Chocolate Malt Pie

Sometimes we have to indulge at home and have chocolate for dessert. I know if I make chocolate malt pie there will be a lot of happy faces around me. It’s basically a chocolate cream pie made with chocolate malt, cream, and chocolate. Are you smiling yet?

I use chocolate malt – rather than plain malt – for this chocolate cream pie.

I also try to get good quality chocolate to add to it. In Britain my favourite chocolate for this recipe is Green & Black’s organic chocolate. (Note – if you use Green & Black’s then you will need 1 bar milk chocolate and three dark chocolates as each bar weighs 3 1/2 ounces rather than 4 ounces.)

You can either use a simple graham cracker crust or a chocolate version. I prefer to have a thinner layer of chocolate malt cream pie filling with the chocolate pie crust. And a much deeper chocolate malt pie when we use the plain graham cracker pie crust.

CHOCOLATE MALT PIE RECIPE

INGREDIENTS

• 1 cup whole milk (240 ml)
• 1 1/2 cups heavy / double cream (350 ml)
• 1 cup chocolate malt powder (110 g)
• 4 oz milk chocolate (chopped – 282 g – 2 1/1 bars with 70% cacao)
• 2 large eggs
• 1 prebaked pie crust (Graham crackers or chocolater crust)
• vanilla mascarpone cream for topping

DIRECTIONS

Combine heavy cream and milk in a large saucepan and bring to a low boil.

In a separate bowl add a couple of ladles of the hot milk/cream to chocolate malt powder and mix until smooth.

Add chocolate malt mix to saucepan with cream/milk and whisk until all mixed. Remove from the heat.

Add chopped up chocolates to hot mixture and let stand for around 5 minutes until chocolate is melted. Hand whisk until smooth. Then add eggs one at a time while whisking until smooth. Strain into a bowl. (You can do this step ahead of time and keep in fridge for one or two days only).

Preheat oven 300 F (150 C).

Whisk chocolate malt cream mixture lightly before adding to pie crust. Bake in oven for 10 minutes and then rotate dish. Bake another 10 minutes or until most of the filling looks set (the middle can be less set). Refrigerate for 1 hour minimum or overnight.

Add vanilla mascarpone cream as pie topping or add to individual slices of chocolate malt cream pie and serve.

Vanilla Mascarpone Cream

And then you top it with a light, fluffy, delicious vanilla mascarpone cream. I’m smiling just thinking about it.

INGREDIENTS

• 4 oz mascarpone cheese (113 g)
• 1 1/2 cup heavy /double cream (350 ml)
• 1/4 cup raw cane sugar (50 g)
• 1/2 tablespoon vanilla extract

DIRECTIONS

Combine cream, mascarpone, sugar and vanilla extract in a bowl. Whisk until the mixture forms stiff peaks.

Add vanilla mascarpone cream as topping to chocolate malt cream pie

And the crust …

You can either use a simple graham cracker crust or a chocolate version. I prefer to have a thinner layer of chocolate malt cream pie filling with the chocolate pie crust. And a much deeper chocolate malt pie when we use the plain graham cracker pie crust.

I made both. One recipe of the chocolate malt pie (below) was enough for both of these pies. If you like very deep chocolate cream pie then just make one pie.

SIMPLE GRAHAM CRACKER PIE CRUST

INGREDIENTS

• 12 Graham crackers (6 1/2 oz = approx 180 g)
• 5 tablespoons unsalted butter (melted)
• 1/4 cup sugar (50 g)
• couple pinches salt

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven 350 F (180 C). Finely grind graham crackers and then add cocoa, sugar, vanilla extract and salt in a food processor. Add melted butter but make sure it’s not too loose.

Press mixture into bottom and sides of a greased pie dish (9 in or 23 cms). Bake for 12 minutes and then set aside to cool.

My children love the chocolate crust version while my husband prefers the graham cracker pie crust.

You can freeze the chocolate malt pies too. Then just make fresh vanilla mascarpone cream to layer on top next time you serve it.

My children love the chocolate crust version while my husband prefers the graham cracker pie crust.

A wonderful gift and treat are strawberries covered in chocolates. You can find the recipe here.

Chocolate malt cream pie can also put a smile on guests’ faces if you serve it at a dinner party. Like me, you may need to make sure you put aside a couple of slices for the kids too.