Chocolate Chai Cream Pie
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Rich and luxurious, this Chocolate Chai Cream Pie is made for chocolate and chai lovers alike. A thick layer of chocolate pudding laced with chai rests on a buttery, flaky crust and is topped with homemade whipped cream, creating a decadent (but easy!) dessert.
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Easy Chocolate Cream Pie
My younger self loved and craved chocolate. I would have something chocolate at least once every day. Whether it be a cup of chocolate pudding, a double chocolate brownie, or several thin mints. I was loyal and true to the chocolate.
This has changed over the years, though, and now I’m not such a huge chocolate fan…except for, this pie!
I was so surprised at how much I enjoyed it. It is nothing more than chocolate pudding infused with chai. One amazing flavor combination! It’s my chocolate pie leveled up a notch.
The pie is very simple. In fact, you only have to bake the pie crust. Then the filling is poured into the pie crust and refrigerated until it’s ready to serve. Add some whipped cream, sprinkle on some cinnamon and you’ve got the perfect dessert ready to go!
Enter into chocolate chai cream pie heaven. You are welcome!
What You’ll Need
This chai pie is made almost entirely out of pantry staples, plus chai (which, hey, is a staple in my book too), and chocolate.
Ingredients
- All-purpose flour
- Granulated sugar – I like to add a touch of sugar to my pie crusts but you can omit this. It’s definitely needed for the filling, though.
- Salt – balances all the sweetness.
- Unsalted butter – Butter adds a lovely rich flavor to the crust and makes the filling feel extra silky.
- Vegetable shortening – Shortening produces a light and flaky crust.
- Ice water – It’s important to use ice water to prevent the butter from softening before baking.
- Whole milk – Whole milk makes the filling more rich than low fat milk.
- Chai tea bags – Infuses the filling with delightful chai flavor.
- Semisweet chocolate – Coarsley chopped for easier melting.
- You can use buttersweet chocolate but semisweet is what I prefer.
- Egg yolks – Provide structure and help to thicken the filling, while creating a rich, creamy texture.
- Cornstarch – Works as the thickening agent.
- Whipped cream – I recommend using homemade whipped cream, though store-bought will work in a pinch.
- Ground cinnamon – For garnish.
How to Make Chocolate Chai Cream Pie
While making this homemade chocolate pie does require some time and should be planned in advance to allow for the crust to bake and cool, it is not a difficult dessert to make.
Make the crust dough. Whisk together the flour, sugar, and salt. Cut in the butter and shortening. Drizzle ice water over the flour to moisten it and toss with a fork to combine.
Knead the dough. Gently knead the dough on a work surface, flatten it into a disc, and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Roll the dough into a 12-inch circle, then gently place in a 9-inch pie pan. Trim the edges so there’s a 1-inch overhang. Refrigerate for an hour.
Bake. Prick the bottom with the tines of a fork and line with parchment paper. Use pie weights, uncooked rice, or dried beans to weigh the pie down.
Bake for 15 minutes. Remove the pie weights and bake for an additional 15 minutes. Set on a wire rack to cool completely.
Make the chocolate chai filling. Warm the milk then add the tea bags and steep for 5 minutes. Remove the tea bags. Stir the chocolate into the milk, until mostly melted, then add the sugar and salt.
Add one cup of the warm milk mixture to the eggs, stirring constantly. Then pour the egg mixture into the milk mixture.
Add the cornstarch and whisk until smooth. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until the mixture thickens. Remove from heat and stir in the butter.
Refrigerate. Pour the filling into the prepared pie shell. Cover, making sure the plastic wrap is touching the filling. Refrigerate until firm.
Serve. Top with whipped cream and dust lightly with cinnamon.
Tips for Success
For the best homemade cream pie, keep the following things in mind.
- Do not substitute the shortening. You definitely need to use half butter and half shortening in the crust. If you use all butter, the crust will be delicate and difficult to roll out.
- Avoid shattering your beautiful pie pan. The crust needs to be refrigerated before going in the oven, so it’s important to use a metal pan or a tempered glass pan. Disponsable aluminum pie pans will also work.
- What’s the best chai to use? You can use any quality chai tea that you prefer. Personally, I like to use Twinings Black Chai as the cozy spices pair so well with chocolate.
Serving Suggestions
Keep your chocolate chai cream pie refrigerated until ready to serve. Then, top with a layer of whipped cream and a sprinkle of cinnamon. The combination of rich chocolate, warm chai, whipped cream, and cinnamon is absolute perfection.
How to Store
This chocolate cream pie can be stored in the fridge for up to 3 days. Just be sure to cover it tightly with plastic wrap. I recommend waiting to add the whipped cream, especially if using homemade whipped cream.
I don’t recommend freezing this pie, as the texture will change.
More Pie Recipes:
Chocolate Chai Cream Pie
Ingredients
For the crust
- 1 ½ cups (195 g) all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold & cut into pieces
- 4 tablespoons vegetable shortening, cold & cut into pieces
- 5 tablespoons ice water
For the filling
- 3 cups (720 ml) whole milk
- 3 black chai tea bags
- 4 ounces (113 g) semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
- 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 3 egg yolks, lightly beaten
- ⅓ cup (37 g) cornstarch
- 1 ½ tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces
- 1 ½ cups homemade whipped cream, or you can use store-bought
- ground cinnamon, for garnish
Instructions
Make the crust
- Combine the flour, sugar, and salt in a large mixing bowl. Stir with a whisk until well mixed.
- Using a pastry cutter or two knives cut the butter and shortening into the flour mixture just until lentil-sized crumbs form. A few larger bits are perfectly okay.
- Drizzle just enough ice water over the flour to moisten it. Toss the mixture together with a fork to combine. You will know you have enough liquid when you can squeeze the mixture and it holds together.
- Turn the dough out onto a work surface and gently knead until the dough comes together. Flatten the dough into a disk, wrap tightly in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
- When ready to use, roll the dough into a circle that’s about 12-inches in diameter. Gently place it in a 9-inch pie pan without stretching it. Make sure the pie pan is metal or tempered glass.
- Trim the edge so there’s a 1-inch overhang over the sides of the pie pan. Fold the excess dough under so it sits upon the rim of the pan and flute as desired. Refrigerate for 1 hour.
- Adjust the oven rack to the lower-third position and preheat to 400°F.
- Remove the crust from the refrigerator, prick the bottom with the tines of a fork, and line the shell with parchment paper. Make sure the parchment paper is large enough that it’s easy to pick up by the ends once it’s time to remove the pie weights. Don’t use wax paper, it smokes.
- Fill the lined shell with pie weights, uncooked rice, or dried beans, and bake for 15 minutes, until it starts to turn lightly golden.
- Carefully remove the pie weights and return the crust to the oven to continue baking for another 15 minutes, until golden brown and matte looking instead of shiny. If the edges of the crust begin to brown too much, cover with an aluminum ring or pie shield.
- Remove from oven and set on a wire rack to cool completely.
Make the filling
- Warm the milk over medium heat until it reaches 180ºF degrees. Add the tea bags to the milk and let steep for 5 minutes. Remove the tea bags.
- Add the chocolate to the warm milk mixture, stir until mostly melted. Stir in the sugar and salt. Slowly add 1 cup of the warm milk mixture to the egg yolks, stirring constantly. Slow pour the egg mixture into the milk mixture, stir continuously. Add in the cornstarch, whisk until smooth.
- Heat mixture over medium heat, stir constantly until the mixture thickens, about 3 minutes. Stir in the butter.
- Immediately pour the filling into the prepared pie shell. Cover the filling with plastic wrap, making sure the plastic wrap is touching the filling to prevent a skin filming. Refrigerate for 1 hour or until firm.
- Spread the whipped cream over the filling. Dust lightly with cinnamon.
Notes
- Shortening: I do not recommend using butter in place of shortening for this crust. It will make the crust delicate and it may be difficult to roll out.
- Pie pan: Because the crust is refrigerated in the pan before going into the oven, a metal pan or tempered glass pan is required. You may also use a disposable aluminum pie pan.
- Chai: I prefer to use Twinings Black Chai. The warm cozy spices pair so well with chocolate.
Nutrition
The nutrition information provided is for convenience and as a courtesy only. It is not guaranteed to be accurate because nutrition information can vary for a variety of reasons. For precise nutritional data use your preferred nutrition calculator and input the exact ingredients and brands you used in the recipe.
Fruity desserts are my favorite now too but chocolate still knows how to make my heart sing. Especially when it is a cream pie form. I love the flavor combination here and would have a hard time not wanting to inhale this by myself too. It looks incredible!