Oh, Chocolate Cream Pie! Pies are a classic dessert, and you can make a pie to please just about anyone. Whether it’s a decadent pecan pie, a rich apple pie, or a unique shoofly pie (which rumor has it began life as a breakfast! Yes, please!), there’s just something about pie that touches the heart.

And chocolate? You really can’t go wrong with chocolate. Hot chocolate, chocolate bars, chocolate cake, chocolate-dipped strawberries, dark chocolate, milk chocolate… you can see where this is going, right? There are countless ways to enjoy chocolate.

So what happens when you put the two together? You get a true American classic! The Chocolate Cream Pie is featured in high-end eateries, and it was a staple at diners across the country, carefully displayed atop a silver platter and covered with a heavy glass dome. I’ve seen restaurant reviewers and food magazines herald this luxurious dessert as one of America’s finest. I’m certainly not going to argue with that!

The origins of the Chocolate Cream Pie are up for debate. It could come from the land of plenty in the midwest, where dairy farms are ubiquitous, and there was more than enough milk and cream to try out and perfect a recipe like this. The recipe may originate in Hershey, Pennsylvania, sometime around the Great Depression. Both origin stories make sense, but I’ll tell you one thing. No matter where this recipe originated, it’s taken on a life of its own.

There are hundreds of Chocolate Cream Pie recipes out there. And though it’s not quite as common now, many of them would use chocolate pudding as the “chocolate cream” part of the pie. I’m all for making things easy and fast when necessary, but this pie is truly so easy that there’s no reason not to make it from scratch. You don’t even need to do that much cooking!

Here’s a secret I’ll share, though. There aren’t very many ingredients in this, so get the highest quality you can, and you’ll be well-rewarded with mouth-watering yumminess. Oh! One other secret. You can use any finely-ground coffee in place of the espresso powder. But try not to skip that ingredient. It really adds a nice depth to the overall flavor.

Chocolate Cream Pie

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Chocolate cream pies were often found on the menus of local diners in the 1950s and ’60s. There’d often be stainless-steel siding and a jukebox in the corner while a freshly made Choco­late Cream Pie sat under a glass dome on the counter.

• Author: Addie Gundry
• Prep Time: 20 minutes
• Chilling Time: 4 hours
• Total Time: 4 hours 20 minutes
• Yield: Serves 8-10 1x
• Category: Desserts

Ingredients

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• 2/3 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup unsweetened dark cocoa powder
• 1/2 teaspoon espresso powder
• 3 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 2 1/4 cups whole milk
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 refrigerated pie crust, baked according to the package directions
• Whipped topping, thawed, for garnish

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Instructions

1. In a medium saucepan, combine the sugar, cocoa powder, espresso powder, cornstarch, and salt. Whisk gently to combine. Set over medium-high heat. While stirring continuously, slowly add the milk and bring to a boil. Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla.
2. Pour into the pie crust and chill until firm.
3. Dollop the whipped topping over the pie.
4. Refrigerate for 4 hours or until ready to serve.

Have you made this recipe? Tell me what tricks you use to make your chocolate cream pie!