Grand Central Bakery | Chocolate Cream Pie

Chocolate Cream Pie Recipe:

Essentially pudding in a pie shell, many chocolate cream pies start with a sweet cookie crust. We prefer our buttery U-Bake pie crust, which provides a wonderful contrast to the sweet creamy chocolate filling.

1 Grand Central U-Bake Pie Shell

Filling
12 ounces high quality semi-sweet chocolate (chips or bar)
3 tablespoons butter
2 eggs
1/2 cup sugar
2 tablespoons cornstarch
pinch of kosher salt
1 1/2 cups milk
3/4 cup heavy whipping cream
1 teaspoon vanilla

Topping
1 cup heavy whipping cream
2 tablespoons sour cream* (optional)
2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Preheat oven to 375°F

Blind bake crust
Use a pre-formed crust or press pre-rolled pie dough into 9-inch tin and crimp edges. Use a fork to prick, or dock, the bottom of the crust. Cover the chilled crust with a piece of parchment paper or tin foil. Fill the shell with 2 to 3 cups of dried beans and place in the middle of the preheated oven. Reduce the temperature to 350°F and bake for 25 minutes. Remove from the oven, carefully remove the parchment paper or foil and beans, and return to the oven for 5 minutes.

Make filling
Melt chocolate and butter in a heavy bottom pan on low and set aside. Whisk eggs, sugar, cornstarch and salt together in a bowl. Heat milk and cream in separate saucepan. Slowly add hot milk and cream to egg mixture, whisking constantly. Return filling to saucepan over low heat and stir continuously. Bring to lazy boil and simmer for a full minute. Turn off heat and whisk in warm melted chocolate. Add vanilla.

Fill and finish pie
Pour warm filling into blind baked shell and let cool completely. No more than 3 hours before serving, whip cream, sour cream, sugar and vanilla until mixture holds firm peaks and spread over the top of the pie. Garnish with shaved or grated chocolate if desired.

*Sour cream will add a zing to the topping, as well as help stabilize the whipping cream.