It was my Father-in-Law’s birthday last week and when I asked him what he wanted me to make him for his birthday dessert, I could tell he was trying to decide between chocolate cream pie and banana cream pie, so I did what any pie-obsessed baker would do: I made both.

So, today, I give you the recipe for this incredibly rich and delicious homemade chocolate cream pie.  Banana cream will come later in the week, but for now, lets discuss this one.  First, there is nothing better than Oreo cookie crust.  Not the kind from the store in the tin foil pan, but honest-to-goodness ground up Oreo cookies spread with melted butter and pressed into a pan.  As I said on my Facebook page, on a scale of one to Whole30- these are a zero.

Now lets tackle the pudding.  It is a super easy (albeit slightly time consuming) thing to make and it is not even on the same planet as the stuff you buy in the package at the store.  It just isn’t.  It is rich, and creamy, with a deep chocolate flavor and you will absolutely love it.

I topped mine with whipped cream and chocolate shavings.  For travel purposes (I had to transport this in a cooler for a two hour drive) I went with Cool Whip, but if I had been making it at home, I no doubt would have gone with homemade fresh whipped cream.  Then I shaved up a Cadbury milk chocolate bar for the top.

Chocolate Magic.

Enjoy!

Recipe adapted from Something Swanky

Ingredients:
One Oreo Cookie Pie Crust
3 egg yolks
3 cups of whole milk (it has to be whole milk)
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon butter
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
8 oz of Cool Whip or homemade sweetened whipped cream
chocolate shavings for garnish.

Directions:
Make your crust first.  Recipe and directions here.

In a large saucepan, whisk together the egg yolks and whole milk. (The heat is not on at this point.)  In a large bowl, mix together the sugar, cornstarch, cocoa powder, and salt.

Whisk the dry ingredients into the saucepan, and place over medium high heat, mixing constantly.  Mix for about 15 minutes, until the mixture has a smooth, thick, pudding like consistency.  Remove from heat and add the butter and vanilla.  Mix until smooth.

Pour your pudding directly into your crust.  Refrigerate overnight (you can cover with plastic wrap once it is set.) and top with whipped cream and chocolate shavings before serving.