Oh, that's something tasty. Can't you just tell?
This is the chocolate cream pie I grew up with. The one SpyMom always made. The one we all devoured in about ten minutes after it was served.
I guess the recipe was never a secret, but the pie was so good that it became a mythical thing in all of our minds. And recently, when SpyMom made it after not having made it for quite a while, I got up the nerve to ask if she'd share her recipe.
She was more than happy to tell me what it was: the recipe on the chocolate pudding box! All this pie is, my friends, is a pre-baked pie crust filled with cook and serve chocolate pudding and topped with whipped cream.
There is a reason why this back-of-the-box recipe has endured. It's simple as can be, but beautiful in its own way. It is creamy and chocolate-y and simply divine. You can dress it up in any number of ways: use part almond, chocolate, or flavored milk for the pudding, add a flavoring extract to the whipped cream, or add some chocolate chip or nuts to the pudding mix.
Here's the recipe. With this pie, I played around a bit: I used 1 part almond milk and two parts regular whole milke for the pudding, and added a dash of vanilla extract to the whipped cream. I also garnished with shortbread cookies and a few pecans, for color contrast and cuteness.
Of course, that having been said, it's tremendous simply made straight-up--you go ahead and choose your adventure!
Simple as can Be Chocolate Cream Pie (printable version here!)
Ingredients
- One pre-baked 9-inch pie shell
- One box (5.1 ounces--the big size) cook and serve chocolate pudding
- 3 cups whole milk (can be part almond milk, etc)
- 2 cups freshly whipped cream
Procedure
- Have your cooled pie shell at the ready, but to the side.
- Prepare the chocolate pudding according to the box instructions, bringing the milk to a boil and stirring frequently until thickened.
- Pour the pudding into the pie shell. Got a little extra pudding? Guess you'll have to eat it from the bowl, with a spoon. Life is hard sometimes.
- Let the pie set (sans whipped cream) in the fridge for several hours, 2 to 3 at least. Top with whipped cream and any garnish directly before serving. Enjoy!