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Sweet, creamy, and extra chocolatey Old Fashioned Chocolate Cream Pie…with a chocolate cookie crust and double the sweet chocolate filling. This pie is a classic, but made with a few upgrades. It’s a super easy, creamy pie that everyone will love. The filling is made with simple ingredients. There is, of course, plenty of chocolate, plus my secret ingredient…a splash of hazelnut liquor. The crust is rich, buttery, full of vanilla chocolate flavor, and with the perfect touch of saltiness. Put everything together and you have the most mouthwatering chocolate cream pie. Just sweet enough, super creamy, and incredibly luscious. Finish with lightly whipped cream and a dusting of salted chocolate shavings for an amazing salty-sweet old-fashioned chocolate cream pie.
Here I go again…bringing back the “old school” desserts. Today I’ve got this chocolate cream pie and I am very excited about it. The fact that I don’t already have a recipe for chocolate cream pie is kind of shocking to me. This is my first, but you guys, it’s not going to be my last. I had forgotten just how delicious this simple pie really is!
I’m sure I’ve mentioned this previously, but growing up my mom was a two pie kind of baker. If she wasn’t making her chocolate bourbon pecan pie, then she was making her chocolate chip cookie pie. She didn’t mess with apple pie or anything of the non-chocolate variety.
She also had a vintage Hershey’s Chocolate Cookbook that I used to flip through all the time as a kid. Her version had a giant slice of chocolate cake on the cover. I would kill to have the book today, but sadly it’s lost with a lot of her other cookbooks. It was very, very similar to this 1994 version…which I might just need to order.
But there are recipes within that cookbook that I can still picture in my mind. That cake on the cover, some crazy delicious peanut butter cups, and an old-school chocolate cream pie. My obsession with vintage recipes is no joke, so over the last week, I decided I’d try to recreate that pie I had pictured in my head. And when I say I have a picture of it in my head…I mean that’s all I have to go off. Meaning this took a few tries.
Finally, I got the pie just the way I was hoping for. Sky-high, extremely creamy, and just like that photo I remember from the Hershey’s cookbook.
Here are the steps…start with the crust
First things first, start with the crust, which is very important. You just need chocolate cookies and butter. But the cookies either need to be the chocolate wafer cookies that come in a long box, or Oreo cookies minus the creamy filling.
About 94% of the time I’d never tell you to use Oreos. But they have their time and place, and for me, it’s with this pie. You need a good store-bought cookie here. It’s key and just plays up those “vintage” pie vibes even more.
Then use salted butter which will give the crust that perfect salty, sweet combo.
That creamy chocolate filling
While the crust bakes, make the filling. I wanted my filling to be extremely, extremely creamy and I wanted there to be a lot of it. It’s your basic chocolate custard but made with slightly less eggs and a splash of hazelnut liquor, for a richer chocolate flavor.
The hazelnut liquor is not a must, but it does add something special to the pie. The sweet liquor really helps to highlight all the rich chocolate within the recipe. It’s a pricey ingredient, but if you make a lot of cocktails, it’s definitely a liquor I would recommend keeping on your bar cart.
Mix up the filling, then let it chill, then stir in the whipped cream. The extra cream is what makes this pie super light and creamy.
At this point, you’ll pour the filling into the crust and let it set.
Now finish it up…
To serve, I like to spread a honey whipped cream over top with a dusting of cocoa powder and chocolate shavings.
Once chilled, the pie comes out almost perfect. It has a rich, salty-sweet crust with the creamiest most luscious smooth chocolate filling that melts in your mouth. Beyond delicious.
So delicious that even though I made five and a half pies trying to perfect this, I’m still excited to mix one up again today to show the exact how-to on Instagram. Very much looking forward to it!
Looking for other pie recipes? Try these…
Vintage Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie
Chocolate Bourbon Pecan Pie Cupcakes with Butter Pecan Frosting
Lastly, if you make this Old Fashioned Chocolate Cream Pie be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Old Fashioned Chocolate Cream Pie
Servings: 12
Calories Per Serving: 471 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
Crust
- 2 1/2 cups chocolate wafers, or Oreo cookies
- 6 tablespoons melted salted butter
Filling
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch
- 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder, plus more for topping
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 3 cups whole milk
- 5 large egg yolks, beaten
- 8 ounces semi-sweet or dark chocolate, chopped
- 1 tablespoon hazelnut liquor (optional)
- 4 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 3/4 cups heavy cream
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup, honey, or powdered sugar
Instructions
- 1. Preheat the oven to 350° F. Butter an 8-inch springform pan or pie plate.2. In a food processor, pulse the cookies and butter together until you have fine crumbs. Press the mix into the prepared pan. Bake until golden, about 12-14 minutes.3. Meanwhile, make the filling. In a medium pot, whisk together the sugar, arrowroot powder (or cornstarch), cocoa powder, and salt. Whisk in 1/3 cup milk until a paste forms. Then, slowly whisk in the remaining milk until combined. Whisk in the egg yolks. Set the pot over medium-high heat and bring the mixture to a gentle boil. Cook, stirring continuously, until the mixture thickens and is pudding-like, 5-8 minutes. Watch closely. 4. Add the chopped chocolate, hazelnut liquor (if using), and 2 teaspoons vanilla to a large mixing bowl. Strain the chocolate pudding mix through a fine-mesh strainer directly over the chopped chocolate. Stir until the chocolate is melted and the pudding creamy. Cover and chill 30 minutes to 1 hour.5. Using an electric mixer, whip 3/4 cup of cream until soft peaks form. Fold the whipped cream into the chocolate filling, then pour the filling into the crust. Chill 4 hours. 6. Before serving, using an electric mixer to whip the remaining cream, maple syrup, and 2 teaspoons vanilla together until soft peaks form. Swirl the cream onto the pie. Slice and enjoy! The pie will keep chilled in the fridge for 2-3 days.
I think this is the version of the authentic recipe . Why arrowroot powder ? usually cornflour is used in most of the recipe . Arrowroot is used due to health concern .
Hey there,
Sorry I am not sure what you are referring to with the arrowroot flour, I used cornstarch in this recipe. Please let me know if I can help in anyway! xTieghan
Sorry Tieghan but the US and metric measurements do not match. Just in case you want to have a look. Pie looks delicious!!!
Thanks, I will take a look!
This pie is truly the MOST chocolatey, decadent dessert of all time. Absolutely luscious, and really only need a small piece to satisfy the sweet tooth. This pie would feed a crowd!! ! I had a bit of a difficult time cutting the pie after unforming it from the spring form pan, but even as an upside slice, it was still a delicious, chocolate lovers dream. Soooo good!
Hey Maria,
Happy Friday!! I am so excited that this recipe was enjoyed, I appreciate you giving it a try!! xTieghan
Did not set up for me and the Oreo crust was really hard 🙁 I followed the recipe exactly for my sisters birthday dessert last night, Had 5 hours in the fridge and was still a runny custard, even today after 24 hours its still the same. Tasted delicious still and would be amazing if it set up and with less bake time for the crust. I will try again, maybe only 10 minutes for crust next time and I think the custard needs 2 more eggs and stiff peaks for the folded in whipped cream!
Hey Gabby,
So sorry you add issues with the recipe. It’s really hard for me to say what could have gone wrong without actually being in the kitchen with you. Please let me know if I can help in anyway! xTieghan
This looks absolutely delicious and I intend to make it over the weekend. My pie pan is 9.5 inches would I need to increase the amount of custard to fill it out?
Hey Zainab,
I would follow the recipe as is, should be totally fine, if anything you might need a little more crust! I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xTieghan
Hi Tieghan…. could I use Coconut or almond Milk to make this? My daughter can’t have dairy?
Thanks! Chris
Hey Chris,
I think that would work just fine for you! I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xTieghan
Love all these vintage recipes!! There is something so comforting about making them. My 2 year old daughter loves “helping” me make the recipes from your blog and cookbooks. And my whole family loves eating them :). Love your blog! I read it every evening after my babies are asleep. Thanks for all the inspiration!!
Awe thanks so much for your kind message Rachel! I hope you love this recipe!! xTieghan
Hi Tieghan,
My next-door neighbor (who is a sweetheart, for the following reason and so many more!) introduced me to your website and let me look at her copies of both your cookbooks. I have so enjoyed escaping into your photography and writing, and I have plans to try several of your recipes, this one included. May I ask two quick questions about this particular recipe please?
1. You mentioned in a previous reply to Katie that step 5 (as well as step 6) of the recipe calls for 1 cup cream, but in the recipe it says .75 cup. Does it matter which amount I use?
2. You mentioned to Deb that it is 2.5 c cookies before crushing…would it be possible to get an approximate number of cookies that might be? I would hate to ruin the crust because I didn’t use enough cookies…the crust is my favorite part of a pie!
Thanks so much for your help and for all your hard work!
Hey Sandi,
Thanks so much for following along! I fixed the cream measurements to be more exact. As for the cookies, I really don’t know how many I used, it will different on the brand and type of cookie. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
You had me curious about that vintage cookbook and found some on Etsy. I am not sure if any of these are it, but thought it would be worth a look.
Thanks so much!!
I know I might find it more helpful and others might as well, if you gave the weight or number of cookies in the crust instead of 2 1/2 cups. It really changes amounts if you stack the cookies or break them up when trying to measure things. I know it’s not a critical amount difference but I so prefer recipes with weights over cup quantities. Thanks and it really does look old-fashiony good.
Thanks for your feedback Dee! I hope you love the recipe! xTieghan
This looks SO delicious! I’ve never made a cream pie before, may need to give this one a try.
xo Jessica
an indigo day
Thanks Jessica! I hope you love the recipe!
This tastes delicious, but it just never set for me. I kept it on the stove well until it was thickened, and even after overnight cooling in the shell, it still jiggles. Do weave it on the stove until it’s almost burning? I followed instructions to a T and I am a licensed confectionist and this is my 1 thing I couldn’t not accomplish.
Hey Jess,
So sorry this did not set up properly! Next, try using 1/3 cup cornstarch. I imagine that should help thicken your pie right up! Really hop that helps and so sorry you had some trouble, but glad you enjoy the pie!! Hope this helps and Let me know if you have other questions! xxTIeghan
So the heavy cream is divided, one cup for the filling and one cup for the topping? Just checking because it isn’t quite clear…this looks delish and I can’t wait to try it!
Hey Katie,
Yes, you are going to use 1 cup in step 5 and 1 cup in step 6. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xTieghan
Oh my gosh, this look absolutely amazing. Mind you all of your photos make your food look tempting and delicious. This is now added to my ever extending list of HBH recipes to try out haha.
I have a question for you. When you are planning new recipes and thinking about what ingredients to use, do you also think about colour in your dishes and what is the inspiration behind it?
Hey Colleen,
Thanks so much! Yes, color and texture all play a part in planning out a recipe:) xTieghan
Recipe question: for the crust – is it 2 1/2 cups of crushed crumbs or 2 1/2 cups of cookies before crushing. Ideally, how many sleeves of chocolate wafers do I need to purchase? Your pie looks devine!! It’s going to be on my Mother’s Day menu!
Hey Deb,
2 1/2 cups of cookies before crushing. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xTieghan
This recipe looks great. However in my old grandma mind, when you mentioned ‘chocolate wafer cookies’ I thought you meant these: Loacker Quadratini Premium Dark Chocolate Wafer Cookies [ https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07SD769F7/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_fabc_P5ZMRQ578HAS4C4A5ET8?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1 ]
Which I’m sure is not your intention, as I think you are referring to the chocolate version of Nabisco ‘Nilla’ wafers. (Which I didn’t know existed until I googled them!)
So I was thinking you might need to be more clear on what kind of chocolate wafers this recipe calls for to avoid confusing us old folks. I’ll be making this pie this week, but I’ll be using naked Oreos since they’re always in stock at my house. Cheers!
Hey there,
Thanks so much! Sorry for an confusion, but I actually link the cookies that I would recommend in the recipe: https://shopstyle.it/l/btW6B
Please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan