Chocolate Cream Pie

I'm drooling right now just looking back over these pictures.  I made my daddy a chocolate cream pie for Father's Day, and it was declared by him "the best pie he's ever had."  I couldn't believe how perfect it turned out.  It was so, so, so easy to make - yet tasted sinfully rich.  The crust is just a basic, flaky pie crust; I wouldn't use any other crust on this if you mainly want to taste the chocolate layer.  This layer is rich, fudgey, silky, and oh-so chocolatey.  It's also kind of thin, but you definitely won't mind because it's so rich anyways.  And even though it is very rich, it doesn't fill you up like a cheesecake would (since it's a thin layer) - so you will definitely want to go back for seconds(:  This pie was over half way eaten the first night I made it!  And that's just between my mom, dad and I, and it was right after we'd gone out for Father's Day dinner. This is definitely the only chocolate cream pie I will ever use from now on!

Yield: 1 9-inch pie

Ingredients:

• 1 (9 inch) pie crust, baked
• 1 1/4 cups white sugar
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 cups milk
• 4 egg yolks
• 2 (1 ounce) squares unsweetened chocolate
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Thawed Cool Whip or home made whipped cream

Chocolate shavings, toasted coconut, or chopped candy bar pieces

Directions:

1. In medium saucepan, combine sugar, flour, cornstarch and salt. In a medium bowl, beat milk and egg yolks until smooth. Gradually stir into sugar mixture. Stir constantly over medium heat until mixture thickens and comes to a full boil. Boil and stir for one minute.
2. Remove from heat and stir in chocolate, butter and vanilla. Stir until melted.
3. Pour into pie shell. Place plastic wrap over filling to prevent skin from forming and chill for several hours. Top with Cool Whip or whipped cream and toppings if desired.

Vanilla Pudding Pie in a Nilla Wafer Crust

  

 

A few days ago, I realized we had a bunch of Nilla Wafers in the pantry, and they were gonna expire soon, so I decided to use them up by making a crust for a pie out of them.  I absolutely love Nilla Wafers...they're one of my favorite snacks...especially in banana pudding.  So I knew that a crust would taste amazing made out of them.  We also had some vanilla pudding mix in the pantry, so I figured: Why not?  I made the pudding as directed, added some banana slices,  poured it into the pie crust, topped it with some whipped cream, and Wah-La!  I had created an incredibly easy, but oh-so-very-yummy pie.  I do have one confession: I do not think this is as quite as good as my banana cream pie (here), simply because the vanilla pudding in that recipe is home made, and I love that sugar cookie crust even more than this Nilla Wafer one.  But this recipe is much easier and quicker to make and I think the crust is very unique and a fantastic way to use up left over Nilla Wafers.  Even though it's not quite as good as my banana cream pie, it's still insanely good!!  I highly recommend both.


Ingredients:
1.5 cups nilla wafer crumbs (about 40 cookies)
2 tablespoons white sugar
1/3 cup unsalted butter, melted
4-5 medium bananas (optional)
1 package vanilla pudding mix
1 3/4 cup milk
1 tub cool whip, thawed
Garnish: banana slices, Nilla Wafer crumbs, Nilla wafer cookies (optional)


Instructions: 
1. preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Combine cookie crumbs, white sugar, and melted butter.  Pat into the bottom of a pie pan, and bake for 8-10 minutes, or until edges are very lightly browned.  Cool completely.
2.  Line cooled crust with banana slices - enough to completely cover the pie - if desired.  Beat pudding mix with milk for about 2-3 minutes, or until thick. Pour over cooled crust and/or banana slices.  Top with desired amount of thawed cool whip.  Refrigerate for at least 3 hours before serving.

Banana Cream Pie

I made this for a sleepover with my friend, and we at over half the pie in one sitting - just the 2 of us.  She was so surprised at how good it was and made me give her the recipe.  Before she tasted it, she really, really wanted to go to a local ice cream shop for dessert.  But I told her I made a pie, and she was like: "okay...well...I guess I'll try it."  And when she tasted it - well, lets just say she really did not want to go to get ice cream anymore.  This is by far the best banana cream pie I've ever had.  The sugar cookie crust makes it extra special, as opposed to a normal, flaky pie crust.  The crust makes it very sweet, but it's just so delicious and pairs perfectly with the creamy, melt-in-your-mouth, banana filling.  Without the crust, the filling is also the best tasting pudding I've ever had!  The filling has a wonderful banana flavor that I'm sure you will love.  This pie is the ultimate comfort food...especially for those warm summer nights.


For the Crust:
Ingredients:
1 pouch (1 lb 1.5 oz) Betty Crocker sugar cookie mix
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/3 cup butter, softened
1 egg, slightly beaten


Instructions:
Heat oven to 350°F. Spray bottom and sides of a 9-inch pan with cooking spray. In large bowl, stir cookie base ingredients until soft dough forms. Press evenly in bottom of pan. Bake 15 to 18 minutes or until golden brown. Let cool completely before filling.


For the banana cream filling:

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup white sugar
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups milk
• 3 egg yolks, beaten
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 1/4 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 4 bananas, sliced

Directions

1. In a saucepan, combine the sugar, flour, and salt. Add milk in gradually while stirring gently. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture is bubbly. Keep stirring and cook for about 2 more minutes, and then remove from the burner.
2. Stir a small quantity of the hot mixture into the beaten egg yolks, and immediately add egg yolk mixture to the rest of the hot mixture. Cook for 2 more minutes; remember to keep stirring. Remove the mixture from the stove, and add butter and vanilla. Stir until the whole thing has a smooth consistency.
3. Slice bananas into the cooled baked pastry shell. Top with pudding mixture.
4. Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 12 to 15 minutes. Chill for at least one hour.
5. Garnish with whipped cream and/or extra sliced bananas, if desired.