Chocolate Pudding Pie

I have loved this chocolate pudding pie since I was in elementary school. My mom had a cousin who seemed to live a charmed life and she always brought it to family picnics. Why was her life so charmed, you ask? Well, let me just tell you - her husband always wore those short, corduroy, "op" shorts, remember those? They had a really pretty house with a beautiful black pool in the backyard. And, she made a mean chocolate pudding pie.

I still remember the summer day, though, when she called my mom to tell her that her husband was leaving her for someone else. I'm not sure what would be more humiliating, having to bear that or having to call everyone and tell them, over and over. It's so interesting to me how I still remember that day even though I was probably eight years old. I guess it was reality encroaching on the naive mind of an eight-year old.

My mom very graciously allowed me to keep raving over this chocolate pudding pie for years and years until she finally broke the news that the pie was not all that exotic: packaged oreo crust, instant pudding, and cool whip. Talk about a reality check. My mom was busy slaving over homemade everything, while this lady with the
"charmed life" threw together a pie in five minutes, and I was adoring her and her dessert.

I have to admit, it is a really great concept; crunchy cookie crust, rich chocolate filling, and a creamy topping. For some reason, I had been craving this pie and decided to see if I could replicate it adequately. I did. The great thing about this pie is that it could be delicious served chilled or frozen. With the exception of the crushed oreos, the ingredients were something I could control. I'm certainly not advocating this much sugar or heavy cream on a daily basis, but it made for a decadent treat. We loved it.

Chocolate Pudding Pie

crust:
2 cups oreo crumbs (remove the filling or buy oreo crumbs in the baking aisle)
5 T butter, melted

pudding:
1/2 cup sugar
2 T cornstarch
1/8 tsp salt
1/4 cup cocoa
2 cups milk
2 tsp vanilla

whipped cream topping:
1 1/2 cups whipping cream
4 T sugar

1. Mix oreo crumbs and butter. Line a pie plate with crumbs and bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes.
2. Make pudding. Stir all ingredients (except vanilla) in a heavy saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens and boils. Boil and stir for one minute.
3. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla. Pour pudding into crust. Refrigerate until crust and pudding are cooled.
4. Whip cream and sugar until stiff peaks form. Top pudding with cream, add chocolate shavings, if desired, and refrigerate for an additional hour before serving.
5. For a little throwback to the Bill Cosby jello-pudding pops, freeze and serve.