For the Crust:
24 Oreo cookies, crushed
3 Tbsp. butter, melted and cooled
For the Filling:
2 + 1/2 cups half & half
pinch of salt
1/3 cup sugar, divided
2 Tbsp. cornstarch
6 egg yolks, at room temperature
6 Tbsp. butter, cold and cubed
6 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, chips or chopped bar
1 ounce unsweetened chocolate, chopped
1 tsp. vanilla
For the Topping:
1 + 1/2 cups heavy cream
1/4 cup powdered sugar (or more to taste)
1 tsp. vanilla
Chocolate Shavings for garnishing (Optional)
Directions:
To make the crust, crush your Oreo cookies and mix with the butter until it can be pressed into a 9" pie pan. Refrigerate the crust for 10 minutes and then bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes until it is set. Cool on a wire wrack.
To make the filling, bring the half & half, salt, and 3 Tbsp. of the sugar up to a simmer. Stir it frequently to avoid burning the cream on the bottom of the pan. Mix together the remaining sugar and the cornstarch in a separate bowl and set aside. Whisk together the egg yolks for 30 seconds until thickened slightly and then add the cornstarch and sugar mixture. Whisk together again until it looks glossy and smooth, about 1 minute longer. When the half & half mixture is simmering, add a small amount of it to the egg mixture to bring it up to heat. Continue doing that until you can incorporate the egg mixture into the pan without the eggs cooking. Return to simmer until the mixture thickens and looks glossy, about 20 seconds longer.
Remove the mixture from the heat and whisk in the butter, chocolate, and vanilla. Be sure to scrape the bottom of the pan to fully mix the ingredients together. Pour the mixture into the pie crust pan and lay plastic wrap over the top so that a film doesn't form over the filling. Chill the pie for several hours until the filling and crust are well chilled.
To make the topping:
Once the pie is chilled completely, you can start the whipped topping. Place all ingredients into a medium bowl and beat with a mixer until the cream forms a good peak. Then spread the cream over the pie and garnish with chocolate shavings.
Time to Make: about an hour plus chilling time
Difficulty: Medium
Recipe Origin: http://www.browneyedbaker.com/chocolate-cream-pie-recipe/
