Secret Ingredient Pumpkin Pie Ingredients

• Pumpkin: Use 100% pure pumpkin, not pumpkin pie filling.
• Evaporated milk: Gives the custard its classic creamy texture. Remember that you’re removing 1/4 cup because the sherry replaces it.
• Cream sherry: Harvey’s Bristol Cream is Mom’s secret ingredient. You only need 1/4 cup.
  • You can find Cream Sherry at most any liquor store.
  • Any other brand of cream sherry – doesn’t have to be Harvey’s
  • Marsala wine is a good substitute
  • Regular dry sherry – but add 1 teaspoons of dark brown sugar into 1/4 cup of the dry sherry
• Spices: Cinnamon, ginger and cloves rather than pumpkin pie spice.
• Pie crust: Homemade, refrigerated or frozen all work.
• Basics: Sugar, Eggs, Pie Crust, Salt

Why This Pumpkin Pie Recipe Is Different

• Cream sherry: Adds depth and warmth without making the pie taste boozy.
• Individual spices: Cinnamon, ginger and cloves give you more control over the flavor than relying on pumpkin pie spice.
• Easy filling: No complicated custard-making. Mix, pour and bake.

How to Make Secret Ingredient Pumpkin Pie

• MIX dry ingredients.
• WHISK eggs, pumpkin and spices.
• ADD evaporated milk and cream sherry.
• POUR into crust.
• BAKE 15 minutes at 425°F, then reduce to 350°F and bake until set.
• COOL for 2 hours before serving

What does Sherry do to pumpkin pie?

The secret ingredient is Harvey’s Bristol Cream Sherry! Cream sherry has a rich, slightly sweet flavor with notes of dried fruit and caramel that pair beautifully with pumpkin and warm spices. You only need 1/4 cup, replacing 1/4 cup of the evaporated milk, so it adds depth without overpowering the classic pumpkin pie flavor.

How Do You Know When Pumpkin Pie Is Done?

Pumpkin pie is ready when the outer edges are set but the center still has a slight jiggle when you gently move the pie. It will continue to set as it cools, so don’t wait until the entire filling is completely firm.

How to Store Pumpkin Pie

Store COVERED in the refrigerator – this will help keep the top soft. This is a great pie to make the day before so it has time to set up.

Tips for the Best Pumpkin Pie

• Cracked top: Usually means it baked a little too long. Don’t panic, whipped cream or candied pecans on top (see above) fixes many of life’s problems.
• Crust browning: Cover the edges with foil or a pie shield if they’re getting too dark.
• Let it cool: Give the pie at least 2 hours before slicing so the custard can fully set.
• Make ahead: Bake it the day before and refrigerate overnight.

More of Mom’s Favorite Recipes

My mom is a pretty great baker – my other favorite recipe is my Mom’s Peach Cobbler – it’s magical with a delicious crunchy top! If you’re looking for a holiday recipe – this delicious Pineapple Stuffing is always the surprise dish Thanksgiving! It gets devoured every year! Mom also makes a killer Chicken & Dumplings – it uses Bisquick – so good! I love those dumplings – perfect for fall. 

When I was on the Carnival Victory – I did the Chef’s Table and actually got to make this Warm Chocolate Melting Cake with one of the pastry chefs. That dinner – man – still thinking about it! The food on the ship was really great across the board – I loved it! (Update: I’ve sailed Norwegian & Celebrity since and Carnival still has the best food.)

Ingredients for Carnival Cruise Line Chocolate Melting Cake

This recipe is so easy, I couldn’t believe it when I found out what was in it – every ingredient is simple and already in my pantry. Here’s all that you’ll need for this amazing warm melting cake.

• Semi-Sweet Chocolate – you can use chocolate chips or “baking” chocolate – either works
• Butter – unsalted or salted butter works in this recipe – they told us unsalted but I love a touch of salt in my desserts
• Eggs – large eggs at room temperature work best
• Sugar – white sugar is all you need for this
• Flour – all purpose flour is good for this

How do you make Warm Carnival Chocolate Melting Cake? 

My favorite part about making this dish was how easy it was! Everybody in my group was shy (not me) and I jumped up to volunteer and we whipped it up in minutes. Plus – this makes an excellent date night dessert!!! Feels fancy!

• MELT the chocolate and butter in microwave at 30 seconds at a time and stir until melted (about 2 minutes) 
• IN A SEPARATE BOWL, mix eggs and sugar with a mixer on low for 1-2 minutes
• ADD flour and mix for another minute
• ADD the egg mix to the melted chocolate and mix
• POUR the batter in two greased ramekins
• SET ramekins in rimmed baking pan with 1/4” water in bottom of pan
• BAKE in the oven at 390°F for 23 minutes
• ALTERNATIVE: You can bake straight on the oven racks – no water bath – for 14 minutes. 
• PLUS UP: Everybody on the cruise said to ask for a spoonful of peanut butter on top when they served it. It melted in with the chocolate and was amazing!

Supplies Used

• Ramekins are the most important cooking tool for this recipe!
• Spatula – these are always helpful for when pouring batter into a ramekin!
• Hand Mixer – this hand mixer is so helpful for making sure your batter is mixed up quickly.

Chocolate Cake Recipe Variations

There are many different ways that you can top this desert tastes delicious! You can have this with:

• Powdered Sugar – I felt like powdered sugar was really enough – let the chocolate shine!
• Whipped Cream – I also have had it with whipped cream – so yummy!
• Peanut Butter – this was the word on the ship – everybody said “have you had it with peanut butter?”
• Ice Cream – ooooh pure vanilla bean ice cream is delicious on this dessert
• Fruit – like strawberries or raspberries – with the powdered sugar or whipped cream!!! Yes!

Tips, Tricks & FAQs

• How many does this serve? I cut the original recipe for Carnival Cruise’s Warm Chocolate Melting Cake down to make it for two. I mean – it’s such an easy dessert to make. Individual chocolate melting cakes are perfect for date night! but you could definitely double or triple if you’re making this for the whole fam!
• What kind of chocolate is in Warm Chocolate Melting Cake? The initial recipe called for Semi Sweet and Sweet Chocolate. I used a combination of Baking Chocolate – Bakers Brand has semi-sweet and German chocolate.
• Can I freeze the batter or the baked cakes? You can freeze the unbaked batter in the ramekins for up to a month, but it’s not recommended to freeze the baked cakes because then the molten center will set and it won’t become gooey again.
• Can I make this gluten-free? Yes, using a 1 to 1 gluten-free flour blend could be used instead without drastically changing the texture!

Be sure to check out all the amazing food I had on the cruise! And if you’re looking for other super simple desserts – I’ve got you covered there too!

More Delicious Desserts for Two

• Mini Blackberry Cobbler
• Mini Cinnamon Roll Bread Pudding
• Mini Peach Cobbler

How to make Mini Peach Cobblers

Mini Peach Cobblers are based off my Mom’s famous Magic Peach Cobbler! We’re just making them in ramekins so each person gets their own! This recipe made enough for 5 individual peach cobblers. It might give or take one cobbler depending on the size of your peaches and the size of your ramekins. Here’s how to get started:

(Full instructions with tips in recipe card at the bottom of the page.)

1. PREHEAT oven to 375º and spray 5 ramekins with nonstick cooking spray
2. ARRANGE sliced peaches in bottom of ramekins
3. CREAM 3/4 cup sugar with 1/2 cup butter using a hand mixer – sugar will be fully incorporated into butter and it will be creamy like softened butter in about 1-2 minutes.
4. ADD dry ingredients and milk to make a batter
5. SPREAD the batter over fruit
6. STIR 1/3 cup sugar, cornstarch and a pinch of salt. Sprinkle sugar mixture evenly over batter in each ramekin
7. MICROWAVE 1/4 cup water for 1 minute so it’s boiling
8. SPOON boiling water over ALL of sugar on each ramekin – this is where the MAGIC happens!
   • What’s the Magic? Well – the boiling water dissolves the sugar and creates a crackly crust as it bakes! That is the part people LOVE – crunching through that crispy crust!!
9. BAKE at 375º for 45-50 minutes until the topping is golden brown.
10. SERVE with a scoop of vanilla ice cream

AS SEEN ON THE HUSSY

Red 8oz Ramekins

These 8 oz ramekins are perfect for individual desserts like cobblers, lava cakes and bread puddings!

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Supplies Used

• The biggest thing you need for mini cobblers are the 8 oz ramekins – I love this little set of red ones that I bought on Amazon. But if you want something even cuter – try these – or get some plain white for something simple!
• This is a quick batter to make and not really worth pulling out the big KitchenAid – just grab a hand mixer and use that.
• I’m a spatula freak – I have a whole container of them! I love the Silicone spatulas – especially for scraping down the pan as you’re mixing the batter and spreading it over the fruit.

How to Store & Reheat

• Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days
• Reheat in microwave for 30 seconds
• Can I make these ahead of time? You can make these up ahead of time! Either keep in the fridge until ready to bake (I would wait for the sugar/water step until you’re ready to put in the oven.) Or bake ahead and reheat in the microwave quick so they’re warmed up!

Freezer Tips

• You can freeze baked cobbler – but the crunchy top is going to be soggy.
• If you choose to, cover tightly and freeze for up to three months.
• Thaw in the refrigerator and bake for 25 minutes at 350º to reheat.

More Peach Recipes

• Quick & Easy Peach Jam
• Peach & Donut Bread Pudding
• Air Fryer Peaches

More Fruity Dessert Recipes

• Blueberry Clafoutis (custard pie)
• 5 Cup Salad
• Rhubarb Custard Pie

Make it Quicker & Easier

• Brown Sugar – a friend of mine used this recipe in a contest and swapped out brown sugar in the batter and it was so good! Definitely added a layer of richness.
• Fresh Fruit – you can definitely use fresh fruit – it just is a lot more work for the fresh peaches! Peeling and slicing – plus there’s only about 2-3 days a year when we can even get the perfect peaches here in Cincinnati!
• Other Fruit – I’ve made cobbler with peach & strawberries, peaches alone, triple berry and even apples!

How to make Peach Blueberry Cobbler

I created this based on my Mom’s Peach Cobbler recipe. It’s my favorite (and a lot of other peoples) because it’s sooooo simple! Throw the fruit in and you’re halfway there! This is a crowd-pleaser AND it’s easy?! ‘Nuff said!

1. Arrange frozen peaches and blueberries in bottom of 9×13 dish sprayed with nonstick spray
2. In a medium bowl, cream sugar and butter using a hand mixer. The mixture should be creamy like softened butter.
3. Add dry ingredients (salt, flour, baking powder) and milk to make a batter and spread over the fruit.
4. Mix together sugar, cornstarch and a pinch of salt and sprinkle over batter.
5. Sprinkle boiling water over ALL of sugar – this is where the MAGIC happens! Be sure every grain is covered with water!
6. Bake at 375° for 60 minutes.
7. Spoon onto a plate, top with whipped cream and serve to your drooling family!

Tools That Help You Get The Perfect Cobbler

• Hand Mixer – helps create a smooth, even batter quickly (this makes a difference in how the topping bakes)
• Mixing Bowls – useful for keeping each step organized and consistent
• 9×13 Baking Dish – gives you the perfect ratio of fruit to topping and helps everything bake evenly

Tips Tricks & FAQs

More Peach and Blueberry Recipes

• Easy Peach Jam
• Peach & Donut Bread Pudding
• Blueberry Cream Cheese Crescent Rolls
• Blueberry Clafoutis

What is Blueberry Clafoutis?

Blueberry clafoutis is a classic French dessert made with fresh blueberries baked in a thick, custard-like batter. It has a texture somewhere between a flan and a Dutch baby pancake and is typically served warm with powdered sugar.

How to Make EASY Blueberry Clafoutis

I’ve made blueberry cobbler, blueberry cornbread and even blueberry scones – this clafoutis recipe is by far the easiest to make! I’ll definitely be making it again! I had this whole thing together and in the oven in less than 10 minutes! Here’s what you’ll need to do:

1. PREP – Preheat oven to 425ºF. Generously butter a cake pan.
   • Use butter not non-stick spray in this instance. Just open a stick of butter and rub it all over the inside of the pan.
2. TOSS – In a medium bowl, toss blueberries with sugar, juice from half lemon and lemon zest. Pour blueberries into the bottom of the pan.
3. BLEND – In a blender, add half & half, eggs, sugar, flour, vanilla and salt. Blend until batter is smooth. Pour batter mixture over blueberries and gently tap pan on counter to remove air bubbles.
   • You could also whisk the ingredients together or use a hand blender.
4. BAKE – Bake in the preheated oven until center is set, 30 minutes. Check the center with a toothpick – it should come out clean. The top should be slightly golden brown. Cool 10-15 minutes until clafoutis deflates slightly and is just warm.
5. SERVE – Dust with powdered sugar and serve warm. (I love this powdered sugar shaker – that way I’m always ready to dust!)

Tips Tricks & FAQs

More Blueberry Recipes

• Blueberry Cream Cheese Crescent Rolls
• Double Chocolate Blueberry Muffins
• Lemon Blueberry Banana Bread

How to make Individual Mini Cobblers

I love making mini desserts – it just seems so much more manageable than a whole cake or pie! I’ve made a few mini recipes (donut bread pudding, peach bread pudding, pound cakes & lava cakes) – but this was my first mini blackberry cobbler recipe! It’s a little different than my magic cobbler but just as good! Here’s how to make them:

1. TOSS fresh berries, sugar, lemon juice and cornstarch in a bowl, then divide among four 8-oz. ramekins. (spray with nonstick coating)
2. WHISK together flour, brown sugar, oats and salt in a medium bowl. Incorporate stick of butter using a pastry blender, fork or fingers until mixture appears sandy and crumbles with a few pea-size clumps. Distribute crumbly topping evenly over blackberries.
3. MELT 2 tbsp butter and drizzle over top of cobbler topping.
4. BAKE in 375º oven until golden brown, 25 to 30 minutes. Remove from oven, top each ramekin with a small scoop of ice cream and serve immediately.

Tips Tricks & FAQs

More Mini Dessert Recipes

• Air Fryer Peach Cobbler
• Cinnamon Roll Bread Pudding
• White Chocolate Pound Cake

More Berry Recipes

• Triple Berry Cobbler
• Blueberry Cream Cheese Crescent Rolls
• Strawberry Chocolate Bark

More Cold Side Dish Recipes

• KFC Cole Slaw
• Wedge Salad Dip
• Chicken Salad Chick Broccoli Salad

More Fruity Recipes

• Chicken Salad Chick Grape Salad
• Pineapple Orange Sunshine Cake
• Chicken Salad Chick Maui Mama Chicken Salad

Recipe Variations for Muffies

The possibilities are endless for muffies – think of all the muffin flavors you’ve had and make them into muffies! Here are the ones I’m making next:

• Fruit – I know I’m trying them with dried, chopped blueberries this weekend!
• Pumpkin – use the batter from these Panera Pumpkin Muffins to make pumpkin muffies!
• Different Chips – those peanut butter chips are also next on my list – not sure they make them in mini – but I’ll try full size!
• Banana – I have a recipe for Rhubarb Banana Muffins I’m going to try in these pans too!

How to make Panera Chocolate Chip Muffies

First question you’re probably thinking is – do I NEED to buy a special muffin top pan? Nah – but I will say – I liked them better in the pans. But I tried both so you know either way!

Why did I like the muffin top pans better? I knew how much batter to put in and the bottoms were crispier like Panera. That said – the baking sheet ones turned out delicious as well. But I do think now that I have the pans – I’ll use them more often!

1. Preheat oven to 375F
2. Prepare 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or muffin top pans with non stick spray
3. In a large mixing bowl, add sugar and softened butter. Using an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar at high speed until creamy – about 2-3 minutes. 
4. Add the egg, vanilla and buttermilk until combined.
5. In a separate large bowl, add in the dry ingredients – all purpose flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda and mini chocolate chips.
6. Add dry ingredients to the mixing bowl with the wet ingredients and stir together by hand with a spatula just until combined.
7. Chill the dough batter for 20 to 25 minutes in the refrigerator.
8. Use a 1.5″ cookie or ice cream scoop to scoop the muffin batter into mounds on the sheets – leaving 2-3 inches between the muffins on parchment lined baking sheets – or into muffin top pans. 
   • To make large muffin tops, you’ll want two medium cookie scoops (1.5″ scoop) of batter. This will fill the muffin pan enough to make it full and will also hold together on the parchment paper.
   • This will make 8 large muffies or 12 smaller
9. Bake 10 to 15 minutes until golden. 12 minutes was about right for my oven. If you’re putting pans on two oven racks – be sure to rotate pan to opposite racks half way to ensure even baking. Test with a toothpick to see if it comes out clean. Although – mine all came out covered in gooey chocolate!
10. Let the muffin tops rest for a couple of minutes out of the oven. Then carefully remove to a cooling rack until cool.

Tips, Tricks & FAQs

Get Heather’s NEW cookbook – Air Fryer Cooking for One today! 

More Muffin Recipes

• Panera Pumpkin Muffins
• Banana Rhubarb Muffins
• Double Chocolate Blueberry Muffins

More Panera Recipes

• Panera Bacon Egg Souffle
• Panera Southwest Chicken Melt
• Panera 10 Vegetable Soup

How to Make Cracker Barrel Fried Apple Recipe

I always try and keep the recipes as close to the restaurant version as possible. With Cracker Barrel Fried Apples it means keeping the peel on and having them sweet! Plus they are fried AND baked! So lets get started:

1. Preheat oven to 350º
2. Core and slice apples. I used apple core/slicer but you could cut them into about 6-8 slices. You do NOT want thin slices – they’ll fall apart too quick and you’ll have applesauce!
   • If you’re doing this ahead of time, feel free to sprinkle on lemon juice so they don’t brown.
3. Melt butter and brown sugar in a large cast iron skillet over medium heat. It’s important to use cast iron as it holds heat much better and will stay hotter. If you don’t have cast iron – be sure to use an large skillet that is oven safe – and the process will take a little longer.
4. Reduce heat to medium-low. Add the apples to the skillet and toss to coat evenly with sugar mixture. Cook for 2-3 minutes until the apples start to get slightly browned. This may be 3-4 minutes if not using cast iron.
5. Stir the apples so that all apples are browned. Remove from heat and sprinkle apple pie spice, cinnamon and salt over the apples and stir again. Add 1/4 cup water (or apple juice).
6. Place pan with apples uncovered in preheated oven for 10-15 minutes. If you’re not using cast iron – it may take 15-20. Check the apples on the early side – because you want to be sure they are not too soft. Test them with a fork – they should be fork tender but still a little firm.
7. Remove apples from oven and stir. 
8. In a small bowl, mix the water and cornstarch into a slurry. Pour the cornstarch slurry in the pan. This will thicken the sauce.
9. Serve as a side, dessert or with ice cream!

How to Serve Fried Apples

Fried Apples are delicious on their own but you can serve them in multiple ways. Here are a few ideas:

• Serve with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or whipped cream!
• Top your pancakes or waffles with a big spoonful of apples!
• Pork Chops! Grilled pork chops taste even better with some fried apples!
• Cottage Cheese – top your cottage cheese with apples for a fruity treat.
• Use the fried apples as apple pie filling!

More Cracker Barrel Recipes

• Cracker Barrel Chicken Pot Pie
• Crockpot Cheesy Hashbrown Casserole
• Cracker Barrel Hamburger Steak

More Apple Recipes

• Honeybaked Ham Cinnamon Apples
• Hasselback Apples
• Dutch Oven Apple Crisp

How to make Bob Evans Banana Bread

This is an easy-to-make moist banana bread recipe you can have in the oven in 10 minutes or less! Let’s get started:

1. Heat oven to 350.
2. Peel bananas and add them to a large mixing bowl. Mash with a fork.
3. Add remaining wet ingredients (eggs, oil, butter) to the mashed bananas and beat with whisk until blended. (You can use a hand mixer but it’s not necessary.)
4. In a separate bowl, mix dry ingredients (flour, sugar, cinnamon, baking soda, salt). Add to banana mixture and stir batter until just moistened. 
5. Lightly fold in walnuts
6. Pour into a 9×5″ loaf pan sprayed with cooking spray.
7. Bake 1 hour or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cook time will vary depending on the size of your pan. Always test to be sure the middle is done before finishing.
8. Cool in pan 10 min; slip a knife around the edges of the loaf and flip it over to remove from pan. Rest on a wire rack to cool completely. 

Tips, Tricks & FAQs

More Copycat Recipes

• Bob Evans Sausage Gravy
• Panera Pumpkin Muffins
• IHOP Strawberry Cheesecake Tacos
• Popeye’s Strawberry Biscuits
• Cracker Barrel Chicken Pot Pie

More Quick Bread Recipes

• Strawberry Zucchini Bread
• Ocean Spray Cranberry Bread
• Lemon Blueberry Banana Bread