You may have seen my pies yesterday on Instagram.

Yesterday morning, I got up early to bake two fudge pies–one with nuts and one without. It was my dad’s 65th birthday, and fudge pie is a family favorite for any birthday, celebration, or Thursday afternoon. It’s one of those recipes (like Loverboy’s Specialty Cake and chocolate chip cookies) whose ingredients are always kept in stock for impromptu celebrations because it is rich and creamy.

Do you have a red plate for celebrations? This may need to get it’s own post later.

The pie is super simple to make but, as my mother and I discussed last night, it my take a couple tries in your oven to get the consistency just right. I’ve found that the trick is to let the outer half of the pie set but leave just a little jiggle in the middle. Then, let it “set” for at least an hour after baking.

Preheat oven to 325°

Ingredients:

1 stick butter

2 eggs

1 cup sugar

1/4 c. flour

1/4 c. cocoa

1 tsp. vanilla

Add some chopped pecans if you like.

Make It:

1.)  Beat eggs with melted butter.

2.)  Fold into dry ingredients and add nuts, if using.

3.)  Pour into unbaked, 8in. pie crust.

4.)  Bake at 325° for 30-35 minutes. (See note above about getting this just right.)