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A Walking Box of Chocolates
Written By: Luke Osteen | Issue: April 2024
A designer’s aesthetic observation and a irrepressibly cheerful dog led to this month’s recipe.
Skylar and Tricia Smith
This month’s recipe is the product of my Tricia’s culinary imagination and the notions of two local institutions.
Let me explain – when Tricia and I tumbled out of the far end of the Covid Threat, we knew a visit to the Cashiers-Highlands Humane Society would net us a barking, tail-thumping companion to brighten our household.
Somehow, awaiting our arrival was Skylar, a two-year-old blue-eyed Catahoula Leopard Dog who’d been a CHHS resident for about a year.
We happily adopted her and she immediately became a relentlessly playful part of the household.
One morning, as we were walking Skylar around downtown Highlands, we encountered Dutchman’s Casual Living Store’s Stephanie Bramble, setting up her sidewalk display.
Amid our conversation, Stephanie paused, glanced at Skylar’s distinctive Catahoula coat, flashed her dazzling grin (which could melt deep-frozen Bridal Veil Falls on the second week of January), and proclaimed, “That dog looks like a walking box of chocolates or an ice cream sundae.”
Of course, Stephanie was correct – Skylar’s coat is a crazy patchwork of colors – dark chocolate, milk chocolate, caramel, and pure white chocolate.
Well, that offhand remark got Tricia thinking – She dusted off an old recipe that had been rattling around her recipe box and added some chocolatey 21st century twists.
So here you go – Skylar Pie. Enjoy.
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Melt a stick of unsalted butter in a large microwave-safe bowl.
Crush up enough pretzels and graham crackers to get a cup of each. Then in that large bowl with the melted butter, toss in the crushed pretzels and graham crackers, as well as one cup of pecan pieces and once cup of shredded coconut.
Add a 1/3 cup of dark chocolate chips, 1/3 cup of milk chocolate chips, 1/3 cup of white chocolate chips, and one cup of caramel chips. Pour in a 14-ounce jar of sweet condensed milk, then mix the filling until everything is evenly combined.
Pour the mix into a frozen pie crust. It will seem overfull, but don’t worry, it will shrink during the baking process. Just make sure to press down the filling so it’s even on the top and firmly in place inside the pie crust.
Bake the pie for 35 minutes in the oven. Once finished, let it cool for 30 minutes before slicing.
