How To Make Chocolate Pudding Pie

Homemade Old Fashioned Chocolate Pie Recipe

Chocolate Pudding Pie with Jello Pudding – Thanksgiving Recipe

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Homemade old fashioned chocolate pie is a creamy, chocolatey, and wonderfully traditional chocolate pudding dessert recipe topped with a light and fluffy meringue.

Cream pies are a favorite dessert at potlucks and family gatherings, plus, this one is easy to make and has a rich chocolate flavor.

What Is Chocolate Pudding Pie

Chocolate pudding pie is an old-fashioned recipe that has been around for hundreds of years! Actually, make that thousands of years! According to foodtimeline.org the earliest print reference found for chocolate pudding is 1730. They go on to say that this type of pie was most often enjoyed by wealthy people. Fancy! Today, theres many different ways to make it, including from scratch, but I think the best way to make it is with a box of instant chocolate pudding mix because its SO easy.

My grandmas recipe simply involves mixing up the chocolate pudding, pouring it into a graham cracker crust and topping it with whipped cream . I elevated her chocolate pudding pie recipe to include an extra layer a decadent, delicious cheesecake layer. Yes, please!

If youve never made or tried a chocolate pudding pie, please do so VERY soon. Add it to your Thanksgiving dessert menu! It would be a great alternative to pumpkin pie. Or make it to enjoy after Christmas dinner. Since its a no-bake recipe, it doesnt compete for precious oven space, plus you can make it a day or so ahead of time and let it chill in the fridge. Its also just a great any time treat!

With a combination of cheesecake filling and creamy pudding piled into a sweet, buttery graham cracker crust, this layered chocolate pie is the cure for many things including holiday blues, PMS, homesickness, lovesickness, and is a total hit with almost everyone that tries it!

Easy Chocolate Pudding Pie

Its the season for pies, and this Chocolate Pudding Pie should top everyones list! Its easy to make, and absolutely gorgeous. Plus this pie can be prepared in advance and stored in the refrigerator for 2-3 days before serving. Serve this pie with a scoop of homemade vanilla whipped cream and some extra chocolate shavings to make a beautiful presentation.

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Lifespan Of Chocolate Pudding Pie

After making chocolate pudding pie, it will be stored in the fridge while it is not being served. By keeping it in the fridge, the pie will hold up for 4-5 days. After that, the pie crust might be a little bit mushy and the cool whip will begin to deflate.

This pie is best eaten within the first 2-3 days, so feel free to make it up a day ahead of time for your next event. It will still taste absolutely delicious!

What Should I Top Chocolate Pudding Pie With

To me, most pies, especially pudding pies are not complete without some good old fashioned whipped cream.

To make this pudding pie even prettier I added fresh raspberries and used a zester to grate some chocolate to sprinkle on top.

I have a post dedicated to making whipped cream.

Pipe on top of the pie in whichever design you like and top with berries. Use a zester to grate chocolate on top, if desired.

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How Do You Keep A Pudding Pie From Getting Watery

The less contact between the pudding and the spoon, the less watery your pudding will become. What is this? A simple solution is to use a starch-based thickening agent like instant flour or cornstarch when making your own pudding. Starch molecules are less susceptible to breaking than gel molecules.

How To Store A Finished Pie

This pie has to be stored in the refrigerator. Once cooled you can add the homemade whipped cream, and then store covered or in an airtight container.

For more information about dairy nutrition, to find delicious new recipes and to meet Ohio and West Virginia dairy farmers, visit Drink-Milk.com, and follow the American Dairy Association Mideast on , , and .

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Prep Time:10 minutes
Cook Time:15 minutes

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The Trick For Thick Chocolate Pie Filling:

I use both egg yolks and cornstarch to thicken the chocolate pie filling in this recipe. The egg yolks get tempered and added to the hot pudding filling, helping to thicken it. The cornstarch adds an additional thickening agent to help the pie set up even better. The result is a chocolate pie filling that holds together perfectly, but still has a smooth and creamy texture.

How Is Pudding Made From Scratch

Milk Chocolate Pudding Pie – No Bake, Easy – The Hillbilly Kitchen

Directions In a 2 quart saucepan, combine sugar, cornstarch, and salt. Slowly stir in milk. Bring to a boil, and cook, stirring constantly, over medium heat until mixture thickens. Pour hot pudding into dessert glasses or molds that have been rinsed in cold water. Chill until firm. Unmold if desired.

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How Do I Make The Homemade Chocolate Pie Recipe

Bake the pie crust and set aside.

Add the flour, unsweetened cocoa, and sugar to a medium-sized bowl and whisk together. Try to get all of the lumps out of the mixture.

Pour the milk into the bowl, as well as the egg yolks , and vanilla extract, and mix well with a hand mixer.

Place the butter in a skillet on medium heat and let it start to melt.

Add the chocolate mixture to the saucepan and cook until thick.

Pour the chocolate pie filling back into the bowl and beat if there are any lumps.

Transfer the mixture to the baked pie shell.

For the meringue, add the whites to a large bowl.

Next, add the cream of tartar and beat until fluffy and stiff peaks form.

Pour the sugar into the meringue and beat until shiny.

Spread the meringue over the chocolate filling and smooth it out to the edges.

Bake at 350-degrees until the meringue is golden brown.

Allow the pie to set up for at least one hour before serving.

How To Make Chocolate Pie From Scratch

This chocolate pudding pie comes together quick and easy! And while the pictures show a homemade pie crust that has been blind baked, you can feel free to use a store bought crust, or use a graham cracker or chocolate cookie crust to make this a no bake pie.

If making your own pie crust, I recommend this Easy Butter Pie Crust recipe, and since this pie has a no bake filling, the pie crust will need to be blind baked, instructions for this are included in the pie crust post. After baking the pie crust, be sure to allow time for the crust to cool down before pouring the filling inside. While the pie crust is cooling you can prepare the pudding filling:

Combine cornstarch, sugar, and salt.

Pour in milk/cream and add eggs. Whisk this all together until its smooth.

Bring to a boil while whisking constantly, this allows the pudding to cook without creating clumps from the egg.

Once the pudding is nice and thick, remove from the heat, add the butter, chocolate and vanilla extract. Stir this together while the butter and chocolate melt.

Pour the chocolate pudding filling into the pre-baked pie crust.

Allow to chill in refrigerator for at least 6 hours, preferably overnight.

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How To Store Chocolate Pudding Pie

Using a pre-made pie crust makes for very easy storage of the chocolate pudding pie. Simply snap the lid on top and place it in the fridge.

It is important that you store the leftover pie in the fridge between servings, or it can melt and it wont firm up in the same shape again.

However, I am willing to bet that there might not be anything to store after serving this pie!

Have I mentioned how easy this pudding pie is? But the best part of all is that it wont taste easy. It tastes like you have been slaving away in the kitchen for hours!

Erins Easy Entertaining Tips

This Chocolate Pudding Pie with a Graham Cracker Pie Crust is the perfect dish for a casual gathering if your people are pie people.

We brought this chocolate pie recipe with us to an outdoor gathering with friends a few months ago, and it was a massive hit.

Here are a few things to keep in mind if youre planning to entertain with this luscious pie:

Make the pie a day in advance, and have it chill overnight in the fridge. Why? This takes the stress off you so you dont worry about getting the pie done in time before hosting friends.
Keep it cold until its serving time. This pie will turn into a pudding soup if its left outdoors in the summer heat.
See the whipped cream dollops on top of this pie? Those were added right before this was brought out for serving. Why? So they werent squished beneath the plastic wrap, which needs to stay wrapped around the pie for the duration of its stay in the fridge.

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Chocolate Pudding Pie Crust

There are a variety of different crusts you can use for your chocolate pudding pie, but I personally love this pie with a simple graham cracker crust. Making homemade graham cracker pie crust is super easy and I much prefer do-it-yourself to store-bought graham cracker crusts. It only takes a matter of minutes to make and has the perfect buttery crumble. You only need three ingredients for this crust graham cracker crumbs , melted butter and granulated sugar.

To make the crust, simply combine the graham cracker crumbs, melted butter and sugar in a medium bowl. Stir the mixture together until well combined. Press this mixture into your pie plate, making sure to firmly press it into an even layer on the bottom and around the sides. I like to use the bottom of a glass cup or measuring cup to help press the crust into the bottom of the pie plate to make sure it is tightly packed.

If you cant find graham cracker crumbs , you can make your own by pulsing 10 full sheets of graham crackers in your blender or food processor until you have fine crumbs. If you dont have a food processor, you could put the graham crackers into a bag and smash them with a rolling pin or something similar. Youll just need to make sure to get fine crumbs because they will hold together better.

Homemade Chocolate Cream Pie

This chocolate pie recipe has been a labor of love, and its all paid off. This is made with a rich dark chocolate pudding and topped with homemade whipped cream and chocolate shavings, its pure decadence.

The chocolate pudding melts in your mouth, and when you get a bite of crust, pudding and whipped cream together its simply the best. No special occasion is needed to enjoy this pie, but it does make a perfect addition to the Thanksgiving table or a summer BBQ.

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Easy Chocolate Cream Pie

As I said above, there are only four ingredients and putting this pie together couldnt be more simple.

Starting out with the chocolate pudding is what creates the amazing richness and flavor for the pie. The graham cracker crust adds a sweet crunch and creates the perfect texture to compliment the creaminess of the filling.

Another amazing option is to swap out the graham cracker crust for an Oreo crust! I love Oreos and this is a perfect substitute for anyone who is a true chocolate addict!

Next, comes the whipped cream. It makes for the perfect balance between rich chocolate and a light creaminess for your pie filling. And lastly, a garnish of Hersheys chocolate shavings on top is the final accent. It gives it the beautiful look of a pie that took hours, when it really only took minutes!

How To Make Easy Chocolate Curls:

Easy Jell-O Cooked Chocolate Pudding Pie Directions

I love the extra wow factor that chocolate curls add when I use them to decorate the top of this pie! Ive tried a few different methods, and heres the easiest method Ive found:

Melt 1 cup of good quality chocolate. I use Ghirardelli baking chips or a bar of Bakers chocolate, chopped. You can make your own double boiler to melt the chocolate , or follow my tips for melting chocolate in the microwave.

Pour melted chocolate onto the back of a baking sheet and smooth it into a thin layer. I use an offset spatula to smooth the chocolate into as thin of a layer as I can.

Allow the chocolate to set.

My biggest tip for making chocolate curls is making sure the chocolate is the right consistency. Place the baking sheet with melted chocolate in the fridge for about 5 minutes, or in the freezer for 2-3 minutes.

Use a metal spatula or scraper to make the chocolate curls. Remove the pan of chocolate from the fridge or freezer. Allow it to rest on your counter for a minute or two.

Hold your metal spatula horizontally in front of you and press it firmly against the pan at a 45 degree angle, scraping the chocolate up as you push the scraper forward. If the chocolate is set right it will begin to curl over itself as you push.

If the chocolate shreds into tons of small pieces instead of folding into a curl, its probably too cold, so allow it to come to room temperature a little longer.

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Gemmas Pro Chef Tips For Making Chocolate Pudding Pie

You can make this a no-bake pie with my homemade cookie crust, or you can use my homemade pie crust recipe.
For a deeper chocolate flavor, whisk ½ teaspoon instant espresso powder into the custard while cooking it.
Once you stir in the egg yolks, make sure to cook the custard over low heat and stir constantly to prevent curdling. And dont skip the straining step this will catch and yolks that may have started to curdle to ensure that your pudding is smooth.
Make sure your chocolate is finely chopped and let the hot custard rest for the full five minutes to make sure the chocolate fully melts.
The plastic wrap directly on top of the pudding prevents skin from forming on the top of the pudding. Some people like pudding skin, but for this pie, its best without.