Mini Chocolate Cream Pie is rich chocolate pudding in a graham cracker crust. It'll satisfy chocolate cravings, & is perfectly sized for two!
I love chocolate pudding. Like thick, rich pudding. Then put that pudding in a pie shell, top it with whipped cream...yummm...
[pausing to wipe drool from the keyboard]
Finding King Arthur Flour's Chocolate Cream Pie recipe fits the bill nicely. It's that classic pie you see in a diner. Yep, I'm going to make that.
But first a little adaptation is in order. I want a recipe for mini Chocolate Cream Pie because there's only two of us and I don't want an entire pie enticing me.
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Adapt the recipe to fit your needs
To use a 7-inch pie pan, I'll scale down the filling ingredients by half like when I made the Mini Butterscotch Pie. Easy enough.
Also, instead of a standard pastry pie crust, I'll make a half graham cracker crust recipe and use that for my mini pie.
And for a no-bake graham cracker crust, I'll chill it in the freezer for 15 minutes to set the melted butter after pressing it into the pan. No heating the oven!
If you prefer a pastry crust, try my No Recipe Pie Crust using a 6-4-2 recipe ratio for a half a single pie crust.
How to make Chocolate Cream Pie
The filling for this pie is really a version of chocolate custard in that you're cooking a cream was mixture with egg yolks and thickening it with cornstarch.
It's also like a ganache in that you're pouring this hot custard mixture over the chopped chocolate, then stirring until it's smooth.
A hybrid custard-ganache pie filling, as it were.
The rest of the procedure is as easy as filling the pie shell and chilling the whole thing until it's set.
That's the hardest part...waiting!
Questions asked and answered
Here are some questions that you might have...
I like using dark chocolate for its intensity, but that might not be for everyone. You can customize the chocolate to your taste, by using bittersweet, semisweet, milk chocolate, or any combination of these that you like. Also, don't forget to create some chocolate shavings to garnish the top of the pie before chopping the rest.
Sure! You can use cookie crumbs using the same recipe for a graham cracker crust, especially chocolate cookie crumbs or shortbread crumbs. If you don't have any on hand, make some! Other items you can use in place of graham crackers are saltines, crushed pretzels, or potato chips.
Just double the ingredients and use a 9-inch pie pan. If you want a standard pastry pie shell, use the 9-6-3 recipe ratio for a single crust pie.
How you choose to serve the pie is totally up to you. You can serve it plain, but I prefer some lightly sweetened whipped cream and a few chocolate shavings for garnish.
This pie is luscious, rich, creamy, and chocolatey, and the graham cracker crust adds a nice texture counterpoint to all that creamy goodness.
I'm glad that this is a mini pie. It's enough to last my husband and I a couple of days at least. If I'm serving a crowd, then yes, I'll make a full-sized recipe for Chocolate Cream Pie.
Just save me a slice!
Slainté! L’chaim! Cheers!
Tammy
Recipes using dark chocolate
Remember, even though these recipes use dark chocolate, you can generally substitute the chocolate type of your choice. Go ahead and use your favorites!
Recipe
Chocolate Cream Pie for Two (with a no-bake option)
Equipment
Ingredients
For the crust
- ½ recipe Graham Cracker Pie Crust
For the filling
- ⅔ cups chocolate, chopped, see Recipe Notes
- 1 Tbsp unsalted butter
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar
- 1½ Tbsp cornstarch
- 1 Tbsp cocoa powder, see Recipe Notes
- ½ tsp espresso powder, optional, see Recipe Notes
- ⅛ tsp kosher salt
- 2 large egg yolks
- ½ cup heavy cream, divided
- 1 cup milk
- whipped cream, lightly sweetened, for garnish
Instructions
- Make the crust: Preheat the oven to 375°F. Prepare a graham cracker crust using half the amount of ingredients and press into a 7-inch pie pan (a pastry dough tart tamper can help this process). Bake for 15 minutes. Remove shell from oven and let cool completely while you make the filling. For a no-bake graham cracker crust, just chill it in the freezer for 15 minutes to set the melted butter after pressing it into the pan.
- Make the filling: Place the chopped chocolate, butter, and vanilla extract in a small mixing bowl; set aside.
- In a small saucepan, whisk together the sugar, cornstarch, cocoa powder, espresso powder, and salt. Add ¼ cup (60g) of the heavy cream, whisking until the mixture is smooth and lump-free. Whisk in the egg yolks.
- Place the saucepan over medium heat, and gradually whisk in the remaining cream and milk. Bring to a boil, whisking constantly as the mixture thickens. Boil for 1 minute. The temperature of the mixture will be around 200°F after 1 minute (measured with a digital thermometer).
- Remove the pan from the heat and immediately pour the mixture over the reserved chocolate and butter. Whisk until the chocolate is melted and the mixture is smooth.
- Pass the filling through a fine mesh strainer into a clean bowl to remove any lumps or scrambled eggs.
- Place plastic wrap or buttered parchment paper on the surface of the custard to prevent a skin from forming, and chill thoroughly for at least two hours.
- Assemble the pie: Spoon the chilled filling into the cooled graham cracker crust. Level the top with a small offset spatula.
- Chill the pie until you're ready to serve. For best slicing, refrigerate the pie overnight before serving.
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