Chocolate Peppermint Cream Pie
My living room is lit with twinkling lights, there are Christmas carols playing through the speakers of my record player, and my freezer is full to the brim with Christmas cookies. All sure signs that Christmas is coming soon. Now all that’s left is to plan my holiday meal, and maybe an extra-special treat for dessert. This Chocolate Peppermint Cream Pie will fit the bill nicely.
Chocolate and Peppermint: A Match Made in Winter
Somewhere around the beginning of November, or the first snowfall, or whichever arrives first, my tastebuds undergo a drastic change. They shift from craving pumpkin and cinnamon to a flavor combination that I’ve come to associate with winter: chocolate and peppermint. And just as quickly after the holiday season passes, my tastebuds move on again. So there’s a very short window in which I fully appreciate this delicious combination.
And maybe that’s just as well. When certain foods or flavors are kept to their respective seasons, it makes them all the more enjoyable when that season rolls around again. What do you think? Do you eat seasonally like this, or is it just me?
A Decadent and Rich Treat…As All Celebratory Treats Should Be
This is a decadent luxury of a pie. The pudding filling — adapted from this one by Food & Wine — is a rich, chocolatey dream…nothing at all like the box mix. Don’t get me wrong, the box mix has its place and I do enjoy it, but a holiday celebration is the time to pull out all the stops. A celebratory dessert calls for an old-school cooked pudding…the kind that, if you don’t cover it tightly as it cools, ends up with a sort of “skin” on top (which I love). The kind made with whole milk, eggs, and real chocolate. This is that pudding.
The only change I made to the original was to replace a bit of the vanilla extract with peppermint extract. (I have this peppermint extract from Nielsen Massey and I highly recommend it.) Otherwise, it’s exactly the same as the Food & Wine recipe. It is, by far, the best chocolate pudding I’ve had, so why mess with perfection?
I’ve used this pudding before, in my Mud Pie Cake. It makes an excellent cake filling. In fact, if you’re not a pie fan, you could make that Mud Pie Cake with the peppermint version of this pudding, sprinkle some crushed candy canes on top, and have yourself a Peppermint Mud Pie Cake. Hmmm…I may have to try that.
But I digress. Let’s get back to this pie.
Making Chocolate Peppermint Cream Pie
The pudding is by far the most work in this recipe. But even that isn’t difficult — just a bit putzy. To make it easier, do a bit of mise en place (i.e., measure out all of your ingredients) before you start.
The crust is a simple butter pie crust (the same one I always use), blind baked until golden. Once your crust is cooled, you pour in the cooked pudding straight from the pan, cover it with saran wrap, and chill it thoroughly. When that’s done, all that’s left is to whip up some lightly sweetened cream, pile it on, top with crushed candy canes if you wish, and serve. Easy peasy.
Don’t have time for all of that? Buy a pre-made crust and some already-whipped cream or Cool Whip to cut some time. But please, whatever you do, make the pudding. It’ll be the best thing you eat this Christmas, believe me.
Whether you celebrate Christmas or not, I’m wishing you all health, happiness, and special time with loved ones this winter. And chocolate — I wish for you loads and loads of good chocolate.
Happy Holidays!
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Chocolate Peppermint Cream Pie
Equipment
- 9-inch pie pan
- Rolling Pin
- Medium saucepan
- Wire mesh strainer
- Stand mixer or hand mixer
Ingredients
Pie Crust
- 1 1/4 c all-purpose flour
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 c cold butter (1 stick), cut into small pieces
- 4-6 T ice water
- more flour to roll out
Chocolate Peppermint Pudding
- 2 1/4 c whole milk
- 1/2 c granulated sugar
- pinch salt
- 2 T cornstarch
- 3 T unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 large egg
- 2 large egg yolks
- 5 oz bittersweet chocolate, chopped finely
- 2 T butter, room temperature and cut into small pieces
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp peppermint extract
Whipped Cream
- 2 c heavy whipping cream
- 2 T granulated sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract
- crushed candy canes, for decorating
Instructions
Pie Crust
- In a large bowl, combine flour and salt. Using your hands, massage butter pieces into the flour mixture until they are about pea-sized (or slightly bigger).
- Drizzle cold water into the butter-flour mixture 1 T at a time, gently mixing with a fork or hands as you go. (You may not need all of the water.)Once your dough gets to the point where all flour is moistened and it's starting to come together, press together GENTLY to form a ball. Make sure not to overwork the dough – you want those butter chunks to stay cold!
- Wrap dough tightly with plastic wrap and chill for 1 hour. (You can do this part ahead of time and refrigerate overnight.)
- Preheat oven to 425°F
- Roll chilled dough out on a lightly floured surface to a roundish shape about 1/8" thick. Place in your pie pan and trim the edges so you have about a 1" overhang. Fold the overhang under so you have a clean, thick edge, and crimp as desired. Using the tines of a fork, dock the bottom of the pie crust.If the oven isn't done preheating yet, place the pie crust into the fridge to chill until the oven is ready.
- Line the pie crust with a piece of parchment paper, making sure it overhangs the edges of the pie pan. Fill to the top with pie weights, dried beans, or uncooked rice. Bake for 15-17 minutes, until the crust edge looks set and is starting to lightly brown. Remove the crust from the oven and use the edges of the parchment paper to lift your pie weights out of the pan. Place the crust back into the oven and bake for another 10-12 minutes, or until it is fully baked and evenly browned.Let the crust cool completely before filling.
Chocolate Peppermint Pudding
- In a large saucepan, combine 2 cups of the milk, 1/4 cup of the sugar, and the salt. Bring to a boil over medium heat while stirring to dissolve the sugar. Remove from heat.
- In a medium bowl, whisk the cornstarch with the unsweetened cocoa powder and the remaining 1/4 cup sugar until combined. Add the remaining 1/4 cup of milk and whisk until smooth. Whisk into the hot milk in the saucepan. Return the pan to the heat and bring to a boil over medium heat, whisking constantly. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, whisking constantly, about 2 minutes or until the pudding is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.
- In a medium mixing bowl, whisk the egg and egg yolks. Gradually add about 1 cup of the hot pudding into the eggs, whisking until thoroughly incorporated. Scrape the pudding back into the saucepan. Cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, just until it comes to boil, about 2 minutes. Strain through a wire mesh strainer into a medium heatproof bowl.
- Add the chopped chocolate, butter, vanilla, and peppermint extract. Whisk until the chocolate and butter are melted and the pudding is smooth, about 2 minutes. Pour finished pudding into your prepared pie crust.Press a piece of plastic wrap directly onto the surface of the pudding and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight. Remove plastic wrap before adding the whipped cream.
Whipped Cream
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment (or in a large bowl using a hand mixer), beat heavy whipping cream, sugar, and vanilla until soft peaks form. Pile all of the whipped cream onto your chilled pie, spreading it all the way to the edges.Just before serving, sprinkle crushed candy canes on top of the whipped cream. Cut, serve, and enjoy!
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