Chocolate Cream Pie

5 from 4 votes

I am a chocolate lover through and through. And this classic diner pie with its silky chocolate pudding filling in a chocolate cookie crust is exactly what every chocolate lover like me dreams of.

Prep Time45

Cook Time10

Chilling time6

Total Time6 55

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Servings: servings

Calories: 701kcal

Author: Heather Perine

Ingredients

For the cookie crust:

24 Oreo cookies (no need to remove the filling)
5 tablespoons (71 g) unsalted butter melted

For the chocolate filling:

6 large egg yolks beaten
½ cup (100 g) granulated white sugar
4 tablespoons cornstarch
½ teaspoon fine sea salt
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
2 ½ cups (600 mL) whole milk
2 tablespoons (28 g) unsalted butter
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
6 ounces bittersweet or semi sweet chocolate chocolate

For the whipped cream:

1 1/2 cups (360 mL) heavy cream
3 tablespoons confectioners sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

Prep oven. Position a rack in the center of the oven. Preheat oven to 350oF (180oC).
Make the crust. Add cookies to a food processor and pulse until very fine crumbs. Add melted butter and pulse to combine. Press mixture firmly into the pie plate and up the sides. Spend a few minutes making sure it’s tightly packed into the pie plate, this will help when removing slices later. I like to use the bottom of a dry measuring cup to start then finishing using my hands to really press it in.
Bake crust. Bake the crust for 8-10 minutes then set aside to cool slightly.
Combine egg yolks, sugar, cornstarch, and salt. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, sugar, cornstarch, and salt until yellow and increased in volume. You can use a whisk or a mixer.
Heat milk and cocoa. In a large saucepan, whisk together the milk and cocoa powder until smooth. Heat over medium high heat until boiling.
Temper the egg yolks. Pour half of the milk mixture over the egg yolk mixture, whisking constantly. To stabilize the bowl, I like to place a kitchen towel underneath.
Heat milk/egg mixture. Pour the tempered egg yolk mixture in the bowl back into the saucepan with the remaining heated milk/cocoa mixture. Cook over low heat, whisking continuously until the mixture thickens and starts rapidly bubbling.
Strain the mixture. Set a mesh strainer over a large mixing bowl and pour the hot chocolate pastry cream mixture through a fine-mesh sieve.
Add butter, vanilla, and chocolate. Whisk in the butter, vanilla extract, and chopped chocolate until melted and combined.
Assemble and chill. Cool slightly, then pour mixture into the prepared pie crust. Cover the top of the pudding filling with plastic wrap, this helps so the filling does not form a skin. Chill in the refrigerator, to allow the filling to set up, about 6 hours, or overnight, before serving.
Make whipped cream. When ready to serve, make the whipped cream. Using an electric mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, beat the heavy cream, confectioners’ sugar, and vanilla on medium-high speed until stiff peaks form, about 5 minutes. Spread or pipe onto the chilled pie. Slice and serve.

Notes

Make ahead/Storage: Assemble the pie, cover it tightly with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for up to 2 days before serving. Let the chocolate cream pie come to room temperature for about 30 minutes before slicing and serving. Cover any leftovers with plastic wrap and store in the fridge for up to 4 days.
Freezing: I recommend freezing without whipped cream. Assemble the pie, cover it tightly with plastic wrap and then foil, and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw the chocolate cream pie overnight in the refrigerator before serving. Let the pie come to room temperature for about 30 minutes before slicing and serving. The texture may not be as smooth as before freezing however.
Pie crust: You can also make this with a traditional pie crust, instead of the cookie crust. Make the custard and chill in a separate bowl. Then make your pie crust, and pre-bake it fully before adding the chilled filling. Doing this separately prevents the crust from getting soggy on the bottom. Or make a graham cracker crust instead and bake the same as oreo cookie crust.
Do not substitute chocolate chips as they contain stabilizers and will not melt properly
Keep heat on low when whisking egg and milk mixture and whisk constantly so it doesn’t burn.
Straining the mixture helps to remove any possible lumps and makes for a smooth filling.

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