Happy Chocolate Day!

The other day I ran across Giada de Laurentiis' recipe for Brownie Walnut Pie  and knew that I had to make it for Valentine's Day.

Now, I'm counting down the hours until dessert. 

Biscotti Crumb Crust Ingredients:
8 biscotti
1/2 stick of butter (chilled and diced)
1/4 cup dark brown sugar

Preheat your oven to 350°

 Break up the biscotti and put them in a food processor. Add to it the butter and the sugar.

Pulse together until a crumbly mixture forms.

Pour mixture into your pie pan.

Press down along the bottom and sides. Bake in the oven for 15 minutes, or until lightly browned.

Perfect!

Brownie Walnut Pie Ingredients:
6 tablespoons of unsalted butter
3 ounces of unsweetened chocolate
1¼ cup dark brown sugar
3 eggs at room temperature (click for a tip!)
¾ cup flour 
¼ teaspoon salt
½ cup toasted walnut pieces

Preheat your oven to 350°

Put a double boiler on the stove (or fashion your own with a pot of boiling water and a glass bowl on top - watch out for escaping steam!). Add chocolate.

Add diced butter.

Keep stirring as it melts.

Almost there!

Perfect!

Take chocolate mixture off the heat and add the brown sugar.

Add the eggs one at a time. 

Now add the flour.

Now that the chocolate mixture is set, chop up the walnuts.

Toast walnuts on the stove top. Keep a close eye on the nuts as there's a thin line between toasted and burnt. Once you're able to smell the walnuts, they're done.

Fold into the chocolate.

Pour into the cooled pie crust.

Place pie plate on a cookie sheet and bake in the oven for about 35 minutes. The edges should be set but a toothpick should come out of the center gooey.

Beautiful!