Creamy Cranberry Pie with a Pretzel Crust

This is an awkward post to write. The pie looks beautiful and it tastes good. However it’s not what I was expecting.

Expectations can make or break anything.

If there is a movie that has great reviews saying it’s the funniest movie in a decade; naturally the expectations will be high for a hilarious movie. Once the movie has been viewed and there was only a laugh here or there, disappointment will inevitably follow.

If reviews hadn't been seen previous to viewing the same hypothetical movie, the laughs may have been the same, but as there were no expectations there wouldn't be any disappointment.

I wanted this pie to be more cranberry and less cream cheesey. There was a lack of tartness that I was expecting from the cranberries to balance out the cream cheese and whipping cream.

It could have been because I used homemade cranberry sauce or it could just be the recipe? Plus the recipe for the filling made way too much. Almost enough for a whole other pie!

I saw the recipe in a Better Home and Gardens magazine I picked up when I was in America and immediately knew I wanted to make it. It looked like the perfect addition to any Thanksgiving dessert menu. My expectations were high being a Better Home and Gardens recipe as my sister swears by them.

Saying that this isn't a bad pie, it is definitely creamy so it delivers on the title. It also reminds me more of a cranberry cheesecake than that of a cranberry pie.

Plus, the salty pretzel crust is amazing and it does help balance the sweet creaminess of the pie.

It’s not bad! I just wanted it to be something different!

The recipe is available on the Better Home and Gardens site here, if you are interested in making it for your holiday season. Hey, you never know after reading this your expectations may be extremely low and therefore it will taste pretty darn good.

If I were to tweak it I would start by possibly halving all the ingredients. Then I think I would eliminate the sugar from the pie filling. The reason being that there is a lot of sugar in the homemade cranberry sauce and I don’t know that the pie actually needed it.

notes: If you are interested in this recipe in grams and milliliters instead of ounces and cups let me know I did convert it! 

Chocolate Pretzel Fudge Bites aka Mouth-Fulls

Chocolate Pretzel Fudge Bites is a bit of a mouth full to say and mouths will be full when you make these… maybe I should have called them “Mouth-Fulls” or something just as silly?

The salty pretzel covered with the sweetness of chocolate is a classic combo that a lot of people love.

Including Mr. Knightley; they are his favorite! I made these with him in mind.

Well, it started because I bought him Caramel & Pretzel Chocolate clusters at Marks and Spencers. They were pretty damn good!

I should know I ate most of them. I figured I better make it up to him, so I had a look in my cupboard…

I had the chocolate, pretzels, and Sainsbury’s mini Cornish Fudge chunks in my cupboard. As I’m in the process of using up things in my cupboard I thought why not!

Fudge and caramel are not they same thing, but they come from the same family of sweets.

They are easy to throw together and make a tasty chocolate treat! You could also use these as an egg nest during the Easter season. Just top them with some chocolate eggs. You could also decorate with sprinkles or use candy melts for different colors. A pretty versatile treat, it’s up to you. Enjoy!

Chocolate Pretzel Fudge Bites

200g milk chocolate

50g (more or less) pretzels, smashed

100g Sainsbury’s mini Cornish Fudge chunks

cupcake/muffin cases

Melt the chocolate using your preferred method. I melted them in a glass bowl over simmering water. Then add the smashed pretzels coating them completely before adding the fudge chunks. Mix thoroughly before spooning them into cupcake cases. I made 11 but it all depends on how you want to divide them up! Let them set before eating! 

notes: Mr Knightley is my husband, see the about me page to be disappointed that I don’t explain it further. I was shopping at M&S because I had a gift card. I bought Sainsbury's mini Cornish Fudge chunks prior to knowing I would use them in this recipe!