This year, I missed out on real Thanksgiving with my family and celebrated here in Buffalo with Alex’s family. The week prior to Thanksgiving, though, we celebrated what we called “Fakesgiving” with my family back in Pittsburgh after my sisters, cousins, and I ran the Color Run. It was our version of the Turkey Trot this year (and much more exciting, methinks). I was then stranded in Pittsburgh for an extra week due to the snowstorm in Buffalo – even after doing laundry once, I almost ran out of clothes again, haha! Because it was only supposed to be a weekend trip, I figured I’d get to share this pie with you right away when I got back to Buffalo, but alas, it was not to be. Luckily, though, this pie is perfect for Christmas or anytime, as it is most definitely not a special holiday flavor!
Alex was a bit upset that he didn’t get to have any of this pie since he wasn’t down in Pittsburgh, and it went extremely fast for Fakesgiving, so I made two pies just for him. He offered to take one to work, but then once he started eating it, he quickly changed his mind. This pie is fantastic for chocolate lovers – oreo cookie crust, rich silky chocolate filling. You can also garnish it with whipped cream, but we’re lactose-intolerant (and I honestly really don’t like whipped cream), so I opted out. If you can’t handle a really deep chocolate pie, the whipped cream may be needed to cut the richness.
The first time I made this pie, I used oreos for the crust, and the second, I used gluten free Joe Joe’s from Trader Joe’s. Both were fantastic, so this is definitely something that’s an easy swap to make it gluten free friendly for those that may be gluten intolerant at holiday parties! This is definitely not a healthy pie, but as always, everything in moderation! Definitely worth it!
One thing about this pie is that it is made with raw eggs in the filling, so you need to be careful about serving it up to pregnant ladies or people who are immunocompromised. You can buy pasteurized eggs to make it safe for everyone, if you can find them (I looked for them to no avail). If you can’t find pasteurized, I just recommend using the most fresh eggs you can find, inspect them for cracks, and keep them refrigerated to avoid any illness from raw eggs! For the same reason, this pie needs to be refrigerated. If I’ve completely terrified you away from making this pie, you could always use the filling from Handle the Heat, which cooks the eggs slightly!
This pie is extremely easy to make, although it does take a bit of time, as each egg needs to be whipped for 5 minutes – that’s 20 minutes for the 4 eggs alone! I promise it’s so worth it for the silky mousse like filling whipping those eggs makes! 🙂
What is your favorite chocolate dessert to serve around the holidays?
- 20 chocolate sandwich cookies (Oreos, Joe Joe's, gluten free cookies, etc.), filling intact
- 3 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted
- 4 oz. dark chocolate, melted (I used 70%)
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup confectioner's sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp espresso powder, optional
- pinch of salt
- 4 eggs (use pasteurized eggs to make them safer)
- whipped cream, optional
- crushed cookies, optional
Preheat the oven to 350ºF, and lightly grease a 9-inch pie plate.
In a food processor, pulse the cookies until they are in fine crumbs. Add the melted butter, and pulse until the crumbs clump together and are moistened.
Press the mixture into the prepared pie plate, making it even along the bottoms and up the sides of the plate.
Bake at 350ºF for 10 minutes, until set. Allow to cool completely.
Melt the chocolate in the microwave at 30-second intervals, stirring in between, until completely melted and smooth. Allow to cool slightly.
In the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and confectioner's sugar together until light and fluffy. Add the slightly cooled, melted chocolate, and beat until smooth. Add the vanilla extract, espresso powder (if using), and pinch of salt, stirring until smooth.
Switch to the whisk attachment. Add each egg one at a time, allowing each egg to beat for 5 minutes at medium speed before adding the next one, for a total of 20 minutes.
Transfer the filling to the cooled pie crust, smoothing it evenly with a spatula. Chill the pie in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours (or overnight) to set.
Serve chilled with whipped cream and a sprinkle of crushed cookies. Enjoy!
Keep leftovers in the refrigerator, tightly wrapped.
adapted from The Pioneer Woman