Mexican Chocolate Pie

This chocolate pie is the perfect combination of summertime sweet and spicy. And we’re not saying it works as a love potion, but we’re also not saying it doesn’t.

Adapted from: Chocolate Pudding Pie by Smitten Kitchen, and before that: Chocolate Pudding Pie by Gourmet Mag.

For the Pie Crust:

• 2 1/2 cups flour
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 sticks (1 cup) butter
• 3/4 cup ice water

For the Pudding Filling:

• 1/4 cup cornstarch
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 3 tablespoons cocoa powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3 cups whole milk
• 5 ounces bittersweet chocolate (finely chopped)
• 1  1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon cayenne

For the Whipped Cream:

• 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 tablespoon sugar

The How To (Pie Crust):

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Make your pie dough – we recommend using a 1/2 recipe of Smitten Kitchen’s All Butter, Really Flaky Pie Dough
3. Roll pie dough out on a floured surface, place into a buttered 9 inch pie plate, and crimp edges of crust.
4. Chill crust in freezer for 20 minutes. Line crust with aluminum foil and fill with pie weights, rice, or dried beans.
5. Bake for 25 minutes on a baking sheet; remove foil and pie weights and bake another 15-20 minutes more.
6. Remove from oven and let cool completely.

The How To (Chocolate Filling):

1. In a heavy saucepan, whisk together cornstarch, sugar, cocoa powder, cayenne, cinnamon, and salt.
2. Gradually whisk in the milk.
3. Whisk over medium heat until boiling; continue whisking two minutes until mixture thickens slightly.
4. Remove saucepan from heat; whisk in finely chopped chocolate and vanilla until smooth.
5. Pour pudding into chilled pie crust – don’t worry, it’ll continue to thicken.
6. Chill completely (at least an hour and a half, but ideally two hours).

The How To (Whipped Cream+Assembly):

1. Make a batch of our Homemade Whipped Cream (but be sure to skip the lemon zest!)
2. Spoon whipped cream onto pie and garnish with a few shakes of cinnamon and chocolate shavings.

A Few Notes:

• We recommend using a 1/2 recipe of Smitten Kitchen’s All Butter, Really Flaky Pie Dough for the crust, but you can substitute for another recipe. A pre-made pie crust will also do the trick, but where’s the fun in that?
• Don’t sweat it if your pie crust isn’t perfect (neither was ours)
• Try covering the surface of the pie with wax paper when you put it in the fridge – this will prevent a film from forming
• Chocolate shavings are easy to make, we promise! Just use a vegetable peeler.

Pairs Well With: