Crust:
18 Oreo cookies (with fillings)
2 Tbsp. butter, melted and cooled
Filling:
2 ½ cups half-and-half
Pinch of salt
1/3 cup sugar
2 Tbsp. cornstarch
6 large egg yolks, room temperature, with the chalazae (that icky white stuff that clings to the yolk) removed
6 Tbsp. cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces
6 oz. semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped (we just use good quality semisweet chocolate chips and don’t worry about chopping them)
1 oz. unsweetened chocolate, finely chopped
1 tsp. vanilla
Mini chocolate chips to sprinkle on whipped cream
3 cups whipped cream
Crust:
Adjust oven rack to middle and heat oven to 350 degrees. In food processor bowl, process cookies with 15 – 1 second pulses, then let machine run about 15 seconds to get crumbs uniformly fine. Transfer crumbs to bowl and drizzle with butter, use fingers (if you can stand it!) to combine until butter is evenly distributed.
Pour crumbs into a 9 inch pie plate (we love to use a white ceramic quiche pan). Press crumbs over the bottom and up the sides of the pan (put a plastic sandwich bag over your hand and press the crumbs around into all the little crevices). Refrigerate crust for 20 minutes until firm, then bake until fragrant…about 10 minutes. Cool on a wire rack.
Filling:
Gather all of your ingredients before starting the filling because it goes fast! Bring half-and-half, salt, and about 3 Tbsp. sugar to simmer in medium saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally with wooden spoon til sugar dissolves. Stir together remaining sugar and cornstarch in small bowl. Whisk yolks thoroughly in medium bowl until slightly thickened about 30 seconds. Sprinkle cornstarch mixture over yolks and whisk, scraping down sides of bowl, until mixture is glossy and sugar has begun to dissolve, about 1 minute. When half-and-half reaches full simmer, drizzle about ½ cup hot half-and-half over yolks, whisking constantly to temper, then whisk egg yolk mixture into simmering half-and-half (mixture should thicken in about 30 seconds). Return to simmer, whisking constantly until 3 or 4 bubbles burst on the surface and the mixture is thickened and glossy, about 15 seconds longer.
Off heat, whisk in butter til incorporated; add chocolates and whisk until melted, scraping pan bottom with rubber spatula to incorporate fully. Stir in vanilla, then immediately pour filling into baked and cooled crust. Press plastic wrap directly onto surface of filling (very important!!!) and refrigerate until filling is cold and firm, about 3 hours.
Just before serving, whip the cream and pipe or spread over the filling…sprinkle on mini chocolate chips or curls. Enjoy the most scrumptious pie ever!
Comments