Chocolate Cream Pie Recipe
One of the simplest of pies to make is pudding pie, particularly when you skip the baked crust in favor of an easy crumb one. Sure, you can make such a pie with boxed instant pudding mix, but it really doesn't take that much more effort to make the pudding from scratch, and you'll have a far more flavorful pie. As recipe developer Jennine Rye of The Marshside Pantry describes the homemade pudding that's used as a pie filling here, "this set dark chocolate custard filling is wonderfully rich and not too sweet."
Rye points out that this chocolate pie contains an added special ingredient: espresso. While the overall flavor is chocolate, she explains that "a little bit of coffee enhances the flavor of chocolate wonderfully, giving it more depth and richness." While she uses brewed espresso here (not the instant kind), she allows that "strong coffee could be used in its place for those who don't have an espresso machine."
Assemble the ingredients for the chocolate cream pie
To make the pie crust, you'll need chocolate sandwich cookies (you know the ones we're talking about) and butter. The pudding is made with sugar, milk, cornstarch, egg yolks, salt, espresso (or coffee), and chopped chocolate (Rye likes to start with a candy bar and break it up herself). The finished pie is topped off with whipped cream sweetened with powdered sugar and flavored with vanilla.
If you're wondering what to do with all of the egg whites you'll have left over, Bryant tells us "I ... put them in the freezer until I want to use them for something like a meringue." Meringues, of course, aren't the only thing you can do with surplus egg whites. You can also use them in a healthy omelet, an angel food cake, or a foamy cocktail. They'll stay safe in the freezer until you make up your mind.
Make the crumb crust
Crush all of the cookies (creamy fillings included) into crumbs. You can do this in a food processor or via the good old plastic bag and rolling pin method. Melt half of your butter, then mix it into the crumbs. Press the wet crumbs up the side of a 9-inch pie pan, then put the crust in the refrigerator while you get on with making the pie filling.
Make the pudding filling
Mix the milk with the granulated sugar, then cook them together over medium heat until the sugar dissolves and the milk is steaming (but not boiling). In a separate bowl, combine the egg yolks with the cornstarch, then stir in a few spoonfuls of the hot milk. Mix this eggy mixture into the rest of the hot milk and cook the pudding for 4 to 5 minutes, stirring all the while. At this point, it should have thickened up a bit. Add the hot pudding to a heat-safe bowl containing the chocolate, espresso, and remaining butter, then stir the mixture until the chocolate and butter melt and the pudding is homogeneous. Pour the pudding into the pie crust and refrigerate the pie for 3 to 4 hours or until it sets up.
Make the whipped cream topping
Whip the cream for a few minutes until it is slightly thickened, then add the vanilla and powdered sugar. Continue beating until the whipped cream reaches the soft peak stage, then dollop it over the pie. If you want a fancier pie, you can whip it to the stiff peak stage and then pipe it in swirls. Either way, you can then garnish the pie with some shaved chocolate, or perhaps a scattering of slivered almonds or a few fresh berries.
Any uneaten pie should be stored in the fridge and consumed within a few days, but you can also put it (whipped cream and all) into the freezer (so long as you wrap it well).
- 11 ounces chocolate sandwich cookies (approximately 28 cookies)
- ⅔ cup unsalted butter, divided
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar
- 2 ½ cups whole milk
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 5 egg yolks, room temperature
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon espresso or strong brewed coffee, cooled
- 7 ounces (1 ½ cups) chopped semisweet or dark chocolate
- 1 cup whipping cream
- 1 ½ tablespoons powdered sugar
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- shaved chocolate, for serving
- fresh berries, for serving
- slivered almonds, for serving
- Crush the cookies into crumbs using a food processor or rolling pin.
- Melt ⅓ cup butter and mix it into the crumbs.
- Press the crumb mixture into a 9-inch pie pan. Place in the refrigerator.
- Combine the milk and granulated sugar in a saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring, until the sugar has dissolved and the milk is steaming.
- Mix the egg yolks and the corn starch in a small bowl. Stir a few spoonfuls of the hot milk into this egg mixture.
- Stir the egg mixture into the warm milk and cook, stirring, for 4 to 5 minutes or until the pudding starts to thicken.
- Combine the chopped chocolate, espresso, and remaining butter in a heat-proof bowl. Pour the pudding over the top.
- Stir the pudding until it is smooth and the chocolate and butter have melted.
- Pour the pudding into the crumb crust, then refrigerate the pie for 3 to 4 hours or until the pudding is set.
- Whip the cream, adding the vanilla and powdered sugar halfway through.
- Use the whipped cream to top the pie.
- Garnish with shaved chocolate, berries, or almonds, if desired.
| Calories per Serving | 538 |
| Total Fat | 37.9 g |
| Saturated Fat | 20.8 g |
| Trans Fat | 0.5 g |
| Cholesterol | 138.8 mg |
| Total Carbohydrates | 44.5 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 3.1 g |
| Total Sugars | 29.1 g |
| Sodium | 280.8 mg |
| Protein | 6.8 g |
