COFFEE LOVERS CREAM PIE
Posted by Wooly Dragon on
When I was younger (20’s & 30’s), I was not a fan of coffee. The closest I came to coffee level caffeination was drinking Coca Cola (not Pepsi, yuck!) in copious amounts, to the point of being in danger of developing type 2 diabetes. Luckily, I outgrew that bad habit. However, I do still indulge in a large Vanilla Coke whenever I go by a Sonic; basically once every 7-10 days.
Now that I’m in my 60’s, I am a regular coffee drinker…sort of.
In my 40’s, I walked into a Starbucks and did what many people did & still do… ordered a frappuccino. A good old chocolate one, which is basically super unhealthy chocolate milk with some coffee in it. I was in love and probably was back in danger of that pre-diabetes soda induced predicament of my youth. I tried several flavors (caramel, pumpkin spice, etc.), but my tried & true was the chocolate…ahem, the mocha version. That sounds way more posh, doesn’t it? But no matter how much I tried, I could not make myself drink regular coffee, even with cream & sugar. I guess I like my coffee mocha’d.
A visit to Starbucks (or any other coffee shop chain) was an occasional treat, like the Sonic Cokes. Partially because of that Ghost of Diabetes Future, but mostly because of the price. Ye Gods, how do people afford that on a daily basis?!
Lucky for me, I put 2+ 2 together and figured out how I could make my own iced mocha at home. (If I used a blender, I would get a frappuccino aka a coffee milkshake, but who wants to take the time & effort?)
Three ingredients (4, if you count the ice): Chilled coffee (sure I can just use hot, but the ice melts so fast and waters down the taste), chocolate syrup and 1/2 & 1/2. Stir it with a spoon, like the aforementioned chocolate milk, and serve it iced. Fairly simple and it’s my go-to breakfast beverage all year long. Yep, even in winter! If I need or want a hot drink then, hot chocolate & hot apple cider are my jam!
Okay, my coffee life-experiences are not the only reason for this blog, but it is related. I came upon a recipe for coffee cream pie in an old cookbook. It was fairly simple and I figured, “hey, I like coffee ice cream. I’ll try this!”
The original recipe utilized a stove to make the filling for the pie, but I use the microwave. Once I have the ingredients & the measuring implements gathered, the entire process takes like 5-10 minutes.
Ingredients:
2/3 cup of sugar 4 tablespoons of cornstarch A dash of salt
1 cup coffee (hot or cold) 1 cup evaporated milk 1 egg
1 teaspoon of vanilla 2 tablespoons of butter A pie crust
Instructions:
Mix the sugar, cornstarch & salt together. Add the coffee, evaporated milk & the egg into the dry ingredients. Whisk until frothy. Use a microwave safe bowl for this.
Microwave the coffee mixture for 2 minutes. Take it out and whisk it again. Microwave for another 2 minutes. Take it out and whisk it again. Depending on your microwave, you may have to do 2 more minutes for the mixture to thicken. With my microwave, it takes 4 minutes total.
Your goal is to whisk it until it is smooth & shiny. Add in the butter and the vanilla (or, even better, use coffee extract for a bigger kick of coffee-ness). Whisk again and then pour into your pie crust.
You can make your own pie crust for this, if you’d like. I use store bought ones. I especially love the graham cracker or chocolate cookie pie crusts with this filling.
Cover & chill in the refrigerator. Serve with some whipped cream or Cool Whip (to continue the easy peasy theme).
Troubleshooting: If the filling doesn’t seem to thicken after microwaving, you may have to add more cornstarch. Make a slurry of 1 tablespoon cornstarch & 1 tablespoon of water or evaporated milk. Add half of it to the pie filling; mix well & microwave for one minute. Add the other half, if needed. The original recipe called for 5 tablespoons of cornstarch, but it was too much.
I hope you give this a try and find it as yummy as I do! I’m thinking of other flavors of pie I could make with this general recipe. Any suggestions?
Love, Wooly