Tangerine Chiffon Pie
Prep 30 mins Bake 15 mins Chill 2+ hours Eat 2:45
UPDATE: This Tangerine Chiffon Pie won first place in the National Girl Scout Cookie Contest Cakes, Pies and Cupcakes category in conjunction with Taste of Home. It first won second place in the Greater Los Angeles Girl Scout Cookie Contest in conjunction with Melissa’s Produce. In other words it’s a double winner and it will be with your family too!
This Tangerine Chiffon Pie is a light airy delicious wonder with a shortbread crust made from a box of Girl Scout Trefoil cookies. It is fruity from the tangerine juice and zest with just a touch of sweetness. I was inspired to make this creative dessert when given the challenge by Melissa’s Produce who provided both Neapolitan and Ruby Tango Tangerines, while the Girl Scouts of Greater Los Angeles sent me a few boxes of Trefoil Shortbread and lemon Savannah Smiles. I encourage you to make your own Tangerine Chiffon Pie. It’s easy. You bake only the crust and refrigerate the pie before garnishing. Follow my step-by-step directions. with photos below.
I wasn’t a Girl Scout growing up, but I was a Camp Fire Girl and I remember loving the experience. We had our fund raising program too and we sold boxes of candy. I loved going door to door and selling the candy to neighbors, family and friends…and I was really good at it. So good, that I made my professional career as an advertising salesperson (read my bio for the whole story)…and I was really good at that too. So I understand the value first hand of the Girl Scout Cookie program. In fact, more than half of Girl Scout alumnae who are in business today, say that “the Girl Scout Cookie Program was beneficial in the development of their skills today.”
It certainly is the most famous and largest program run by girls in the world and it builds confidence, responsibility, leadership, entrepreneurial/selling skills and more in the Girl Scout girls. How great is that? By the way, selling skills are important for much more than getting a sales job down the road. Every time you go on an interview for a job or are trying to convince others to buy off on your ideas, you are selling and negotiating. So imagine that when you buy Girl Scout cookies, you not only get a delicious treat, but you are helping to build confidence in young people, the future of our nation for just five bucks. Wow! Who doesn’t want to do that?!
Girl Scout Trefoils and Savannah Smiles paired with Melissa’s Neapolitan and Ruby Tango Tangerines inspired the beautiful Tangerine Chiffon Pie
So go buy a box of Savannah Smiles and Trefoil Girl Scout Cookies and make my Tangerine Chiffon Pie. At this time of year and until March 6, 2016, you can find the Girl Scouts in every neighborhood selling their cookies or click here to find a cookie sale. You won’t need them all for the pie, so you’ll be forced to snack on them as I did, while you are in the kitchen. Of course, pick up some of the Do-Si-Dos and Thin Mint cookies (my favs) or your favs for a splurge later.
Melted butter is added to the crushed cookies to create the mixture for the pie shell.
It’s easy to make the Trefoil Shortbread Pie Crust. Just place 20 cookies in the food processor and pulse until the crumbs are a similar size OR place them in a plastic zipper bag and use a mallet or a rolling pin to crush them. Add the melted butter to form the mixture needed for the pie shell.
Place another pie pan inside the first pan to form the pie shell.
Here’s a trick for getting the crumbs in the pie shell shape. Pour them into a 9″ pie shell, flatten out the bottom with your fingers and push some of the crumbs toward the sides. Then put another pie pan inside the first pan and push it against the sides to form a perfect looking pie shell.
Perfectly shaped pie shell ready for baking.
You may have to rearrange the crumbs before you get it to be perfect. Once it is ready, place it in a preheated 350° oven.
Baked Shortbread Crust pie shell is ready for filling.
While the pie shell is baking, prepare the filling. Use a microplane or small size grater to create the zest. Remove only the orange part of the tangerine, not the white part below it.
Softened gelatin will be added to hot custard.
Sprinkle unflavored gelatin over room temperature water to soften the gelatin.
Custard filling is cooked when it coats the back of a spoon.
Use a double boiler to cook the custard of egg yolks, tangerine zest and juice plus sugar. Continually whisk the custard while cooking so it stays smooth.
Egg whites are beaten stiff with added sugar.
Remove the custard from the heat and immediately stir in the softened gelatin pictured above and set aside to cool. In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites until soft, stop to add sugar and then beat until stiff. They will have glossy peaks like you see on the beaters. I recommend using pasteurized eggs like Safest Choice when making the Tangerine Chiffon Pie, since you will not be cooking the egg whites.
Egg whites are folded into the tangerine mixture very carefully.
Pour the tangerine mixture into a large bowl, then add the egg whites and fold very carefully with a rubber spatula a few times. DO NOT STIR!
Tangerine Chiffon Pie is ready for garnishing
Clean the egg white bowl and beaters and whip cream until it looks like clouds. Fold half of it into the tangerine mixture also. Now continue to fold only until the white disappears into the orange. Do not overfold. Pour the mixture into your baked pie shell and smooth out the top. Refrigerate at least two hours and get ready for the pretty stuff – garnishing.
Tangerine Fans are created with Melissa’s Ruby Tango Tangerines.
Melissa’s Ruby Tango Tangerines are sliced, drained on paper towels, cut to the center and folded to create a fan. Pipe a star or dollop whipped cream in eight equal spaces on the edge of the pie. Place the tangerine fans between the whipped cream dollops.
Arrange tangerine fans in between whipped cream stars.
Next place a lemon Savannah Smile cookie into the center of the eight whipped cream stars and place in the refrigerator until serving.
Beautiful Tangerine Chiffon Pie ready to serve.
This delicious Tangerine Chiffon Pie is a real winner! Thanks to Melissa’s Produce and the Girl Scouts of Greater Los Angeles for inspiring me to show my stuff with this recipe. Make it yourself and help some Girl Scouts, maybe even the future of someone near and dear to you.
Girl Scout Cookies are on sale in Greater Los Angeles through March 6, 2016. Find a cookie sale near you by going to girlscoutcookies.org. Cookies are $5/box.
For more Girl Scout cookie recipes, click below:
Chocolate Samoa Cake with Hazelnuts and Fresh Coconut
Samoa Chocolate Coconut Truffles
Tangerine Chiffon Pie
Ingredients
- 20 Girl Scout Trefoil Shortbread Cookies about 2 cups
- 1/4 cup butter melted
- 1/4 cup water
- 1 envelope unflavored gelatin 2 teaspoons
- 4 large eggs separated (I recommend pasteurized eggs like Safest Choice since you will not be cooking the egg whites)
- 2/3 cup sugar divided
- 1 1/2 teaspoon tangerine zest
- 1/2 cup tangerine juice
- 1 cup whipping cream divided
- 8 Girl Scout Savannah cookies
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°. Put shortbread cookies in food processor and pulse until the crumbs are similar in size. Add melted butter into the food processor bowl, Pulse about 5 times until combined. Alternatively, you could place the cookies in a ziploc bag and crush them with a mallet or rolling pin.
- Pour crumbs into a 9″ pie pan. Press crumbs into bottom of pan and place another pie pan inside and push against the sides to press crumbs evenly between the bottom and the sides. Bake in oven for 12-15 minutes or until crust is golden brown. Set aside to cool.
- While the pie crust is baking, make the filling. Place 1/4 cup room temperature water in a small bowl. Sprinkle the gelatin over the top and set aside for at least 10 minutes, while gelatin softens. Separate eggs and place yolks in the top of a double boiler and the whites in a mixing bowl. Add only 1/3 cup sugar, tangerine zest and juice to the yolks and whisk together. Place saucepan over simmering water and whisk continually until the custard thickens or coats the back of a spoon, about 10 minutes. Take it off the heat and immediately stir in the softened gelatin.
- Using an electric mixer, beat the egg whites until soft, add remaining 1/3 cup sugar and beat until stiff. Place tangerine mixture into a large bowl and plop the beaten egg whites on top. Fold with a rubber spatula very carefully so you don’t deflate the egg whites a few times. Do not stir!
- Whip cream with electric mixer until soft peaks form. Reserve and refrigerate half of the cream for garnishing. Fold other half of whipped cream into the tangerine mixture very carefully just until the white disappears into the orange. Do not stir! Pour filling into shortbread crust and smooth out top with rubber spatula.
- Refrigerate Tangerine Chiffon Pie at least two hours or overnight. Garnish with piped whipped cream, Girl Scout Savannah cookies and Ruby Tango Tangerine slices if desired.
- ENJOY THIS RECIPE FROM FRESHFOODINAFLASH.COM
Nutrition
Tangerine Chiffon Pie
20 Girl Scout Trefoil Shortbread Cookies (about 2 cups)
1/4 cup butter, melted
1/4 cup water
1 envelope unflavored gelatin (2 teaspoons)
4 large eggs, separated (I recommend pasteurized eggs like Safest Choice since you will not be cooking the egg whites)
2/3 cup sugar, divided
1 1/2 teaspoon tangerine zest
1/2 cup tangerine juice
1 cup whipping cream, divided
8 Girl Scout Savannah cookies
1. Preheat oven to 350°. Put shortbread cookies in food processor and pulse until the crumbs are similar in size. Add melted butter into the food processor bowl, Pulse about 5 times until combined. Alternatively, you could place the cookies in a ziploc bag and crush them with a mallet or rolling pin.
2. Pour crumbs into a 9″ pie pan. Press crumbs into bottom of pan and place another pie pan inside and push against the sides to press crumbs evenly between the bottom and the sides. Bake in oven for 12-15 minutes or until crust is golden brown. Set aside to cool.
3. While the pie crust is baking, make the filling. Place 1/4 cup room temperature water in a small bowl. Sprinkle the gelatin over the top and set aside for at least 10 minutes, while gelatin softens. Separate eggs and place yolks in the top of a double boiler and the whites in a mixing bowl. Add only 1/3 cup sugar, tangerine zest and juice to the yolks and whisk together. Place saucepan over simmering water and whisk continually until the custard thickens or coats the back of a spoon, about 10 minutes. Take it off the heat and immediately stir in the softened gelatin.
4. Using an electric mixer, beat the egg whites until soft, add remaining 1/3 cup sugar and beat until stiff. Place tangerine mixture into a large bowl and plop the beaten egg whites on top. Fold with a rubber spatula very carefully so you don’t deflate the egg whites a few times. Do not stir!
5. Whip cream with electric mixer until soft peaks form. Reserve and refrigerate half of the cream for garnishing. Fold other half of whipped cream into the tangerine mixture very carefully just until the white disappears into the orange. Do not stir! Pour filling into shortbread crust and smooth out top with rubber spatula.
6. Refrigerate Tangerine Chiffon Pie at least two hours or overnight. Garnish with piped whipped cream, Girl Scout Savannah cookies and Ruby Tango Tangerine slices if desired.
Servings: 8 – 474 calories per serving
Oven Temperature: 350°F
Fresh Food in a Flash is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.
One of the most beautiful pies EVER! Inside & out. The flavors and the presentation are knock out.
Absolutely gorgeous. What a fabulous use of Girl Scout cookies!
I have to be honest…it was a disappointment. I made it for Easter dessert and there was little tangerine flavor. Looked very pretty but nobody cared for it.
Perhaps your tangerines were not sweet enough or did not have enough flavor? Same with the tangerine rind made into a zest. I used Melissa’s Neapolitan tangerines and zest when I tested this dessert and my guests practically licked their plates. It was so delicious. You definitely taste the tangerine, but not with the power of drinking the juice by itself. The creaminess and lightness from the whipped cream and egg white add a luxurious finish.
[…] Tangerine Chiffon Pie […]
[…] Tangerine Chiffon Pie […]
Absolutely loving every aspect of this recipe and I can’t WAIT to make it!