Pie Crust

1. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, and sugar.
2. Drop in spoonfuls of the lard all throughout the bowl. Then use your hands to work the lard into the dry ingredients until it’s well combined with fine tiny lumps throughout.
3. Add the vinegar and 2 tablespoons of ice water. Use a wooden spoon to mix the dough.
4. If it still appears too dry, add the additional third tablespoon of water. The dough should turn shaggy but evenly moistened and it should hold its shape when formed together without sticking to your hands.
5. Form the dough into a ball and place on a sheet of plastic wrap. Pat it into a 1″ thick disk and wrap tightly. Place in the refrigerator to chill for 30 minutes. In the meantime, preheat the oven to 425F.
6. Once chilled, place the unwrapped pie dough on a fresh sheet of plastic wrap and place another sheet on top. Roll out the dough between the two sheets of plastic wrap until it’s about 1-2 inches larger than the diameter of the 9″ pie dish.
7. Peel back the top layer of plastic wrap to now be left with the pie dough on a single sheet of plastic wrap. This makes it super easy to transfer and maneuver the pie dough to the pie dish.
8. Simply flip pie dough onto the pie dish with the plastic wrap now facing up. Gently adjust the pie dough to fit into the bottom and sides of the dish. Once you have it where you want it, peel back to the plastic wrap to reveal a perfectly placed pie shell.
9. Cut off any excess around the dish and use a fork to crimp all around the edges. Transfer the pie shell to the freezer to freeze for about 10 minutes.
10. In the meantime, dust your work surface with flour, roll out the excess scraps, and cut out leaves and pumpkins for decorations on top (optional).
11. Once chilled firm, remove the pie shell from the freezer and place a sheet of parchment paper inside the shell. Fill the shell with pie weights or dry uncooked beans and blind bake the crust for 20 minutes. *If you are also making the pie leaf decorations, place them on a small baking pan lined with parchment paper, brush with the egg wash, and bake along side the pie shell but only for 10 minutes.
12. After the 20 minutes, remove the beans and parchment paper (it’s OK if the bottom looks underdone). Poke holes in the bottom of the crust with a fork, then brush the entire pie shell with egg wash.
13. Reduce the oven temperature to 350F while we move on to the brownie filling.

Brownie Pie Filling

1. In a heat safe dish (like a 2 cup measuring glass), add the chopped chocolate and lard. Microwave in 30 second intervals until melted and smooth.
2. In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, and salt. Set aside.
3. In a large mixing bowl, using a hand or stand mixer with the whisk attachment, whip together the sugar and eggs until the mixture becomes pale and smooth (about 3 minutes on high speed).
4. Turn the speed down to medium and trickle in the melted chocolate, followed by the vanilla.
5. Once combined, chuck in the dry ingredients and mix on low speed just until combined.
6. Pour the brownie batter into the pie crust and spread it even. Bake for 40 minutes, checking at the 25-30 minute mark to make sure the crust isn’t browning too much. If it is, lay a sheet of foil over the pie and continue to bake.
7. Allow the pie to cool at room temperature for about 20 minutes, then transfer to the freezer to chill for another 40 minutes. It’s perfect for serving when the surface is no longer warm to the touch, but the bottom of the place still feels slightly warm.
8. Top with whipped cream and the pie dough decorations, slice, and enjoy!