Granini's Chocolate Eclair Pie

Granini's Chocolate Eclair Pie

So I bought a dessert last week, which I never do, because I was intrigued by the concept. 

Chocolate Eclair Pie.

I wasn't a fan of the baker's crust, sorry to say, much preferring my own simple pie crust.

But the innards.

The innards of that amazing pie made my mouth want to cry of happiness.

It was as if I was eating a silken, smooth and creamy cheesecake with the consistency of a thick pudding. It was lick.the.spoon.fantastic.

She topped the pie with an eensy sliver of melted, then solidified chocolate chips. I felt deprived.

So I came home and tried to replicate.

The pinterest recipes all had fake vanilla pudding from a box mix, mixed in with cream cheese and sometimes some cool whip to mix things up. Well, I'm not used to fake vanilla pudding. So it was a bit too, well, fake vanilla pudding-y.

So I set about this evening trying to come up with something better.

Now. Just know that I do believe that real whipped cream has its time and place. But I'm also a big fan of cool whip, because, well, it's easy, and it taste just fine to me. On a chocolate cream pie. Or on a spoon. Or on my finger.

So I made what I do now believe to be one of my all time favorite pies. And I hope I can remember just exactly how I made it. Some of the quantities (cream cheese and cool whip, for example), may need a little adjusting.  I'll come back and adjust the recipe once I make the pie again.

I'll try to get those amounts firmed up just as soon as the fresh Oregon strawberries come into season. Because, let me just tell you now, I plan on eating a boat load of these pies (minus the chocolate topping), with FRESH fruit smothering the top. And Oregon Strawberries are the best.damn.berries on the planet.

If you haven't had a fresh Oregon Hood strawberry, I feel sorry for you.

Here is a little pity party, just for you.

*whoo*

Now for the REST of us, we'll need a topping for this pie to hold us over until the three, very short, weeks of Strawberry Goodness are here to help us out. I picked chocolate. Duh. It's my favorite.

So here's my new recipe for Chocolate Eclair Pie. Please, enjoy.

Ingredients:

One fully baked pie crust.

1/2 cup Crisco

3/4 teaspoons salt

1 1/4 cups flour

1/3 cup ice water

For the vanilla pudding part:

1 cup half & half

3 egg yolks

1/4 cup sugar

1 1/2 tablespoons flour

1/8 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons vanilla

For the magic part:

(approximately) 8 ounces cream cheese

(approximately 1 1/2 cups cool whip (softened)

For the chocolate ganache/topping part:

(approximately) 1 1/2 cups chocolate chips *

(approximately) 2 tablespoons white corn syrup

(approximately) 1 tablespoon 1/2 & 1/2 or heavy whipping cream

*(I love Winco's** bulk chocolate chips. They make the best chocolate chip cookies and I think they taste great in fudge and, well, melted on top of my chocolate eclair pie.)

**And no, I don't get free Winco chocolate chips out of the deal. I don't have advertisers. I just like what I like. And I might as well tell you, so you can like it too.

Directions:

1. In a saucepan, heat the half & half until it simmers.

2. In a HEAVY saucepan, whisk the sugar, the flour, and the salt together. Add in the 3 egg yolks and whisk completely until all the dry ingredients are thoroughly mixed together with the egg yolks.

3. Slowly (slowly!) add in a little tiny bit of the hot half & half to the eggs, just a wee bit at a time, whisking the entire time until all of the hot half & half is mixed in.

4. On medium heat, whisk the mixture slowly, and constantly, for 5 or 6 minutes, or until the mixture thickens up and looks like pudding. It may take longer depending upon your saucepan. Turn down the heat to very, very low, and stir for another 3 to 4 minutes. Add in the vanilla.

5. Pour the pudding into a bowl. Place a piece of wax paper or saran wrap over the top directly onto the pudding. Set the pudding in the fridge to cool. I left mine in overnight and it did just fine.

6. Make your pie crust. If you need a recipe, here's mine. Granini's Pie Crust. It's simple and easy. Poke the crust with a fork, pop it in the oven at 415º and bake for 15 minutes. Allow it to cool completely.

7. Once your pie crust is cool and your pudding is cool and you're ready to go, place your cream cheese into a standing mixer and whip that sucker up until it's nice and fluffy.

8. Turn your mixer down to low, and then slowly add in your pudding.

9. Turn your mixer onto medium high, and whip it up for about 30 seconds or so.

10. With a rubber spatula, scrape down the sides of the bowl. Then, add in a cup to a cup and a half of cool whip. Use the rubber spatula to stir it in.

11. Poor the entire goodness into your pie shell.

12. In a small glass bowl, add your chocolate chips, your corn syrup, and your half & half. Pop the bowl into the microwave. Nuke it for a min or so. Remove from the microwave and stir until the chocolate comes out smooth and beautiful. Drizzle (or pour) it all over the top of your pudding.

13. Pop the whole thing in the fridge and then wait by the fridge with your spoon in hand and wish the clock would pass so you could eat it soon. In reality, go binge watch something on Netflix or Amazon (I don't get paid for those either -- hahaha), and come back and eat that whole pie all by your sweet self -- or with a loved one -- and ENJOY!!!

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Here's what the delish pie looks like without the chocolate. When those berries come in, I'll pop this sucker in the fridge, just naked like this, and then top with sweet delicious berries and serve. Yum!

BUT, berries aren't available just yet. So I smothered mine in chocolate.

Yep. That's what I want. Chocolate Eclair Pie. YAY!!

So that's it for today's recipe. I'll pop on another one this weekend for lime/cilantro sauce that's delish. And maybe after this weekend I can give you an update on the book! I'm ALMOST done with the first draft of Jack Diamond book number 2 entitled No One Noticed.  YAY me!!! 

I have about 7 to 10 chapters left...

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Find other tasty Thanksgiving Dinner dishes here:

And tasty pie recipes here:

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I not only bake and cook, I write murder mysteries too!

Both books are available in paperback and kindle versions

Diamonds for Diamond 
(Book 1 in the Jack Diamond Mystery series)
and
No One Noticed

(Book 2 in the Jack Diamond Mystery Series)