The Return of the Bittersweet Chocolate Pudding Pie: Now with Wafer Crust and 60% Cacao Chocolate

Behold! The official Bittersweet Chocolate Pudding Pie with Creme Fraiche Topping creation! I decided that on the second go-around, I would make the recipe word for word...well, kinda...we don't have the rum to toss in, so I used extra vanilla extract. Then I also forgot about the extra cocoa at the bottom of the dish. I was offered to use the Valrhona Hazelnut chocolate for it. It was a 3.7 oz bar, so I used our new digital scale to weigh out the exact 2 oz it needs so we don't use too much of the $5 chocolate bar. If you have not been here before, we made some significant differences in the recipe.

While we have the appearance differences, I will describe the taste differences as well. The crust is the most significant change as it was slightly sweet instead of mellow texture of the premade pie crust. Even when I was crushing the cookies, I didn't believe that 1/2 the package of cookies would measure out to the right shape. The recipe states it equals out to 1 cup when complete. Just make it as you need, when you press it into the pie shell, it will line your pie shell evenly.

I will probably only take this one thing from Rachel Ray: Your nose will tell you when they're done. She was referencing to the scent of roasting nuts, but in this case, you will be smelling the pie shell becoming ready to pull from the oven once it's ready. The recipe says to heat it about 12 minutes, check it after 9. I let it go past 13 before I decided that the appearance was starting to change but I didn't want it to go much longer. I spread the newly chopped chocolate after letting the crust cool a little bit so it melts a little.

Our other major difference was we used 60% instead of the 85%. This made the pie all the more heavenly! Not too sweet, not too tart, it was perfect! Then there's the topping. I added the cream to the Creme Fraiche and whipped it. It made it all the more divine to the taste!

Another thing to note: while you may have been refrigerating the pie for 6-18 hours, let the pie sit about 20 minutes so it's east to slice. I made this mistake and struggled to slice the pie effectively.

So whether you decide to make the cookie crust or you want to take the shortcut and use a premade crust, the end result will be the same, a rich, flavorful, delicious pudding that will please all of your guests. If you do decide to make either, please let me know how it turns out for you!