This dessert will always remind me of my Mom. She always made the best cream pies when we were kids and chocolate was my personal favorite. She worked at a local grocery store called Renner’s Market and Tuesday was her day off. That was the day she cleaned house, did laundry and meal prepped for the rest of the week. And, that was the day she made some sort of dessert sure to knock our socks off.

Her chocolate pie always had a meringue topping. But, for some reason, most of my family prefers whipped cream these days. The filling for this chocolate pie is also the same one I use for chocolate pudding, which was always my requested dessert when I got to choose.

INGREDIENTS:

2 cups granulated sugar
1 cup flour
1/3 cup cocoa
1 can evaporated milk
Enough whole milk added to the evaporated milk to total 4 cups
4 egg yolks, beaten
1 stick butter
3 teaspoons vanilla extract
Pie crust, blind baked and cooled (This filling recipe makes 1 generously filled deep dish pie or 2 regular pies)

Sift together the flour and the cocoa in a large heavy bottomed saucepan or dutch oven. Add the sugar and the 4 cups milk. Mix well. Heat on medium until mixture is hot. Add some of the hot liquid to the beaten egg yolks, mixing well to temper the egg mixture. Gradually add back to the pie filling, whisking constantly. Continue whisking until the filling thickens to a pudding consistency. Remove from heat. Add in the butter and the vanilla, whisking until both are incorporated.

Pour into prepared pie shell and cool completely. Cover and refrigerate. Add whipped cream, or meringue, to top before serving.