S’more Chocolate Pie

A pie fit for a birthday dessert

Here is the dessert that we finished up the birthday celebration with; I have been posting about this celebration all this week. It definitely is for the chocolate lovers out there or all of you that love s’mores.

My daughter requested a cheesecake topped with fruit for her birthday dessert; which I made for her, but there is something about a family celebration that calls for chocolate.

I guess it is the chocolate lover in me that whenever we have a family celebration I start looking for a new chocolate recipe to make. For me a celebration just is not a celebration unless there is chocolate somewhere in the menu.

This recipe does take a bit more time than it does take to make s’mores, but it’s well worth the effort.

I decided to make my go to graham cracker crust, but spruced it up a bit with some mini chocolate chips. The chocolate filling is creamy and chocolaty, just what you would expect in any kind of dessert with the name s’mores attached to it. The topping is a cross between a meringue and marshmallow cream, so yummy.

The problem with birthday celebrations it does not allow me a lot of time to take pictures and if I wait until after the celebration I may not have anything to take a picture of. So excuse the pictures they may not be the greatest.

S’more Chocolate Pie (Source: adapted from The Creekside Cook)
Ingredients:
Graham Cracker Crust-
1 1/4 cup graham cracker crumbs
1/4 cup sugar
6 tablespoons butter, melted
1/2 cup mini semisweet chocolate chips
Filling-
6 egg yolks
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/3 cup sugar, divided
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cup heavy cream
1 cup milk
5 tablespoons cold butter, cut into cubes
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Topping-
3 egg whites, room temperature
3 tablespoon light corn syrup
3/4 cup granulated sugar
Pinch of salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
Instructions:
Graham cracker crust-
1. Combine the graham cracker crumbs, sugar, and melted butter; mix together. Add the mini chocolate chips and gently mix in.  Press into a 9-inch pie pan. 2. Bake in a 375 degree F oven for 6 to 9 minutes or until edges brown.
Filling-
1. Whisk the egg yolks until they are well broken up.
2. Whisk in 2 tablespoons of the sugar and the cornstarch and keep whisking until the mixture is lightened and very creamy.
3. In a large saucepan, heat the cream, milk, the remaining sugar, and the 1/4 teaspoon of salt until it comes to a simmer. Take of heat.
4. Slowly whisk a bit of the hot milk into the mixture, use a large spoon a dribble in a couple of tablespoons at a time, whisking all the while. This will prevent the eggs from curdling. Whisk about a 1/2 cup or so.
5. Return the egg yolk mixture into the remaining cream in the pan and return to low heat.
6. Keep whisking until it comes back up to a simmer – let it simmer for about 30 seconds, whisking all the while. It will get thick and shiny.
7. Return from the heat, and whisk in the butter, a few cubes at a time, until each cube is melted.
8. Add all of the chocolate and mix until it is completely melted and blended in.
9. Mix in the vanilla. Immediately spread the filling into the crust. Cool in the refrigerator for about an hour before making the topping.
Topping-
1. Using a double boiler or a mixing bowl set over a pan of lightly simmering water.
2. Whisk together the eggs, corn syrup, sugar, and a pinch of salt
3. Continue to whisk over the heat, until the sugar is completely dissolved and the mixture is warmed. It should be warm to the touch not hot, about a 120 degree F. The important thing is that the sugar is dissolved; it should take about 4 minutes,
4. Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla
5. With an electric mixer beat the mixture on high speed for about 5 minutes until the mixture holds a stiff peak. (I mixed in the pan, but if you prefer you put the mixture in a bowl to beat).
6. Immediately spread over the cooled filling.
7. Chill for at least another hour, or up to a day.
8. Before serving, place under the broiler to get it nicely browned.
9. Cut into wedges to serve.
10. Refrigerate leftovers.