Author Notes: I was lucky to grow up nearby my maternal great-aunt, Hilda, -but known to us as Aunt Da-for about ten years before she passed away. About a year ago, I was struck with a yen for a pie she made often during my childhood: French Silk. It’s a creamy, lighter than air chocolate pie, and I had the most acute taste-memory of it but not the recipe. I called my Nanan, Aunt Da’s daughter, and she rummaged through Aunt Da’s recipe books and found it.
I made it once and loved it- it tasted just like I remembered- but felt our family crust (perfect for nearly every pie) just wasn’t the perfect fit here. So I tweaked it a bit to be a bittersweet cocoa crust. Aah, divinity! I’ve got one in the fridge now. Hope you enjoy it! —em-i-lis
Makes: 1 9" pie
Ingredients
For the cocoa crust
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scant 2 c all-purpose flour, sifted
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1
teaspoon salt
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2
tablespoons unsweetened cocoa
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1½
teaspoons sugar
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¼
cups milk
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½
cups canola oil
For the French Silk chocolate filling
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1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature
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¾
cups sugar
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3
squares Ghirardelli unsweetened baking chocolate, melted and cooled
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2
eggs
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2
cups TruWhip (all-natural Cool Whip), or Cool Whip, thawed
Directions
For the cocoa crust
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Preheat oven to 375.
In a mixing bowl, whisk together the sifted flour, salt, cocoa and sugar. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour in the milk and canola oil. Stir with a fork until everything is combined for the most part. -
Take about 80% of the dough if making a deep-dish pie and roll it out between two sheets of waxed paper. Invert over a 9? pie plate, trimming off any excess that hangs over the sides.
Put a parchment round over the bottom of the crust and then put pie weights or beans on top. Bake for 20 minutes, remove the weights/beans and parchment and bake 4-5 minutes more. Remove from oven and let cool. While cooling, make the filling.
For the French Silk chocolate filling
- With a hand or standing mixer, cream the butter and sugar. Stir in the melted, cooled chocolate and then beat in the eggs one at a time (beating 3-4 minutes after each one). Fold in the TruWhip and pour the batter into the pie crust. Cover and put in the fridge for about 2 hours to set.
- Yes, it is that easy!
/f603dde3-2bf1-4c1d-8299-53a7cc6fce96--DSC_5330.JPG "Aunt Da's French Silk Chocolate Pie 2")
