Everyday Delicious Kitchen: Thanksgiving Recipes

This easy chocolate cream pie is smooth, rich, and decadent, for the perfect old-fashioned chocolate cream pie recipe everyone will love.

I consider myself more of a cook than a baker. Sometimes desserts intimidate me, so if I’m making one, go easy on me, please. This chocolate cream pie recipe is my idea of a classic, easy dessert that’s perfect for non-bakers like myself. This chocolate cream pie can be made with a store-bought frozen crust (pre-cooked and cooled), or you can go the homemade route (pro-tip: I always keep pie dough in my freezer in case the mood strikes) and my no-fail, go-to all-butter pie crust is perfect for this recipe. I recommend using high-quality chocolate and cocoa powder (Dutch) in this recipe, for the best chocolate flavor. The chocolate pudding filling comes together in no time on the stove (you have to allow at least two hours for it to chill and set before eating, but I can assure you it’s worth the wait!). Let’s dig into this classic chocolate cream pie, shall we?

What’s in This Chocolate Cream Pie

I think what makes this chocolate cream pie the best is using milk with a higher fat percentage (I like using whole in this), good quality cocoa powder (Dutch process is best), and high-quality chocolate. Also, homemade whipped cream, forever and always.

Pre-cooked pie shell (this can be frozen store-bought or one you make ahead of time)
Sugar
Cornstarch
Unsweetened cocoa powder
Milk (preferably whole)
Bittersweet chocolate (you could use chips for this, or cut up a bar)
Vanilla extract
Kosher salt (Lauren’s recipe doesn’t call for any salt, but I like adding a pinch to help balance out all of the flavors)
Whipped cream
Chocolate shavings

Tip: If making your own whipped cream, simply combine 1 ½ cups heavy cream, ¼ cup of powdered sugar, and ¾ teaspoon vanilla in a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment and whip until you have soft peaks.

Chocolate Cream Pie on a plate with whip cream foodiecrush.com

How to Make Chocolate Cream Pie

If you’ve never made a chocolate cream pie before, you might be intimidated, but trust me, you shouldn’t be. Lauren uses a pre-made pie shell which helps simplify things, and the homemade chocolate pudding filling comes together quickly and easily on the stove (yep, other than the crust, this is a no-bake pie)! The hardest part is waiting 2 hours for it to chill and set…

Here’s how to make this chocolate cream pie:

Make the filling. In a small saucepan, use a rubber spatula or wooden spoon to stir the sugar, cornstarch, and cocoa powder together. Whisk in milk and place over medium heat until the mixture comes to a boil and starts to thicken. Once hot and thick remove from heat and stir in chopped chocolate and vanilla.
Chill and set. Pour into the pie pan and cover with plastic wrap. Be sure to place the plastic wrap directly on the filling. Refrigerate for 2 hours or until completely chilled and the plastic wrap comes off clean.
Slice and serve. Cut pie into 8 pieces and top with dollops of cream and chocolate curls and serve.
Tip: Use a vegetable peeler on a bar of chocolate to make those chocolate shavings.

Why Did My Chocolate Cream Pie Not Set?

This pie filling is thickened with cornstarch and no eggs or egg yolks. You can make chocolate pudding or chocolate cream pie either way (with or without eggs), but you definitely need a thickening agent like cornstarch or flour. In this case, cornstarch works like a charm because it has a smoother, finer consistency and won’t impart a taste the way flour does. Using cornstarch and cooking it long enough on the stove (so that the pudding is starting to boil and so that it coats the back of a wooden spoon) will ensure your chocolate cream pie filling is nice and set.

5 from 2 votes

Chocolate Cream Pie

This easy chocolate cream pie is smooth, rich and decadent, for the perfect old-fashioned chocolate cream pie recipe everyone will love.

CourseDessert

CuisineAmerican

Keywordchocolate cream pie

Prep Time2

Cook Time10

Total Time2 10

Servings

Calories241kcal

Ingredients

For the filling

½ cup granulated sugar
3 tablespoons cornstarch , sifted
4 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder , sifted
2 cups milk
2 oz bittersweet chocolate , chopped
½ teaspoon vanilla
pinch kosher salt , (optional - Lauren's recipe doesn't include any but I like addint just a bit)

toppings

sweetened whipped cream
chocolate shavings

1 9-inch pie shell, cooked and cooled

1 9-inch pie shell, cooked and cooled

Instructions

In a small pot, stir sugar, cornstarch, and cocoa powder together. Whisk in milk and place over medium heat until the mixture comes to a boil and starts to thicken. Once hot and thick remove from heat and stir in chopped chocolate and vanilla. Pour into pie plate and cover with plastic wrap. Be sure to place the plastic wrap directly on the filling. Refrigerate for 2 hours or until completely chilled and the plastic wrap comes off clean.
Cut pie into 8 pieces and top with dollops of cream and chocolate shavings and serve.

Nutrition

Thanksgiving Recipes

This simple green salad topped with crunchy pears, creamy gorgonzola cheese, and candied pecans drizzled with a Dijon vinaigrette dressing is the perfect companion to any winter dinner.

Pear and Gorgonzola Salad with Pecans foodiecrush.com

Everyone needs a great green salad for those winter days when seasonal farmers markets have closed up shop. This one, made with your favorite mellow greens and radicchio’s somewhat bitter-spiced bite, is topped with ever-so-slightly under ripened pears that add a crispness to match the crunch of easy-to-make sweet candied pecans. It’s all dressed with a simple homemade dijon mustard dressing and topped with pinches of creamy, gorgonzola cheese. It’s the ying and yang flavor combination I crave no matter what the season.

Similar to my ultimate Italian platter salad, I like to serve this salad on a big plate or in a shallow dish—where there’s no need for tossing and I can avoid all of the good, chunky bites disappearing at the bottom of a bowl.

Ingredients Pear Gorgonzola and Pecan Salad foodiecrush.com

What’s In This Salad

This salad is the perfect balance of sweet and tart, and matches so deliciously with everything from a creamy bowl of broccoli cheese soup to my favorite pasta bolognese, to a simple lemon and rosemary roast chicken (that you can serve shredded on top to make this salad a meal.)

Here’s what’s in this salad:

Lettuce mix of spring greens, butter lettuce, and radicchio
Pears, slightly under ripened so they’re crisp, not mushy. Any variety or combination of your favorites
Creamy gorgonzola cheese (or regular blue cheese works too)
Candied pecans from this recipe or a good store brand
Dijon vinaigrette made with:
- Seasoned rice vinegar
- Diced shallots
- Dijon mustard
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Dijon Vinaigrette With Whisk foodiecrush.com

How to Make the Dijon Vinaigrette Dressing

You can make this dressing up to 2 weeks in advance, store it in the refrigerator, then bring it to room temperature before using. It’s also delicious drizzled on cooked vegetables or as a quick marinade for chicken.

Choose your vessel: Whisk the dressing in a bowl or shake it in a jar with a lid. Both methods work really well, but I do find I get a thicker, more emulsified dressing when I slowly whisk the oil into the vinegar.

Add the Dijon, minced shallots, and vinegar before adding the oil. The acid from both the mustard and vinegar mellows the heat of the shallots but still retains that French bistro vibe.

Mix the dressing. While whisking, slowly drizzle the olive oil into the ingredients until thickened and full-bodied. Or, make this dressing super easy by adding everything at once to a glass jar, screw tight with a lid, and shake to emulsify. Season with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, adding more of either to taste.

Choose Your Mix

Select a mix of tender lettuce. I’ve become a stalker of the best tender leaves of fluffy butter lettuces and locally grown baby red leaf lettuces in my grocery store’s produce department. Choose any of your leafy favorites for this salad.

Then add a radicchio crunch. This Italian green adds a lightly bitter bite that balances the sweetness of the salad’s fruit and nut toppings and adds color to the salad. Substitute chopped purple cabbage if radicchio isn’t your thing.

Add the Sweet Crunch of Candied Pecans and Pears

Make the candied pecans on the stovetop in three simple steps. Cinnamon and nutmeg flavor these quick candied nuts. Add a pinch of cayenne, chili powder, or smoked paprika for more heat.

Choose firm but not hard pears for the salad. Any variety of pears works of this salad, so long as they aren’t overripe and mushy. For hard pears, set them on the countertop with bananas nearby to ripen within a day or so.

Drizzle with Dressing and Add the Cheese Please

Creamy gorgonzola or a firmer blue cheese adds to this salad’s tang. Substitute goat cheese or even a diced white cheddar would be tasty.

Dress the salad just before serving. This helps the delicate lettuces hold up best.

5 from 14 votes

Green Salad with Pears, Gorgonzola, and Candied Pecans

This simple green salad topped with crunchy pears, creamy gorgonzola cheese, and candied pecans drizzled with a Dijon dressing is the perfect companion to any winter dinner.

CourseSalad

CuisineAmerican

Keywordgreen salad

Prep Time10

Total Time10

Servings

Calories357kcal