Chocolate Cream Pie: A Herne Family Favorite!

 Yes, I'm repeating this because it's not only a family favorite, it's one of my favorite pies. 

You need one 9" pie shell baked or cookie... your choice! 

Dark Chocolate Pudding

3 Tablespoons butter
1 1/4 cup sugar
2/3 cup cocoa
dash salt
1/3 cup corn starch
3 cups milk
3 egg yolks
2 teaspoons vanilla

In 3 quart saucepan, melt butter. Remove from heat.

Mix all dry ingredients together. Add to butter. Mix with spoon.

Whisk in milk and eggs.

Return to heat, medium heat, stir or whisk until boiling. Boil and stir about one minute. Remove from heat. Whisk in vanilla. Chill Completely.

If you like the skin on pudding, don't cover it. But if you don't like the skin, take a piece of plastic wrap and place it right on top of the pudding while it's hot. The plastic wrap will keep the "fat" from rising and forming the skin, and you'll have skinless pudding when it's chilled!  Fill pie shell with the pudding.... and then if you want to top the whole thing with homemade Whipped Cream, here you go!

Whipped Cream:

2 cups heavy cream
1/2 cup sugar.

Whip at high speed until stiff.

I love it!  The homemade custard and then topped with whipped cream (homemade or from a can or if you love Cool Whip-type toppings, go for it!

I raised my children on Dream Pie.

You know the one. Or if you don't, I'll tell you. You take a mystery box of Dream Whip, whip it with cold milk (not fresh from the cow, raw milk won't work, and I'm not sure what that says about the chemicals in Dream Whip!) until it's stiff then add in a couple of boxes of dark chocolate pudding, 3 1/2 cups of milk and beat until thick.... And then pile into a prepared pie shell. Chill.

I loved the commercials for Dream Pies... and the magazines had them EVERY SPRING (lemon) and EVERY HOLIDAY (chocolate) So it wasn't until the kids were teens that I started making my own chocolate custard.

REVOLT!!!!!!

They wanted Dream Pie. 

I tried reasoning with them.

Nope. Dream Pie.

I showed them the list of mega-multi-syllable chemicals.

Still Dream Pie.

I scowled.

Got nothing but wrinkles.

And so I still make Dream Pie. Did you know you can make it with Cool Whip instead of Dream Whip? SHH.... Don't tell. State secret!!!!!

But for people who love a non-chemical absolutely melt-in-your-mouth delicious pie, the homemade chocolate cream pie is the answer. Fortunately some of my children got married.

Their spouses love the real deal. The non-chemically-induced pie.

So one by one I'm gaining favor. Fortunately I am a very patient person. And I never give up.

I will win the war eventually while conceding many battles. And none of this "Oh, as long as they're happy" nonsense. 

You and I both know that they should come to the light! 

But in the meantime that just means there's more really good pie for me!

Multi-published inspirational novelist Ruth Logan Herne is blessed to be doing exactly what she always dreamed/wanted/hoped to be doing as long as the good Lord gave her enough time. 

Well here she is! With over 60 novels and novellas published, Ruthy loves chatting with people, sharing her stories, bossing folks around and takes her know-it-all nature to extremes at times, but if you dig deep...

REALLY REALLY DEEP...

She's nice some of the time and she loves getting to know readers. Friend Ruthy on Facebook, hang out here with her and some of her wonderful author buds, stop by her website ruthloganherne.com or email Ruthy at loganherne@gmail.com. And yes, she actually answers her own email... :) 

Easy Peasy HOMEMADE Chocolate Cream Pie

Mindy here, and you might be wondering why the emphasis on homemade in the title of this post. It's because many easy cream pies involve a box of pudding mix. This one is still easy, yet it's totally from scratch. Well, unless you're like me and use premade crusts, but since I'm talking about the filling, that doesn't count.

Yes, today we're talking pie because last week was my husband's birthday and he always asks for a coconut cream pie (recipe here) instead of a cake.

However, not everyone in our family likes coconut, so rather than making cupcakes as I usually do, this year I decided I'd simply make a second pie. A chocolate one.

Not only is it my girls' favorite, it's one of their grandmother's signature recipes. Whenever she asked them what they wanted for a dessert, chocolate pie was their response.

Actually, I've shared this recipe before as part of my post on coconut cream pie, because the basic recipe can go several different ways, depending on what you add to it.

Bottom line, though, it's so easy, it can be made in the microwave.

So here's what you're going to need:

Pie:

• 1 - 9 inch baked pie shell
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 4 level tablespoons all purpose flour
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 2 cups milk (any variety will do, but I prefer whole milk in this)
• 4 egg yolks, beaten
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1-2 oz unsweetened baking chocolate, melted
• 1 1/2 tsp vanilla

Meringue:

• 4 egg whites
• 1/4 tsp cream of tartar
• 6 tablespoons sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

In a large microwave safe bowl (I use an 8-cup measuring cup), mix together  the sugar, flour and salt.

Now add a little bit of your milk to this to make a thick paste.

Mix in your egg yolks.

Then the chocolate.

You can add more or less, depending on how chocolatey you like it.

And, finally, the milk and mix well.

Cook in microwave on high at 2 minute intervals, whisking between each interval.

The mixture will be the same basic consistency after the first 4 minutes, but during those last 2 minutes, it really thickens.

Generally, it only takes 3 - 2-minute sessions (for a total of 6 minutes), but, occasionally, another minute is in order.

While the filling is cooking, start on your meringue.

Beat your egg whites and cream of tartar until foamy, then add your sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time.

Yes, you will have to pause to whisk your chocolate mixture, but that's okay.

Continue beating egg whites until stiff peaks form.

Then beat in your vanilla.

Now back to the filling, which may be done before or after your meringue, depending on how fast your mixer whisks those egg whites.

Whatever the case, once your chocolate mixture has finished cooking, stir in the vanilla.

And pour mixture into baked and cooled pie shell.

Spoon meringue onto hot pie filling, spreading to seal meringue to edge of crust.

Bake for 10 minutes, or until top is golden.

Cool completely before serving.

Yep, the cooling is what takes the longest, so be sure to plan ahead, giving it a good 2 hours to cool.

Homemade goodness, without all that time standing at the stove, stirring and stirring.

The kids were happy, hubby was happy, I was doubly happy, since I sampled both.

 So how 'bout that super game on Sunday? I didn't really care who won, however it turned out to be one of the best football games I've ever seen. Loved that my boy, Luke Bryan, sang the National Anthem beautifully and though I'm not really a Lady Gaga fan, she put on one of the best halftime shows they've had in a long time. Throw in some good friends and party food and it was a great day.

So, Houston, we have NO problem. You put on a heck of a show.

Now it's your turn.

Did you watch the Super Bowl? Were you cheering for any one team, or just in it for the commercials and all that food? What was your favorite part?

Mindy Obenhaus lives in Texas with her husband and kids. She's passionate about touching readers with Biblical truths in an entertaining, and sometimes adventurous, manner. When she’s not writing, she enjoys cooking and spending time with her grandchildren. Learn more at www.MindyObenhaus.com.

Homemade Chocolate Cream Pie

First, the crust...

I make my own and you can find that recipe here... and then I cut the big dough ball into 4 equal pieces (I use deep dish pie pans) or you can cut it into five equal wedges if you use normal pie pans or 8" pie pans...

Or you can make a cookie crust or use a packaged crust. Whatever works for you and your family is fine by me.

Rumors that I am a crust-snob are GREATLY EXAGGERATED, aren't they, Missy Tippens?????

:)

So you need one 9" pie crust, ready to go.

Chocolate filling:

4 Tablespoons (1/2 stick) butter, melted
1 2/3 Cup sugar
1/2 cup corn starch
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
3/4 cup Hershey's Cocoa
4 cups milk
4 egg yolks
3 teaspoons vanilla

(These are all normal ingredients, like Really Normal, nothing earth-shattering here!)

Melt butter in 3 or 4 quart saucepan. Remove from heat

Mix all dry ingredients together. Add to butter. Stir until butter is blended throughout.

Add Milk and egg yolks. Whisk in. Return to heat and cook over medium-medium high heat until pudding is thick and bubbling, stirring regularly and then constantly once pudding is thickening. Cook about 1/2 minute while bubbling.

Remove from heat. Add vanilla. Whisk in. Cover hot pudding with plastic wrap pressed against the hot surface if you want to avoid "skin"... although I love to eat that "skin" so call me and I'll come to your house and eat it for you.

I'm nice that way.

Chill pudding completely. Make sure pie crust is cool. Spoon pudding into pie crust.

Top with whipped cream.

WHIPPED CREAM:
2 cups whipping cream
1/2 cup sugar

Put into large mixing bowl... beat at high speed until stiff peaks form. Spoon and spread on chocolate pudding filling deliciousness...

Garnish with mini-chips, chocolate shavings or dust with cocoa. (My sifter has a hole in it, so dusting is not an option right now!)

And that's it!

I'm in Nashville today, after having a wonderful time at the Christian Fiction Reader's Retreat yesterday... but this was my handmade personal birthday treat last weekend, andit was just as good as it looks! I had a piece Sunday... and possibly a piece on Monday, too!

And in the space of time when you take a gallon of water out to the side porch, THIS HAPPENS:

A born storyteller, with Grammy's wild hair...

Oh my stars! Morgan!!!!

:)

Ruth Logan Herne loves life, God, her family, country, chocolate, dogs and coffee... she lives on a small farm in upstate New York and loves to get dirty outside because flowers Don't Talk Back!

Find her on facebook at Ruth Logan Herne or stop by her website! With over a million books sold, Ruthy is living her dream... and still has to pinch herself to make sure it's real!