Nancy’s favorite childhood pie was Chocolate Cream, made by her Dad. This quick and easy version is for everyone who doesn’t have the time or inclination to prepare a traditional chocolate custard from scratch. It’s still a crowd pleaser. Be sure to whip your own cream, there is no substitute.

Ingredients

For the Oreo cookie crust:

• 24 Oreo cookies
• 4 Tbsp butter, melted

For the filling:

• 2 large boxes Jello Chocolate Instant Pudding
• 3 cups whole milk
• 2 cups heavy whipping cream
• ¼ cup granulated sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla bean paste or extract
• 4 oz best quality dark chocolate bar, for curls

Instructions

Make the crust:

• Preheat oven to 350F.
• Put the cookies in a food processor and process until you have fine crumbs.
• Put the crumbs in a bowl and add the melted butter. Mix well with a fork.
• Press the mixture into an even layer on the bottom and sides of a deep-dish pie pan.
• Bake for 8-10 minutes.
• Allow to cool completely.

Prepare the filling:

• Combine the milk and Chocolate Instant Pudding in the bowl of a mixer and beat on low speed for 2-3 minutes until smooth. Set aside to thicken.
• In a separate bowl, beat the heavy whipping cream on medium-high speed for about 2 minutes until it begins to thicken. Add the granulated sugar and beat until soft peaks form. Add the vanilla and continue beating until stiff peaks form.
• Gently fold half of the whipped cream mixture into the pudding, reserving the other half for the top.
• Spread the filling in the cooled pie shell and top with reserved whipped cream, then sprinkle with chocolate curls and chopped Oreo cookies.
• Refrigerate for at least 4 hours before serving.