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Cameron Jorgenson of Fuquay-Varina took home first place and $200 in prize money for his Chai Latte Pie recipe in the Pillsbury Pet-Ritz Pie Baking Championship Oct. 14 at the N.C. State Fair.

Mary Boury of Knightdale took second-place honors and $100 for her Mocha Latte Frozen Pie. Third place and $50 went to Debra Fought of Cary for her Honey Pecan Pumpkin Pie.

Recipes were judged on taste, appearance, creativity and ease of preparation. The contest was open to dessert pies, using one or two Pillsbury Pet-Ritz pie crusts.

The contest was sponsored by General Mills Sales Inc.

Chai Latte Pie

With all the flavors of a coffee-shop treat, Chai Latte Pie combines a dense chai-infused blondie with a layer of rich caramel and a layer of smooth vanilla cream. And, of course, no chai latte is complete without a layer of whipped cream and a dusting of spices! This pie captures the flavors of fall—and the skills of your favorite barista—in a perfectly light and flaky crust. Bon appétit!

Ingredients

Two Pillsbury PET-RITZ Deep Dish frozen pie crusts

For Chai Blondie Layer:

For Chai Blondie Layer:

2. Melt butter over low heat. Transfer to a bowl. Using an electric mixer or whisk, beat in the brown sugar; once smooth, beat in the egg and vanilla. Add salt and gently fold in the flour.

3. Grind the contents of two bags of chai tea in either a mortar and pestle or a spice grinder until powdered. Add the finely ground tea and the remaining spices to the batter and mix thoroughly.

4. Pour half of the batter into each pie crust. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until the center of the blondies are set. (Watch the exposed crust closely as the blondies bake; shield them with foil to prevent over-baking if necessary.) Transfer to wire rack to cool.

For Caramel Layer:

5. In a medium heavy saucepan combine the unwrapped caramels with the half & half. Cook on low heat, stirring frequently, until the mixture is well blended. Divide between the two pies, covering the blondies with a generous layer of caramel; chill in refrigerator.

For Vanilla Cream Layer:

6. Stir the pudding mix into the half & half in a large saucepan. Bring to full boil on medium heat, stirring constantly. Allow to cool thoroughly; cover pudding with Saran Wrap to prevent the formation of a “skin.”

7. Using a spoon, fill the remainder of each pie shell with the vanilla pudding, taking care to distribute the pudding evenly, without displacing the caramel. Cover with Saran Wrap.

For Whipped Cream Topping:

8. Place remaining ingredients (whipping cream, instant pudding mix, vanilla extract, powdered sugar) in a large mixing bowl. Using an electric mixer with a whisk attachment, begin mixing slowly to incorporate the ingredients; increase to high speed until soft peaks form, scraping the sides of the bowl often.

9. Once the pudding layer has cooled completely, remove the Saran Wrap and top the pie with a generous layer of whipped cream. Dust with pumpkin pie spice.

Mocha Latte Frozen Pie

1 Pillsbury Pet-Ritz pie crust, pre baked

Chocolate Coffee Ganache:

1 ¼ cup heavy cream, heat to almost boiling

Add:

2 Tablespoons butter

8 oz. 54% semi-sweet chocolate, finely chopped

4 oz. 62% dark chocolate, finely chopped

2 tsp. instant coffee

1 tsp. vanilla extract

Let sit until chocolate is melted, stir and set aside.

Beat until stiff peaks:

2 cups heavy whipping cream

2 Tbsp. fine sugar

½ tsp. vanilla extract

Spread ½ ganache on bottom of pie crust. Divide whipped cream into three portions. Stir 2/3 of the ganache into first portion (1/3) of whipped cream. Spread onto the ganach layer. Stir remaining ganache into the next portion of whipped cream and spread on top of second layer. Top with remaining whipped cream.

Cover and put in freezer for 3 hours or overnight. Pie needs to sit out for 20 minutes before serving.

Honey Pecan Pumpkin Pie

1 Pillsbury Pet-Ritz deep dish pie crust

1 15 oz. can of pumpkin puree

1/3 cup evaporate milk

1/3 cup liquid honey

2 eggs

1 Tbsp. all- purpose flour

1 tsp. vanilla

¾ tsp. cinnamon

½ tsp. each ground ginger, nutmeg, cloves and salt

1 cup finely chopped pecans

½ cup packed brown sugar

4 tsp. melted butter

Preheat oven to 400 degrees and bake crust until edges are light and golden, about 15 minutes and place on rack to cool.

In bowl, whisk together pumpkin, milk, honey, eggs, flour, vanilla, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, gloves and salt and pour into cooled crust.

Combine chopped pecans, brown sugar and butter and sprinkle on top of pie.

Bake in bottom third of oven at 350 degrees until filling is set and pastry if golden, about 30 minutes. Let cool in pan on rack. (Make ahead: refrigerate in airtight container for up to 1 day).

For a thicker topping add more pecans, brown sugar and butter to taste.

Serving Suggestions: Drizzle honey over pie before serving or add a spoonful of honey sweetened whipped cream.