Happy Valentine’s Day dear readers! Here’s wishing each of you the sweetest year!

This chocolate cream pie is a wonderful way to indulge your special someone’s sweet tooth; a delicious, creamy chocolate pudding inside a crumbly, chocolate-coffee crust.

Thicken half-and-half with eggs and sugar, then fold in chocolate and butter to create a thick, velvety pie filling. Slightly sweetened whipped cream tops the pie, complimenting the rich chocolate, and the coffee crust adds earthy undertones.

It’s a super sweet way to say Happy Valentine’s Day!

Chocolate Cream Pie recipe
For the cookie pie crumbs:
225g butter, softened
125g light brown sugar
2 eggs, room temperature
50g dark chocolate, melted
500g all purpose flour
1g salt
40g cocoa powder

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer or with a hand-held mixer, paddle the butter and sugar together. Stream in the eggs and mix until completely incorporated, scraping the sides of the bowl down. Stream in the melted chocolate, and mix completely together.

2. Sift the dry ingredients together. Rain into the butter mixture, a small amount at a time, until the dough is just incorporated. Form into a ball, cover loosely in plastic wrap, flatten into a rounded square, and chill for at least 30 minutes.

3. Preheat oven to 300 degrees Fahrenheit. Remove the dough from refrigerator and allow to come to room temperature. Roll out dough between two sheets of parchment paper to 1/4″ thickness. Place back into the refrigerator for ten minutes to chill.

4. Pace the sheet of dough on a parchment paper or silpat lined sheet tray. Bake for 7-10 minutes. Allow to cool completely before removing from trays.

For the Pie Crust:
330g pie crumbs from recipe above
30g espresso powder
120g butter
50g brown sugar

1. Heat the oven to 375 degree Fahrenheit. Grease both the bottom and sides of a glass 9″ pie pan with small amount of extra butter and set aside. Place the pie crumbs and espresso powder into a medium bowl. Warm the 120g butter and brown sugar over medium heat in a small, heavy-duty saucepan until the sugar is completely melted. Pour over the pie crumbs and mix completely. Fill pie pan with crumbs, pressing into the bottom and sides evenly, using a spoon to compress. Chill in the refrigerator for 20 minutes. Bake for 15 minutes, until set. Let cool while you make filling.

For the Pie filling:
850 ml half-and-half
100g brown sugar
30g cornstarch
9 egg yolks
2 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
210g semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
100g dark chocolate, finely chopped
240g butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes and chilled

1. In a medium sized, heavy-duty saucepan, heat the half-and-half over medium-high heat until it is just at a simmer and remove it from the heat. In a large bowl, whisk together the brown sugar and cornstarch and then the add eggs and vanilla, whisking until smooth.

2. Slowly temper, or add a small amount, of the half-and-half into the egg yolk mixture, whisking constantly so as to not cook the egg. Once you have added half the liquid, return all the solution back into the saucepan. Heat over medium flame, allowing to boil,  and cook, whisking constantly for 3-4 minutes until mixture becomes very thick. Remove from heat, and add the butter and chocolate, in small additions, mixing until completely smooth and combined.

3. Pour the filling into a wide bowl and cover with plastic wrap, pressing plastic onto the surface. Chill until set, about 2 hours.

3. Fill the chilled crust with the custard, forming a smooth, rounded dome with a spatula or wide spoon.

To Finish:
2 cups heavy cream
2 tbsp confectioner’s sugar
Dark chocolate or cocoa powder for garnish

1. In a large bowl, whisk the sugar and heavy cream to stiff peaks, and spread on top of the custard, forming a dome. Make a swirled, circular pattern using the back of a spoon.

2. Using a peeler or a sharp knife, shave some dark chocolate curls  for decorative pieces to top the pie, or use a tea strainer to sift cocoa powder on top for a garnish.