As much as we love digging into the savory fall foods fare, from herb-roasted turkey breast to crispy smashed lemon potatoes, we’re all really waiting for one thing: dessert. But what to do if the classic pumpkin pie does nothing for you? You still deserve a tasty dessert. Luckily, Giada De Laurentiis has a recipe for Chocolate Caramel Crunch Pie that’s deliciously celebratory, and might even change a few pumpkin diehards’ minds about which pie your family makes every Thanksgiving. Oh, and did we mention it has a no-cook filling? That’s a total win on a day when stove top space is at a premium.
On Sept 22, de Laurentiis shared a series of recipes to her Instagram with the caption reading, “We’ve got that first day of fall feeling! 🍂 We’ve rounded up our favorite fall desserts to ring in the coziest season. Which desserts are you most excited to make this fall? Tap the link in our bio to see our full lineup of fall dessert recipes.”
Pumpkin-haters will appreciate this pie, but pecan pie lovers will like it too, thanks to the satisfying crunchy-yet-gooey combo of walnuts and dulce de leche that make up the filling of the pie.
To make the pie, first use your food processor to whip up a chocolate graham cracker crust (if you don’t have time, storebought is fine, trust us).
Then, make the filling. Use storebought dulce de leche, like this version from Stonewall Kitchen. You can also sometimes find canned dulce de leche next to the sweetened condensed milk at the grocery store, especially if you have a Mexican grocery store nearby – look for Nestle’s La Lechera.
The dulce de leche is folded together with toasted walnuts, dark chocolate chunks, and orange zest, which adds an unexpected hint of freshness to the pie. The filling is poured into the chocolate graham cracker crust, then chilled until set.
Last but not least, the topping. First, sprinkle some flaky sea salt on top of the caramel filling, then dollop on homemade vanilla whipped cream. The recipe calls for unsweetened whipped cream, which helps balance out the sweetness of the rich filling. A little grating of unsweetened dark chocolate on top finishes the dish.
The result? A crumbly, buttery graham crust filled with a totally rich and decadent caramel, walnut, and chocolate mixture, topped with smooth clouds of whipped cream. It will definitely satisfy everyone’s sweet tooth, and even though it’s not a traditional pie, it’s totally worthy of your Thanksgiving table.
See Giada’s recipe for Chocolate Caramel Crunch Pie here.
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