Chocolate Pudding Pie

1/4 cup cocoa powder
1 1/2 cup sugar
5 T flour
1/2 tsp salt
3 beaten egg yolks (I think I’ve used 1 egg + 1 yolk)
scant 2 cups milk
2 tsp vanilla
2 T butter

Combine cocoa, sugar, flour & salt in a heavy saucepan.
Add egg, milk & vanilla. Cook over low heat, stirring frequently for about 10 min. or until mixture thickens.
Remove from heat & stir in butter. Let cool a bit before pouring into pie shell.

Top with whipped cream.

Note from mom 3/2020: I think this is the choc. pudding I have been using - not the one in the cook book (chocolate pudding).

4/2025 - Ron made it, very good but it didn’t setup. The next day it seems solid though, chatgpt thinks it needed more firdge time.

Chatgpt notes: Cook the pudding until it actively bubbles — not just thickens. Specifically, look for a “slow lava bubble” — thick, glossy, and when a bubble pops, it leaves a small crater. 👉 Once it bubbles, keep stirring and cook for 1–2 minutes more.

Why?

Flour needs to reach about 203°F (95°C) to fully activate its thickening power.

If you stop cooking too early (even if it looks thick), it won’t fully set once cooled.

That last minute or two after bubbling “locks in” the thickening.

Bonus tip: You could also move the vanilla addition to the very end (after cooking). High heat can sometimes dull the flavor a little, and vanilla stays fresher if stirred in off heat.

So in short, the improved flow would be:

  • Whisk cocoa, sugar, flour, salt.
  • Whisk in egg(s) and milk (leave out vanilla for now).
  • Cook on low/medium-low, stirring constantly, until it thickens and bubbles like pudding-lava.
  • Keep stirring and cook for 1–2 more minutes after bubbling starts.
  • Remove from heat.
  • Stir in butter and vanilla.

Let cool slightly, then pour into your crust. Might need several hours to setup propery.

Edit this recipe on GitHub