Classic Chocolate Cream Pie Recipes

CHOCOLATE CREAM PIE I

Steps:

• Combine 1/2 cup sugar, flour, milk, and chopped chocolate in a 2-quart saucepan. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring constantly, until mixture begins to bubble. Reduce heat; simmer and continue stirring for 2 minutes more.
• Remove pan from heat. Whisk remaining 1/4 cup sugar into egg yolks.
• Pour the hot milk mixture into the egg yolks in a slow stream, whisking constantly. Return filling mixture to the saucepan and cook over medium heat for an additional 90 seconds, stirring constantly. Remove from heat, and stir in butter and vanilla.
• Pour filling into pie shell, and chill until set, about 4 hours. Top with whipped cream and a little grated chocolate before serving.

CHOCOLATE CREAM PIE II

Steps:

• In a large mixing bowl, cream together egg yolks and sugar. Mix in cornstarch, cocoa powder, and salt. Add milk and stir gently.
• Pour mixture into a large saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until boiling. Remove from heat. Stir in butter or margarine and vanilla extract. Cool slightly, then pour mixture into pastry shell. Chill before serving. Garnish with whipped topping.

CLASSIC BOSTON CREAM PIE

Steps:

• To make cake: Heat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly butter and flour a 9-by-2-inch round cake pan. Line with parchment paper; set aside.
• Sift together cake flour and salt. Sift again, twice; set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, mix eggs and sugar until well combined. Place the bowl over a pot of gently simmering water; whisk until mixture is warm, about 110 degrees, and sugar is dissolved, about 6 minutes. Remove from heat; place bowl on mixer. With the whisk attachment, beat egg mixture on high until thickened and pale, about 6 minutes.
• Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, combine milk and split vanilla bean. Place over medium heat until hot, being careful not to let boil. Remove and discard vanilla bean. With egg mixture beating, pour hot milk into egg mixture in a slow, steady stream. Turn off mixer. Transfer to a medium bowl; fold in flour mixture. Pour into prepared pan.
• Bake until cake is golden brown and springs back when gently pressed, about 30 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool for 15 minutes. Remove from pan; cool completely.
• To make filling: Prepare an ice-water bath. In a large bowl, whisk egg yolks; set aside. In a medium saucepan, combine sugar, cornstarch, and salt. Gradually stir in milk. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens and begins to bubble, about 5 minutes. (It is essential that mixture come to a boil.) Remove from heat.
• Whisking constantly, slowly pour hot milk mixture into egg yolks. Return mixture to saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture begins to bubble, about 3 minutes. (It is essential that mixture bubble again.) Remove from heat; stir in vanilla extract.
• Transfer filling to a medium bowl. Place the bowl in the ice bath. Stir from time to time until mixture cools; it thickens as it cools. Cover with plastic wrap, pressing wrap against the filling to prevent a skin from forming. The filling may be refrigerated overnight at this stage, or it is ready to use.
• To make glaze and assemble cake: Split cake into two layers; spread bottom half with chilled filling. Place in refrigerator to set, about 30 minutes. Wrap remaining half of cake with plastic wrap; set aside.
• In a medium-size heat-proof bowl, or the top of a double boiler, set over a pot of gently simmering water, combine chocolate and heavy cream. Stir occasionally until chocolate melts, about 12 minutes. Remove from heat; set aside to cool for 10 minutes.
• Remove cake from refrigerator; top with reserved layer. Transfer cake to serving plate; pour chocolate glaze over top. Allow to set 20 minutes before serving.

CLASSIC CHOCOLATE CREAM PIE

Steps:

• Prebake the store-bought crust according to package directions; let crust cool.
• In a saucepan, preferably nonstick, combine the sugar, cornstarch, and salt; whisk to mix thoroughly.
• Whisk in the milk and egg yolks; place over medium heat and cook, whisking almost nonstop, until it starts to boil and thicken noticeably, 5-7 minutes.
• Cook for 1 minute more, whisking briskly to keep it from bubbling and spattering.
• Remove pan from heat and whisk in the butter, one piece at a time, and the vanilla.
• Whisk in the chocolate, 1/3 at a time, until smooth and fully melted.
• Slowly pour the filling into the cooled pie shell and smooth the top with a spoon.
• Press a piece of plastic wrap directly over the filling leaving no gaps or air pockets, to prevent a skin from forming.
• Transfer the pie to a wire rack and let cool thoroughly, then refrigerate several hours or overnight.
• Just before serving, make the topping: using a chilled bowl and chilled beaters, beat the cream with an electric mixer until it holds soft peaks.
• Add the powdered sugar and continue to beat until stiff but not grainy.
• Smooth the whipped cream over the pie, pipe it decoratively, or simply serve a good-size spoonful with each slice.

CLASSIC DINER-STYLE CHOCOLATE PIE

Steps:

• Make the crust: Place cookies in the bowl of a food processor and process until a fine powder is formed. You should have about 1 1/2 cups. Transfer crumbs to a medium bowl and stir in sugar. Add melted butter and mix until well combined; mixture should feel wet.
• Turn crust mixture out into a 9-inch round pie plate. Using the back of a large spoon, press the mixture evenly into the bottom and up the sides. Transfer crust to freezer.
• Make the filling: In a medium saucepan, whisk together sugar, Ovaltine, salt, and cornstarch. Add egg yolks and whisk until combined; mixture will look like a thick paste. Slowly pour in milk and cream, whisking constantly. Bring to a boil over medium heat, whisking constantly; let boil for 30 seconds and immediately remove from heat.
• Add chocolates, whiskey, and vanilla; whisk until well combined and mixture has cooled slightly. Let stand, at room temperature, for 15 minutes. If a thin skin forms on the filling while cooling, whisk until skin is gone. Remove pie crust from freezer and pour filling into the crust. Refrigerate for 4 hours before serving. Serve with Vanilla Bean Whipped Cream.

OLD FASHIONED CHOCOLATE CREAM PIE

Steps:

• Whisk dry ingredients with milk in a large glass heat-proof bowl and cook on high in the microwave.
• Whisk every 3 or 4 minutes.
• Separate eggs and beat egg yolks in a medium bowl while the liquid cooks.
• When the liquid begins to thicken, wisk ladle-fulls of the hot liquid into the beaten egg yolks.
• Strain the egg mixture back into the microwave bowl, whisking again to keep it smooth.
• Continue to microwave until the filling begins to look sort of "cakey" around the edges.
• Whisk to return it to the creamy texture.
• After cooking it this way once, you will become accustomed to consistency and appearance at certain stages.
• When the pie filling is quite thick, remove it from the microwave and add butter and vanilla.
• Pour into the baked pie crust and cover with meringue.
• Prepare meringue while the filling cools: Beat egg whites until "peak" stage.
• Add sugar gradually, beating constantly.
• Add vanilla.
• Spread meringue on pie and bake in a 400° oven 8 to 10 minutes until the meringue has toasty peaks.

DEEP-DISH CHOCOLATE CREAM PIE

Steps:

• To make the pudding, whisk together the sugar, cocoa, cornstarch, and salt in a medium heavy pan. Slowly whisk in the milk and cream and add the vanilla bean and seeds (if using).
• Slowly bring the mixture to a boil over medium heat, whisking constantly. Once the mixture comes to a boil, let it boil for 1 minute. Remove the pan from the heat and whisk in the chocolate and butter, along with the vanilla extract, if using, until smooth. Strain the pudding through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl and press a piece of plastic wrap directly onto the surface. Let cool at room temperature for 30 minutes; then transfer to the refrigerator and let chill completely, at least 4 hours and up to 24 hours.
• To make the graham cracker disks, preheat the oven to 350°F.
• Combine the butter and vanilla bean and seeds in a small saucepan and melt over low heat. Remove from the heat and keep warm. Discard the vanilla bean before using.
• Combine the graham cracker crumbs and sugar in a medium bowl, add the melted butter, and stir until combined. Pat the mixture evenly and firmly into an 18 x 12-inch rimmed baking sheet. Bake until light golden brown and set, about 10 minutes. Let cool completely on a wire rack.
• Using a 3-inch cookie cutter or a very sharp paring knife, carefully cut out 8 disks.
• To make the whipped cream, combine the cream, sugar, rum, if using, and vanilla seeds in a large bowl and whip, using a handheld mixer or a balloon whisk, until soft peaks form.
• Divide the pudding among 8 shallow bowls and spread some of the whipped cream evenly over the pudding. Top each with a graham cracker disk.

CLASSIC BETTY CROCKER CHOCOLATE CREAM PIE

Steps:

• Bake pie shell. Stir together sugar, cornstarch, and salt in saucepan. Blend milk and egg yolks; gradually stir into sugar mixture. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens and boils. Boil and stir 1 minute. Remove from heat; blend in melted chocolate and vanilla. Immediately pour into baked pie shell. Press plastic wrap onto filling. Refrigerate at least 2 hours. Serve with sweetened whipped cream, if desired.

CHOCOLATE CREAM PIE

Steps:

• On a lightly floured surface, roll crust to a 1/8-in.-thick circle; transfer to a 9-in. pie plate. Trim to 1/2 in. beyond rim of plate; flute edge. Refrigerate 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 425°., Line crust with a double thickness of foil. Fill with pie weights, dried beans or uncooked rice. Bake on a lower oven rack until edge is golden brown, 20-25 minutes. Remove foil and weights; bake until bottom is golden brown, 3-6 minutes longer. Cool completely on a wire rack., In a large saucepan, combine the first 6 ingredients. Cook and stir over medium-high heat until thickened and bubbly, about 2 minutes. Reduce heat; cook and stir 2 minutes longer. Remove from the heat. Whisk 1 cup hot mixture into egg yolks. Return all to the pan; bring to a gentle boil, stirring constantly. , Remove from the heat; stir in butter and vanilla. Cool slightly. Pour warm filling into crust. Cool for 1 hour. Chill until set. If desired, top with whipped cream and sprinkle with cocoa to serve.