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Two Bite Chocolate Cream Pies

Two Bite Chocolate Cream Pies

While there is nothing like a full-sized cake or pie, there is something very appealing about little desserts. They’re cute – a shrunken down version of their full-sized cousins – and can pack in a lot of flavor. Best of all, you can usually eat more than one without feeling guilty. So I’m easily tempted by miniature versions of desserts, and when I saw a picture of some miniature chocolate cream pies in a recent issue of Sunset magazine, I wanted to give them a try. A few tweaks to the original recipe and I had a whole batch of tasty, mini cream pies to enjoy!

These little pies have a great chocolate flavor to them, and a consistency that is very similar to chocolate pudding. They’re easy to handle because the filling is quite firm. In fact, it may start to firm up as you spoon it out into the mini crusts after preparing it. Don’t worry if the tops of the mini pies look a little irregular as they set. The whipped cream used to top the pies not only lightens up the chocolate, but it disguises any little imperfections in the filling. I used dark chocolate and the filling had a nice chocolate flavor that wasn’t too sweet. Use sweetened whipped cream to finish these if you like them a little sweeter, or simply substitute a semisweet or milk chocolate instead.

The crusts for these little pies are very easy to make. You’ll notice right away that, unlike many other graham cracker-type crusts, there is no butter in the recipe. Instead, the crumbs are held together with egg white. This makes for a crisper, firmer crust that is easy to take out of the mini muffin cups after baking, as well as for a crust that will hold up well to the chocolate cream filling without becoming soggy. Don’t worry if the crusts seem a bit hard after baking; just fill them up and chill them and they’ll be just right when you’re ready to eat! I added a little instant coffee powder (Starbucks Via, actually, since I really like that for baking) to my crusts to give them a hint of mocha flavor.

These mini pies can easily be made a day in advance and stored in the refrigerator until ready to serve. Add the whipped cream just before serving and give them a dusting of cocoa powder to finish them off. These are great for a crowd, and perhaps even better as a bite-sized treat to share with a loved one on a special occasion – with leftovers, of course!

Two Bite Chocolate Cream Pies
Mini Chocolate Crust
1 1/4 cups chocolate wafer crumbs
1/3 cups sugar
1/4 tsp salt
2 tsp instant coffee or 1 packet Starbucks Via
1 large egg white
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

 

Chocolate Cream Filling
3-oz dark chocolate, finely chopped
1 tbsp butter
1 large egg
1 egg yolk
2/3 cups sugar
2 tbsp cornstarch
1 tbsp cocoa powder
1 cup milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
whipped cream and cocoa powder, for topping

First, make the crusts.
Preheat oven to 350F. Lightly grease 24 miniature muffin cups.
In a food processor, combine all crust ingredients except for the egg white and vanilla, and pulse to combine. Add in egg white and vanilla and pulse until crumbs resemble coarse, wet sand.
Put 1 tbsp of crumbs into each of the greased mini muffin cups. Using your fingers, press the crumbs into a thin layer on the sides and bottom of the cup.
Bake for 11-14 minutes, until crusts are set and edges are lightly browned. Cool completely in the pan.
Once cooled, use the tip of a knife to loosen the crusts from the mini muffin cups, but keep them in the pan.

To make the filling, melt together dark chocolate and butter in a small microwave-safe bowl.
In a medium saucepan, whisk together egg, egg yolk, sugar, cornstarch, cocoa power, milk and vanilla extract until very smooth. Bring mixture to a simmer over medium heat, stirring frequently. Whisk in melted chocolate and butter mixture.
Stir slowly but continuously as pudding continues to cook and thicken. When filling is thick, remove from heat and spoon it evenly into prepared mini pie shells. If there is leftover filling, you can put it in a small bowl and refrigerate it (to eat as pudding later).
Place all filled mini pies, still in the baking tray, into the fridge to set up and chill for at least 4 hours.
When ready to serve, top pies with whipped cream and dust with confectioners’ sugar.

Makes 24 mini pies.

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12 Comments
  • Lorrie Gauthier
    February 8, 2010

    These look very interesting and sound like they just might work when you have an attack and the cure is “take two and call me in the morning”. 🙂

    Isn’t that VIA coffee amazing to use in baking?

  • barb
    February 8, 2010

    These look adorable! Thank you for the recipe, I’m going to try them using splenda since I’m diabetic & I love new recipes.

  • Cookin' Canuck
    February 8, 2010

    Great idea to add the Starbucks Via to the crust. These are absolutely adorable!

  • Ragne
    February 8, 2010

    Oh, I definately want to make those pies!

  • The Local Cook
    February 9, 2010

    So cute, they look awesome! And, since they’re small, I wouldn’t feel *too* guilty eating them 😉

  • Alli
    February 9, 2010

    (Long-time reader, first-time commenter)

    These look amazing! I was wondering, what kind of chocolate wafer cookies did you use?

  • Julie
    February 9, 2010

    I was reading the Sunset version alongside yours (love how you separated the ingredients for the crust and the filling), and had a question: Is the amount of sugar for the filling in your version correct? Sunset’s recipe would have 1/4 cup of sugar in the filling, I believe. I didn’t go over both recipes with a fine tooth comb, so forgive me if I missed something! Thanks!

  • Katie
    February 10, 2010

    These are just gorgeous! They look like they have a dreamy texture

  • Cocoa
    February 11, 2010

    wow, these mini choco cream pies are amazing! thank you very much for sharing…….i was wondering if i can avoid putting the crust in the baking pan because i only have a 12 cup mini muffin pin. Will it ruin the taste of the choco cream pie? thank you very much ^^

  • carma
    February 13, 2010

    Could the filling be made in advance, and then be used to fill the shells on the day I’m planning to serve it? Or will the filling set too much?

  • chocaholic
    February 28, 2010

    awesome pies! made them just yesterday for a dinner party tonight. i’m sure everyone will love them!
    my first set of crusts turned out quite hard but with the filling added and a night in the fridge they now have the right consistency.
    thanks for sharing
    Thumbs up!*

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