I Upgraded My Grammy’s 1940s Chocolate Cream Pie Recipe! Scratch Baked

heavy cream

🥗Healthier: Greek yogurt

💰Cheaper: milk + cornstarch

Greek yogurt reduces calories while maintaining creaminess

cream cheese

🥗Healthier: Greek yogurt

💰Cheaper: ricotta cheese

Ricotta provides a similar texture at a lower cost

chocolate cookies

🥗Healthier: oatmeal cookies

💰Cheaper: graham crackers

Graham crackers are often less expensive than specialty cookies

Start by making the pie crust with 1 and 1/4 cups of all-purpose flour and 1/2 teaspoon of salt in a bowl.

Cut 6 and 1/2 tablespoons of cold salted butter into 1/2 inch cubes and add to the flour mixture along with 4 tablespoons of cold lard.

Cut the fat into the flour until the pieces are about the size of a pea.

Add 2 to 3 tablespoons of ice water, one tablespoon at a time, mixing gently with a fork until the dough starts to clump together.

Turn the dough out, shape it into a disc, wrap it tightly, and chill in the fridge for at least an hour.

Roll out the chilled dough, fit it into a pie plate, and trim the edges, crimping them with fingers.

Blind bake the crust until lightly golden to avoid a soggy bottom.

In a saucepan, mix 3/4 cup sugar, 1/4 cup flour, 1/4 cup cocoa powder, and 1/4 teaspoon salt.

Add 1 cup of milk to the dry ingredients and mix until smooth, then bring to a boil over medium-high heat while stirring briskly until thickened, about 2 minutes.

In a separate bowl, whisk together 1 cup of milk and the eggs.

Temper the egg mixture by pouring a little of the hot custard into it, then return the mixture to the saucepan and boil again, stirring constantly until thickened, about 1 minute.

Remove from heat and stir in 4 ounces of semisweet chocolate chips, 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract, and a few tablespoons of butter until melted and glossy.

Pour the chocolate custard into the blind baked crust and cover with plastic wrap to prevent a skin from forming.

Chill the pie for at least 4 to 6 hours, preferably overnight, to set the custard.

Whip very cold heavy cream with a bit of sugar and vanilla until stiff peaks form.

Pipe the whipped cream onto the pie in a decorative border.

Use a vegetable peeler to create chocolate curls from a bar of dark chocolate and sprinkle them over the whipped cream.

Slice the pie using a knife dipped in hot water for clean cuts.

Cooking Techniques

Equipment Needed

Spice Level:

Allergens