Dark Chocolate Cream Pie (Reduced Sugar)
By America's Test KitchenPublished on April 18, 2020
Time
1 hour, plus 2½ hours cooling and chilling
Yield
Serves 8
Sugar
20 grams (down from 37)
Ingredients
Graham Cracker Crust
9 whole graham crackers, broken into 1-inch pieces5 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 5 pieces and softenedFilling
6 large egg yolks 3 tablespoons Sucanat 2 tablespoons cornstarch 2½ cups half-and-half ¼ teaspoon salt 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into ½-inch pieces and chilled6 ounces (170 grams) bittersweet chocolate, chopped fine1 ounce (28 grams) unsweetened chocolate, chopped fine1 teaspoon vanilla extractTopping
1 tablespoon Sucanat 1½ cups heavy cream 1 tablespoon vanilla extract Pinch saltBefore You Begin
Tightly packing the crumbs ensured perfectly clean slices every time. We don’t recommend using store-bought graham cracker crumbs here, as they can often be stale. You can learn more about Sucanat in this article. Our favorite brand of bittersweet chocolate is Ghirardelli 60% Cacao Bittersweet Chocolate Premium Baking Bar; other brands may contain different amounts of sugar. Our favorite brand of unsweetened chocolate is Hershey's Unsweetened Baking Bar. Do not skip grinding the Sucanat in step 6, or the whipped cream will be gritty.
Instructions
- Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 325 degrees. Process graham crackers in food processor to fine, even crumbs, 30 to 60 seconds. Scatter butter over top and pulse until mixture resembles coarse sand, 15 to 20 pulses.
- Sprinkle mixture into 9-inch pie plate. Using bottom of measuring cup, press crumbs firmly into even layer on bottom and sides of pie plate. Bake until crust is fragrant and set, 20 to 22 minutes, rotating plate halfway through baking. Let crust cool completely, about 30 minutes.
- Whisk egg yolks, Sucanat, and cornstarch in medium bowl until well combined. Bring half-and-half and salt to simmer in medium saucepan over medium heat. Slowly whisk ½ cup half-and-half mixture into yolk mixture to temper, then slowly whisk tempered yolk mixture into pot. Cook, whisking constantly, until thick and glossy, 2 to 3 minutes.
- Off heat, whisk in chilled butter until incorporated. Whisk in bittersweet chocolate, unsweetened chocolate, and vanilla until chocolate is melted; make sure to scrape bottom and corners of pan with rubber spatula.
- Strain filling through fine-mesh strainer into cooled pie crust. Lay sheet of plastic wrap directly on surface of pudding and refrigerate until firm, about 2 hours.
- Grind Sucanat in spice grinder until fine and powdery, about 1 minute. Using stand mixer fitted with whisk attachment, whip cream, ground Sucanat, vanilla, and salt on medium-low speed until foamy, about 1 minute. Increase speed to high and whip until soft peaks form, 1 to 3 minutes. Spread whipped cream over pie and serve.
for the graham cracker crust
for the filling
for the topping
Time
1 hour, plus 2½ hours cooling and chillingYield
Serves 8Sugar
20 grams (down from 37)Ingredients
Graham Cracker Crust
Filling
Topping
Test Kitchen Techniques
Ingredients
Graham Cracker Crust
Filling
Topping
Test Kitchen Techniques
Ingredients
Graham Cracker Crust
Filling
Topping
Test Kitchen Techniques
Why This Recipe Works
We started by replacing the Oreo crust with a crust made from chocolate graham crackers. The graham crackers contained much less sugar than the traditional cream-filled cookies, and as long as we firmly pressed the crust into the dish, it held up perfectly when sliced. For the chocolate filling, initial tests with decreasing amounts of Sucanat revealed surprising results: Just a few tablespoons of Sucanat were enough to sweeten the filling. We decreased the sugar content even further by switching from semisweet to bittersweet chocolate. Along with the bittersweet chocolate, a small amount of unsweetened chocolate produced the most complex, up-front chocolate flavor. For a creamy, rich custard base, we used half-and-half (which tasters preferred over milk or heavy cream) and whisked in some butter after the custard had cooked. To ensure that no bits of overcooked egg made it into our pie, we strained the filling into the crust. A topping of lightly sweetened whipped cream served as the perfect finishing touch on this decadent dessert.
Before You Begin
Tightly packing the crumbs ensured perfectly clean slices every time. We don’t recommend using store-bought graham cracker crumbs here, as they can often be stale. You can learn more about Sucanat in this article. Our favorite brand of bittersweet chocolate is Ghirardelli 60% Cacao Bittersweet Chocolate Premium Baking Bar; other brands may contain different amounts of sugar. Our favorite brand of unsweetened chocolate is Hershey's Unsweetened Baking Bar. Do not skip grinding the Sucanat in step 6, or the whipped cream will be gritty.
Instructions
- Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 325 degrees. Process graham crackers in food processor to fine, even crumbs, 30 to 60 seconds. Scatter butter over top and pulse until mixture resembles coarse sand, 15 to 20 pulses.
- Sprinkle mixture into 9-inch pie plate. Using bottom of measuring cup, press crumbs firmly into even layer on bottom and sides of pie plate. Bake until crust is fragrant and set, 20 to 22 minutes, rotating plate halfway through baking. Let crust cool completely, about 30 minutes.
- Whisk egg yolks, Sucanat, and cornstarch in medium bowl until well combined. Bring half-and-half and salt to simmer in medium saucepan over medium heat. Slowly whisk ½ cup half-and-half mixture into yolk mixture to temper, then slowly whisk tempered yolk mixture into pot. Cook, whisking constantly, until thick and glossy, 2 to 3 minutes.
- Off heat, whisk in chilled butter until incorporated. Whisk in bittersweet chocolate, unsweetened chocolate, and vanilla until chocolate is melted; make sure to scrape bottom and corners of pan with rubber spatula.
- Strain filling through fine-mesh strainer into cooled pie crust. Lay sheet of plastic wrap directly on surface of pudding and refrigerate until firm, about 2 hours.
- Grind Sucanat in spice grinder until fine and powdery, about 1 minute. Using stand mixer fitted with whisk attachment, whip cream, ground Sucanat, vanilla, and salt on medium-low speed until foamy, about 1 minute. Increase speed to high and whip until soft peaks form, 1 to 3 minutes. Spread whipped cream over pie and serve.
for the graham cracker crust
for the filling
for the topping
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