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Chocolate Cream Pie in a Jar

Source of Recipe

From "One-Hour Comfort" by America's Test Kitchen


Recipe Introduction

"Have your pie and eat it too with this crowd-pleasing dessert that will delight young and old alike. The rich pudding filling includes semisweet chocolate and a bit of unsweetened chocolate for complex, deep flavor. Layer the pudding over crumbled Oreos (for more chocolate flavor and an irresistible crunchy-creamy texture) and top it with whipped cream for mini desserts that taste as wonderful as they look. Go slow when whisking the half-and-half mixture into the egg yolk mixture or else the yolks will scramble. Chilling the pudding in a shallow bowl cools it down faster, and assembling the pies just before serving keeps the cookie crumbs crisp. You will need twelve 4-ounce wide-mouth Mason jars; or for larger servings, use eight 6-ounce ramekins."

List of Ingredients

â—¦ 2 ½ cups half-and-half
â—¦ â…“ cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar, divided
â—¦ â…› teaspoon salt, divided
â—¦ 6 large egg yolks
â—¦ 2 tablespoons cornstarch
â—¦ 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 6 pieces
â—¦ 6 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped fine
â—¦ 1 ounce unsweetened chocolate, chopped fine
â—¦ 2 teaspoons vanilla extract, divided
â—¦ 1 cup heavy cream, chilled
â—¦ 10 Oreo cookies, broken into coarse crumbs, divided


Recipe

Bring half-and-half, 3 tablespoons sugar, and pinch salt to simmer in medium saucepan over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Whisk egg yolks, cornstarch, and 2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon sugar in medium bowl until smooth. Slowly whisk 1 cup warm half-and-half mixture into remaining half-and-half mixture in saucepan.

Cook half-and-half mixture over medium heat, whisking constantly, until mixture is thickened and registers 180 degrees, about 30 seconds. Off heat, whisk in butter, semisweet chocolate, unsweetened chocolate, and 1 teaspoon vanilla until smooth. Strain pudding through fine-mesh strainer into clean shallow bowl. Spray piece of parchment paper with vegetable oil spray directly against surface of pudding. Refrigerate until chilled, at least 45 minutes.

To make the whipped cream, whip cream, remaining 1 tablespoon sugar, remaining 1 teaspoon vanilla, and remaining pinch salt in stand mixer on medium speed for 1 to 3 minutes, until soft peaks form. When ready to serve, add 1 tablespoon cookie crumbs to each of twelve 4-ounce wide-mouth Mason jars followed by approximately ½ cup pudding. Top with whipped cream and sprinkle with remaining cookie crumbs. Serve.

Serves 12