Cold, creamy and oh so easy—the perfect treat for a warm-weather celebration
Packaged cookies and frozen whipped topping make this creamy chocolate pie a cinch to put together. A cookie crumb and chocolate chip topping makes for a festive, professional look. Be sure to allow plenty of time to chill this pie—it needs at least eight hours in the freezer to set.
Ingredients:
- 1-1/2 cups (360 mL) vanilla wafer cookies, in crumbs (about 40 cookies)
- 3 tbsp (45 mL) melted butter
- 1 tsp (5 mL) water
- One 3 oz (90 g) package low-fat cream cheese, room temperature
- 1/3 cup (90 mL) sugar
- 1 tsp (5 mL) vanilla extract
- 1/3 cup (90 mL) cocoa powder
- 1/3 cup (90 mL) low fat milk
- One 8 oz (240 g) package frozen non-whipped topping, thawed
- 1/3 cup (90 mL) mini chocolate chips, plus 2 tbsp (30 mL) for garnish
Directions:
- Preheat the oven to 350 °F (177 °C). Spray a 9 in (23 cm) springform pan with nonstick cooking spray.
- Reserve 1 tbsp (15 mL) of the vanilla wafer crumbs for garnish. In a small bowl, combine the remaining ground crumbs with the melted butter and 1 tbsp (5 mL) of water. Mix well with a fork until the crumbs hold together. Press the mixture into the bottom of the springform pan to make a crust. Make sure to cover the bottom of the pan completely with the mixture. Bake the crust for 15 minutes on the middle rack. Remove pan with baked crust from the oven and allow to cool, about 15 minutes.
- In a medium-size mixing bowl, using an electric hand mixer or stand mixer, beat the cream cheese, sugar and vanilla until smooth. Then alternate adding the cocoa powder and milk, a little at a time, mixing well in between additions until each portion is completely incorporated. Fold in the whipped topping and 1/3 cup (90 mL) of mini chocolate chips.
- Pour the mixture from Step 3 over the cooled crust in the pan. Freeze the pie for 8 hours or overnight (up to 24 hours).
- When ready to serve the pie, release the springform pan and carefully remove the base. (If the pie is sticking to the pan, run a knife or thin spatula along the edge to loosen it from the sides of the pan.) Carefully slide the pie off the springform base onto a serving platter. Sprinkle the reserved 1 tbsp (15 mL) of wafer crumbs along the top edges of the pie to make a border. Then generously sprinkle the 2 tbsp (30 mL) of mini chocolate chips reserved for garnish inside the crumb border. Serve immediately.
Chef’s Notes:
To crumble the vanilla wafers, place them in a Ziploc® brand Storage Bag with the Smart Zip™ seal, squeeze the air out and close the bag. Use a rolling pin to roll over the wafers until they are fine crumbs. No rolling pin? A can of soup will work just as well. You can also process the wafers in a food processor until they are finely ground.
A springform pan has a removable base that locks into the sides with a latch. It’s designed so the sides can be removed easily from the base for a delicate cake. This type of pan is inexpensive and can be found at most stores that sell baking pans.
“Folding” is a technique for gently blending a light ingredient or mixture into a heavier mixture. The objective is to retain as much air as possible in the whole mixture. To “fold,” simply stir or lift part of the mixture from the bottom up and over the other. Use a rubber spatula or a metal spoon.
