Chocolate Cream Dream Pie

Creamy? ✔ Dreamy? ✔ Chocolatey? ✔ Fantabulously Delicious? ✔ You owe to yourself and everyone you love to make this pie!

This pie and I go back decades. Like we’re talking first broken heart, decades. This pie has seen me at my very worst where I’m a blubbering fool swearing off dating and boys forever to my first real kiss. This pie has seen the good, the bad and most definitely the ugly – hello stir-up pants, shoulder pads, mile-high hair and bright blue eye shadow ugly. Ah the 80’s… good times. TERRIBLE fashion but phenomenal music from pop, old school rap and dude— HAIR METAL!  LOL Sorry, going off topic here. Man I loved the 80’s though.

Anyway… back to this pie. Dare I call it my bestie? Can a food be a bestie? Yes I know “eating to soothe feelings is not right and can lead to blah blah blah”. I get it. But when you’re 14 years old and you have your heart-broken by that guy you had been crushing on all year only to hear he asked someone else to the dance instead of you… yeah, this pie was needed.

I can still remember getting off the bus that day, eyes all puffy and watery trying to fight back the tears on the bus. My oh-so-perfect-makeup <shakes her head no it wasn’t… I looked like a clown looking back on those pictures> pretty much wiped off and mascara smeared on my cheeks. As I walked into the house and Mom asked me if my crush had asked me, I ran to my room in tears. Slamming the door, blaring some sappy song, sprawling on my bed and having what seemed to be the worst day in my life.

A Mother’s Intuition

And it was as if Mom had intuition that it was going to be a bad day as she came into my room with a slice of this pie that she made earlier that morning. It was if she knew… Mom’s just know, ya know? Now I know the pie didn’t heal my broken heart as it was Mom to be honest and her talks. God I miss our talks. She seriously gave the best advice ever. But somehow this pie just became synonymous with ‘events’ in my life. With my dumb luck for the longest time there were only bad events – break ups, fights with friends or not getting a job I wanted. But then one day she said “Honey I’m going to give you this recipe but I want you to do something for me. Only make this pie when it’s a happy time; a celebration. You deserve to be happy. So even if you have to make your own happiness, you make it!”

And so I did. Truth be told I didn’t make this pie for a while as it seemed like I had a perpetual black cloud over top of me that I just couldn’t shake. But then… then I bought my first house. I did it! And I did it all on my own! I was in my early 20’s, single, had a great job and was able to buy my first real house. Trust me guys – this was HUGE for a girl who grew up as poor as I did. It was my first weekend in the house all alone with my one cat when I started to get depressed. I was…alone. It did start to bother me but I kind of brushed it aside as I had a ton of stuff to still unpack. As I was in my kitchen and putting away my cookbooks an index card fell on the floor. As I picked it up I immediately start to cry.

…it was this recipe from my Mom that she had given me all those years ago.

Make my own happiness

I stood there with tears pouring down my face, my cat sitting at my feet bucking my leg because he knew something was wrong. I sat down on my kitchen floor, pulled my cat into my chest and let the tears just flow down my face and onto his head. I then remembered what my Mom said to me – to make my own happiness.  I kind of chuckled out loud, kissed my poor wet cat’s head (thank God that cat loved me) and picked myself back up. I took a break from unpacking, went to the store to get the ingredients for this pie and came home to make it. Since it was still early in the day I knew it would be ready that night to enjoy.

That night in my new house with not even a couch in my living room I sat on the floor with my cat, a comforter wrapped around us, eating a slice of this pie while watching tv.

IN MY HOUSE that I bought!

I had created my own happiness!

It was after that I started to look for the positive in everything. So what if I got dumped – he wasn’t the right guy (obviously as I married the most amazingly fantabulous man EVER!). So what if I didn’t get that promotion! I just moved on to bigger and better positions with other companies! So what if had to work forced overtime and missed a party. HELLO.. extra cash!

Seriously so what. Sure there are times when there is nothing positive but it will get better, you just have to have faith. Plus there is always this pie to help!

Happiness is within us all – you just have to find it!

…and when you find it, have this pie!

Chocolate Cream Dream Pie

• Author: The Kitchen Whisperer
• Yield: 6-10

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Ingredients

Butter Cracker Crust

• 1 1/2 cups butter cracker crumbs (can use graham cracker crumbs if preferred)
• 1/4 cup white sugar
• 5 tablespoon melted butter, unsalted

Chocolate Ganache

• 3/4 cup 60% chocolate, chopped small
• 1/2 cup heavy cream

Chocolate Dream Layer

• 1 large box instant chocolate pudding (5.1 ounce size)
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1 1/4 cups whole milk
• 1/4 cup prepared ganache, cooled
• 1 cup whipped topping

Cream Layer

• 4 ounces full fat cream cheese, room temperature
• 2/3 cup heavy cream
• 1/4 cup confectioners’ sugar
• 1 cup whipped topping

Garnish

• 1–2 tablespoon shaved chocolate (any flavor though dark is my favorite)

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Instructions

Ganache

1. Place half of the chopped chocolate in a glass bowl; set aside. Heat the cream over medium heat just until it starts to get bubbles around the edges. Immediately remove it from the heat and pour it over the chocolate pieces. Let it sit for 2 minutes and then stir slowly. As you stir, gradually add the rest of the chocolate pieces until the chocolate is all melted and the mixture is emulsified. This takes about 2 minutes. You want it super smooth and shiny.
2. Set aside and allow to cool.

Make the Crust

1. Preheat the oven to 350F, rack in the middle. In a bowl combine the crumbs and sugar. Pour in the butter and mix with a fork coating all of the crumbs evenly. Pour the crumbs into the bottom of 9” pie pan. Using the bottom of a flat-bottomed glass (or a measuring cup) press the crumbs on the bottom and up the sides of the pan. See Note*
2. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool completely.

Chocolate Dream Layer

1. In a large, deep bowl add the instant pudding, heavy cream and whole milk. Using a hand mixer beat for 2 minutes until thick and creamy scraping down the sides as needed.
2. Add in 1/4 cup cooled ganache and beat until combined.
3. Add in the whipped topping and fold gently to combine. Set aside.

Cream Layer

1. In a clean bowl add the cream cheese. Using a hand mixer beat for 2-3 minutes until light and creamy. Add in the confectioners’ sugar and mix to combine. Scrape the sides and bottom to incorporate.
2. Add in the cream to the mixture and slowly mix until light and fluffy scraping down the sides.
3. Add in the whipped topping and fold gently to combine. Set aside.

Assembly

1. To the cooled Butter Cracker Crust add the remaining cooled ganache to the bottom and spread out. If the ganache is hard, melt in the microwave for a few seconds just to get it to a soft, spreadable state.
2. Next add in the Chocolate Dream Layer spreading out evenly. Top with the Cream Layer and spread to the edge. Garnish with the shaved chocolate and chill for at least 4 hours or until firm. Cover any leftovers with plastic wrap.

Notes

It’s super important to compress the crumb mixture tightly on the bottom and the sides as this will prevent the crust from crumbling apart when cutting. Additionally you want to make sure that your crust is of even thickness.

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