Applebutter Pie

Second pie, as promised.

A while ago, I was schlepping around Baking Bites and found this recipe. My mom is an avid canner and I usually have enough jam or jelly on hand to bathe in. You know, if I wanted to be sticky and potentially have little seeds where the sun don't shine. Ahem. One of those jams is her famous (as far as I'm concerned) applebutter that as often as not gets eaten just with a spoon. You cannot resist it. Also, you can't resist a pie recipe that takes four ingredients and less than an hour. This is the laziest lazy person pie, I promise.
What does it taste like? Well, that will probably depend a lot on the apple butter you use. The thicker and richer the butter, the better the flavor and texture. I think my applebutter was a little too thin and I used way too much, so I ended up with a huge ramekinful of filling. Overall though, probably because of the spices, it does taste a good deal like pumpkin pie. I think next time I might experiment with a layer of apples underneath. Just for a little more heft.

What are you waiting for? A formal invitation? Go there and dig in.

Pumpkin Spice Pie!

Alright, that job I was so excited to have is now gone. Quit, in fact. It just wasn't for me and didn't allow me to do the little things in life. Like cook. Or eat. Or sleep. However, as many of you have been kind enough to point out, I promised you pie! And to make up for my extreme tardiness, I will bring you two pies starting with the original. 

Last year for the holidays, my mom made the triple-layer pumpkin spice pie recipe that came with the seasonal pumpkin pie Jell-O pudding mixes. I instantly fell in love. It was light, but rich, creamy, and just a perfect slice of heaven. She sent me home with two boxes of the pudding mix too. For some reason, I suddenly started craving this "seasonal" pie as the temperatures here are easily reaching the 90s. Go figure.

You can find the original recipe online, but I've modified it here to my taste and energy level. I like adding a little pumpkin pie filling and nixing the last layer of pure cool whip. Granted, cool whip is the only whipped-cream product I'll eat with any regularity, but a whole layer of it is just too much for me. My take on it only uses two bowls as well, so it's an easy clean-up, no-bake pie of awesome. The only problem is getting your hands on the pudding flavor. Though I bet using similar flavored puddings with added pumpkin pie spice might make an interesting pie.

I ah... don't have any pictures. I ate about half of it the day it was made, then let the rest of it mold when I went back to work because of that non-eating issue. So sorry.

Zylo's Lazy Pumpkin Spice Pie

2 boxes pumpkin pie spice flavored Jell-O pudding
2 cups cold milk
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1 tub whipped topping (like Cool Whip)
1/2 can of pumpkin or sweet potato pie filling, or canned yams
1 graham cracker crust

Mix the first 3 ingredients in a medium bowl. Add cool whip and blend.

In a separate bowl, dump in the pie filling. If using yams, drain the liquid and smush with a fork first. Add half of the pudding mix to it and stir.

Layer the mix with the pie filling on the bottom of the pie crust. Top with the rest of the mix.

Cover and refrigerate for several hours. Overnight works best.

Gorge on fluffy pumpkin joy.