Recipe: Individual Chocolate Cream Pies

I have to say that so far this recipe has been the most photogenic, hahaha.

So, what do I have to say about this creation? Well, I definitely liked it. Although, I think I enjoyed making it more than eating it (I don't really like graham cracker crust), however, that's not to say that these little guys aren't delicious because they are! The chocolate filling is amazing...light, fluffy, and a perfect dessert after a heavy meal (mom made lasagna for labor day!). A strong cup of coffee is the perfect complement.

The pros to making this are the following: they are extremely fast to make (10-15 minutes max- truly!), no actual cooking (it's just a bunch of blending and whipping), EXTREMELY easy clean-up, and it has the potential for A LOT of variation.

The cons? It's not really a con so much as just something to keep in mind- you have to refrigerate them for a bit before serving so the mousse sets. Otherwise, the filling gets a little runny. Other than that, though, no complaints from me!!

Occasion? If you're truly ambitious, you can prepare these for a small party. Warning though- the recipe only makes 6 at a time, so if you're going to make them for a lot of people, prepare to be by the mixer for awhile. As I stated before, they would be great after a large meal. They also have the potential to be the dessert for a couples dinner. If you garnish them right (strawberries/raspberries on top with whipped cream maybe?) they can be kind of romantic.

And now for the recipe (from Hershey's Fabulous Desserts-1989):

Individual Chocolate Cream Pies

1 1/2 ounces (1/2 of 3-ounce package) cream cheese, softened
6 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 1/2 tablespoons Hershey's Cocoa
2 1/2 tablespoons milk
1 cup chilled whipping cream (also called heavy cream)
6 (4-ounce package) single serve graham crusts
Whipped Topping (optional)
Hershey's mini chips semi-sweet chocolate (optional)

In small mixer bowl beat cream cheese, sugar and vanilla until well blended. Add cocoa alternately with milk, beating until smooth. In separate bowl beat whipping cream until stiff; fold into chocolate mixture. Spoon into crusts. Cover; chill until set. Garnish with whipped topping and mini chips.


That's everything!

A couple of things I did differently here though: I didn't include the mini chips in my garnish, and instead of using a small bowl to beat the cream cheese, sugar and vanilla, I used a large bowl. It was a little difficult, but it still got the job done. Also, when you buy the cream cheese, they do have 3-ounce cream cheese blocks. They are considerably smaller than the regular rectangle that you get. These are shaped in a square. Just make sure you look at the package to see what you're getting.

Stay tuned for the next recipe- Mint 'n chocolate fudge.