board until ¼” thin and gently lift on the rolling pin and unfold into your pie pan. Prick with a fork and bake at 425 for 12-15 min until lightly browned. If your recipe calls for an unbaked piecrust skip the baking step. The balls may be frozen up to 6 weeks prior to use. Allow to thaw slightly before rolling them out. Always use chilled dough for best results. TIP: a chilled bowl and utensils will improve results.
More pie tips on my YouTube video Here