Chocolate Cream Pie

Wow, I'm back! Gosh, cooking is tough with a little one at home. Add photographing to it and bam! Neglected hobby. Of course, instead of making cookies on the weekend, I get to kiss sweet little chubby cheeks and make heart eyes while I watch the food I did get to cook get eaten. No complaints from me.

That being said, I did actually make a really good chocolate cream pie. Chocolate cream pie has a deep history spanning continents, and is another one of those recipes impacted by cultures blending ideas.

I actually found another blog to reference for some historical info on this dish. Chocolate comes from the cacao plant, which is native to Central and South America. And pies, well, they've got deep roots in Europe. As Europeans migrated to America, they brought their pie traditions along. Recipes for chocolate cream pies are documented in community cookbooks from the 1920's, having evolved from custard pies.

Many pies use a traditional, flaky crusts for custard pies. I think that's fantastic. But this time, I opted to make an Oreo cookie crust. It just felt right.

Chocolate cream pie is essentially pudding with a crust. And pudding isn't hard to make. Not the powdered stuff in a box, real pudding! It's egg yolks folded into hot cream and sugar. I started by adding milk and sugar to a saucepan and heating it to medium while whisking. In another bowl, I beat the egg yolks with cornstarch until smooth.

Once the milk mixture began to simmer, it was time to temper the eggs. If you don't temper eggs, you'll wind up with scrambled eggs floating in milk, which is not ideal for a pudding. Unless you're into that kind of thing. But seriously, tempering eggs is easy. I spooned in some of the hot milk mixture into the egg yolks and stirred continuously, letting the milk slowly warm the egg yolks. I repeated this a few times until the eggs matched the hot temperature of the pan, then poured the eggs into the pan and whisked it all together.

I kept stirring until the mixture started to thicken, then removed it from the heat and stirred in the butter, chocolate, and vanilla extract. That's it! It was time to pour it into the crust. I let it cool, then refrigerated the pie for several hours to let it set. Last but not least, I made some whipped cream and put it on top.

This was a very special treat! The dark chocolate added a depth of flavor that was delightful. This was my very first chocolate cream pie, and I can't explain why it took me this long to do it.

Trust me, make the pie.

Chocolate Cream Pie Recipe

Ingredients:

For the crust:

Approximately 10-15 Oreos

1/4 cup butter

For the pie:

1/3 cup granulated sugar

2 1/2 cups milk (recommend whole milk or coconut milk)

6 egg yolks

2 Tablespoons cornstarch

6 Tablespoons butter

8 ounces dark or semi-sweet chocolate

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the whipped cream:

1 cup heavy whipping cream

2-3 Tablespoons powdered sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350°F. For the pie crust, add cookies to a food processor and pulse a few times, until they're crumbs. Pour crumbs into a pie dish (9 inch) and mix in melted butter until combined. Press the mixture firmly into the bottom and up the sides of the pie dish. Bake for 10–12 minutes, then allow to cool.

For the filling, add sugar and milk to a medium saucepan and mix well. Heat to medium, stirring frequently, until lightly simmering. In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and cornstarch until smooth, then gradually spoon the hot milk liquid into the egg yolk mixture, stirring often, to temper. Pour the hot egg mixture into the saucepan, then continue whisking until the mixture thickens and reaches a gentle boil. Slice butter into cubes and chop chocolate into small pieces. Remove from heat, then whisk in the butter, chopped chocolate, and vanilla. Stir until smooth, then pour into the cooled crust. Allow to cool, then cover and refrigerate at least 4–6 hours.

For the whipped topping, add the heavy cream into a mixing bowl and beat on high for 1–2 minutes, until the cream beings to get firmer. Add the powdered sugar and vanilla and continue beating about 2–3 more minutes, until soft peaks form. Spread over the chilled pie. Top with grated chocolate as desired.