Homemade Brownie Bottom Chocolate Pudding Pie

Ingredients

Chocolate Pudding from Scratch

• 4 ounces bittersweet chocolate
• 3 Tablespoons cocoa powder (unsweetened)
• 3 Tablespoons corn starch
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 3 egg yolks
• 2 1/2 cups 2% milk (or whole milk)
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Brownie Crust

• 4 ounces semi-sweet chocolate
• 4 Tablespoons salted butter
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour

Whipped Cream

• 1 cup heavy cream
• 2 Tablespoons confectioners sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Garnish

• 1 square of semi-sweet chocolate to make curls

Instructions

1. Make your pudding first, since it will need to chill for up to three hours. Chop your bittersweet chocolate into fine flakes with a serrated knife.
2. In a large, heat-proof bowl, whisk together your cocoa, corn starch and salt. Gradually add the cream, whisking as you go until it's smooth. Whisk in your eggs.
3. In a 3-quart or larger saucepan, add your milk. Stir in the sugar and warm it over medium heat. Bring the pot to a simmer. You will see tiny bubbles covering the surface of the liquid.
4. When it has reached a simmer, pour most of the hot liquid into your bowl with the cocoa and corn starch mixture. Whisk until it is blended well. This will temper the eggs, so they don't scramble.
5. Pour everything from your bowl back into the pot and increase your heat to medium high. Whisk constantly as you bring the pot to a full boil. The pudding will be thicker.
6. Cook the boiling pudding for two minutes, whisking constantly and vigorously, making sure to reach the corners of your pot.
7. Remove the pudding from the heat and stir in your vanilla. Add the chopped chocolate and whisk the pudding well until the chocolate is blended.
8. To chill the hot pudding more quickly, spread it evenly onto a sheet pan with sides. Cover the entire surface of the pudding with wax paper, pressing it onto the pudding to prevent skin from forming. Refrigerate for three hours. (You can check it after 1 1/2 hours to see if it's ready.)
9. While the pudding is chilling, make your brownie crust. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Grease your pie dish.
10. In a glass bowl or other microwavable bowl, add the 4 ounces of semi-sweet chocolate and your butter. Heat it, covered, in the microwave for 1 minute and 50 seconds, or until the butter is melted. Stir to combine.
11. Stir in your sugar and salt. Then stir in your eggs and vanilla. Finally, stir in the flour.
12. Transfer the batter to your pie dish and bake it for 20 minutes, or until a cake tester or toothpick inserted in the center of the brownie comes out with fudgy crumbs. Don't over bake it. Let the brownie crust cool on a wire rack.
13. To make your whipped cream, beat the whipping cream and confectioners sugar in a clean, medium stainless steel bowl with a mixer until the cream is about half way to being stiff. Add in the vanilla extract and continue beating until stiff peaks form. Refrigerate the whipped cream until the pudding is chilled enough to assemble the pie.
14. To assemble the pie, make sure your brownie crust is at room temperature. Add the chilled pudding on top of the brownie crust. Top the pudding with your whipped cream. To make chocolate curls for the garnish, use a vegetable peeler to peel along a straight edge of your chocolate square. Make as many curls as you wish and scatter them on top of the pie.
15. Serve or refrigerate the pie for later, covered with a domed bowl or domed foil so that it doesn't touch the topping.

Recipe Notes

The prep time listed does not include chilling your pudding. I chilled mine for three hours, but it probably would have been ready after about 90 minutes. You can make your brownie crust and whipped cream during that time.

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