Chocolate cream pie

• Pie crust for single crust pie, deep dish, or two pie crusts for two regular size thinner pies.
• 1 1/3 cup semi sweet chocolate chips
• 2 tbsp unsalted butter
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 3 tbsp cornstarch
• 2 tbsp cocoa powder
• 1 tsp espresso powder
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 3 yolks from large eggs
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 2 cups milk
• Whipped cream (ready whip or homemade. For homemade you need 1 cup heavy cream, 1/4 cup powdered sugar, 1/2 tsp vanilla)

1. Bake pie crust(s) according to package or recipe directions. My husband likes store brand generic regular size frozen pie crusts that come in a tin already. The recipe makes either two regular thin pies or one deep dish. He likes them thinner, so I make two regular thinner pies.
2. Place butter, chips and vanilla in a large bowl (2 qt or larger)
3. In medium saucepan with heat off, whisk together sugar, cornstarch, cocoa, espresso powder, salt. When mixed and lump-free, stir in 1/2 cup heavy cream and whisk until smooth.
4. Place the saucepan over medium heat, and gradually whisk in 1/2 cup heavy cream and the milk. Whisk constantly while bringing to a boil. This takes about 15 minutes. Once it comes to boil, continue stirring and let it boil one minute. Should reach around 200 degrees if you have a thermometer. If you don’t, that’s okay. If you let boil for one minute it should be up to temp. It will be a thick pudding like consistency.
5. Turn off heat and pour hot mixture over chips and stir until chips and butter are melted and pudding is smooth.
6. Pour into cooked and cooled crusts. Place plastic wrap or buttered parchment over top to keep a skin from forming. This amount will fill one deep dish or evenly divide between two smaller crusts.
7. Chill in fridge 3 hours or overnight.
8. Top with whipped cream

To make whipped cream

1. Chill mixing bowl of stand mixer and mixing whisk in freezer.
2. Pour 1 cup heavy cream into chilled bowl. Whip until whisk leaves tracks.
3. Add sugar and vanilla and whip until cream holds medium peaks

Topping idea

• Shaved chocolate curls.
• Pulse remaining chips in food chopper or blender until powdery. Dust top of pie with this.

I totally neglect to take pictures of my cooking, so I will update this post later with pics of the different steps. I make it a lot. The pudding holds its shape very well when slicing, and it’s pretty easy to make. I made this for Father’s Day because it’s my husband’s favorite. I made chocolate curls the first few times, but the chocolate dust is just way easier.