For years our family served Chocolate Pudding Pie at Christmas. It was really quite delicious and simple – a couple packages of Jello chocolate pudding thrown into a baked pie crust. Here I made something *almost* as simple and JUST as delicious. The only difference is that I frozen the pie. Why? One, I could make it ahead of time! Two, it was yummy that way. Three, the pudding is a little runny when not frozen. It doesn’t hold up as well as the box because of the lack of chemicals. BUT, it does hold up when partially frozen.
Even in the fridge, it does taste delicious and slices well. I wouldn’t say you must freeze the pie, but it does make it easier to serve. I’ve made this several times – frozen and refrigerated. The family like the freezer one and I liked the one from the fridge better.
The crust is up to you. I used a traditional pie crust here, but you could use a chocolate crumb crust as well.
Ingredients
- 2 and 1/2 cups milk
- 5 oz. semisweet chocolate (chocolate chips or a bar finely chopped)
- 4 egg yolks
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 3 Tb. cornstarch
- 1/4 tsp. salt
- 1 and 1/2 tsp. vanilla
- 1 cookie crumb or pie crust
Instructions
- In a saucepan: Add milk and chocolate. Whisk until melted and melt over medium-low heat. The milk will have specks and that's okay.
- In a great big bowl, whisk together the yolks and sugar. The color will be dark yellow (or orange if using farm fresh eggs) and will turn to pale yellow. Keep whisking until it is pale yellow. Now, add the cornstarch and vanilla. Temper the egg mixture by ladling a little of the hot milk into the eggs. Then, a little more and a little more. Once whisked together, pour all the eggs into the pot with the hot milk mixture in it. Cook about 8 minutes. The mixture should coat the back of a spoon. Take off the heat and whisk another minute.
- Pour into a prepared baked pie shell or crumb crust. Take plastic wrap and place the wrap directly onto the pudding surface. This will keep a skin from forming. Put in the fridge for 2-3 hours. It will firm up. Slice and eat! If you want to freeze it for a week or so, simply wrap the pie again in plastic wrap and in a layer of foil. Freeze. When ready to eat, place it in the fridge the night before. The pie should thaw some overnight. Let sit out for 15-30 minutes if it has been previously frozen.
- Recipe from Williams-Sonoma.com
Chocolate Pudding Pie
serves 8
2 and 1/2 cups milk
5 oz. semisweet chocolate (chocolate chips or a bar finely chopped)
4 egg yolks
3/4 cup sugar
3 Tb. cornstarch
1/4 tsp. salt
1 and 1/2 tsp. vanilla
1 cookie crumb or pie crust
In a saucepan: Add milk and chocolate. Whisk until melted and melt over medium-low heat. The milk will have specks and that’s okay.
In a great big bowl, whisk together the yolks and sugar. The color will be dark yellow (or orange if using farm fresh eggs) and will turn to pale yellow. Keep whisking until it is pale yellow. Now, add the cornstarch and vanilla. Temper the egg mixture by ladling a little of the hot milk into the eggs. Then, a little more and a little more. Once whisked together, pour all the eggs into the pot with the hot milk mixture in it. Cook about 8 minutes. The mixture should coat the back of a spoon. Take off the heat and whisk another minute.
Pour into a prepared baked pie shell or crumb crust. Take plastic wrap and place the wrap directly onto the pudding surface. This will keep a skin from forming. Put in the fridge for 2-3 hours. It will firm up. Slice and eat! If you want to freeze it for a week or so, simply wrap the pie again in plastic wrap and in a layer of foil. Freeze. When ready to eat, place it in the fridge the night before. The pie should thaw some overnight. Let sit out for 15-30 minutes if it has been previously frozen.
Recipe from Williams-Sonoma
