Does it get any better than a silky chocolate pie? Nuh-uh! Make this pie with a graham cracker or all-butter crust, then fill it with chocolate pudding and CARAMEL. Decadent and delicious.
A few years back I did an informal poll of family and friends for their favorite types of pie. The winner? A classic apple pie, however it only barely nudged out Chocolate Pie for first place. My nephews' votes were one for chocolate pie and one for caramel pie: so they'll both be happy with this one.
At our family holiday gatherings there was always a Chocolate Pie. Not only was it a simple pie to pull together, it was always the favorite of the kids in the house that didn't care for fruit pies. (I was one of them!) And now I'm sharing my take on that beloved pie with you.
Why you'll love this pie
Well, first of all: CHOCOLATE. And second of all? CARAMEL. Yes, a ribbon of salted caramel runs through the middle of this pie. (Woot!)
You'll also love that this is a relatively easy pie to put together. The filling is instant chocolate pudding - plus that ribbon of salted caramel. Use your favorite brand of caramel sauce here - ideally the expensive stuff you've been hiding from the kids!
There are directions below to make a simple graham cracker crust. This is also a great filling to use in my Perfect All-Butter Pie Crust, if you're so inclined. Press the dough into a pan, prebake it and fill it once it's cool.
And if you're really in a pinch for time, feel free to pick-up a store-bought graham cracker crust. This pie will still be delicious, and you will still be the hero who brought the CHOCOLATE pie.
How to make this pie
Step 1: Make the crust.
Crush graham crackers and mix the crumbs with melted butter. Press this mixture over the bottom and sides of a pie pan. Give it a quick bake, then let it cool.
Step 2: Prepare the filling.
Mix up the instant pudding with cold milk. Have your jar of salted caramel sauce ready.
Step 3: Fill the pie shell.
Pour half of the chocolate pudding into the shell. Then, drizzle the salted caramel sauce over the top of the pudding. Use the back of a spoon to smooth it out into an even-ish layer. Pour the rest of the chocolate pudding into the shell and smooth the top. Refrigerate the pie for at least an hour - overnight is even better.
Step 4: Add the whipped cream topping.
Beat heavy whipping cream and confectioner's sugar to make a luscious whipped cream. Spoon this in a thick layer over the top of the pudding. Top the whipped cream with a few chocolate shavings. Slice up the pie and serve.
Tips:
- If you have never made your own graham cracker shell, you really just should. It's not difficult at all, adds very little time and it tastes out of this world.
- Make sure you buy "instant pudding". It's easy to mix up the "instant" and "cook and serve" varieties! The cook and serve pudding will work of course, but it will add some time to the preparation of this pie.
The recipe is below, and here are a few more pie ideas, too!
>>>Have you tried this Chocolate Caramel Pie? Scroll down to leave a comment and a star rating!
Chocolate Caramel Pie
Ingredients
- 9 sheets graham crackers, finely crushed
- 8 tablespoons butter, melted
- 2 3.9 ounce packages instant chocolate pudding
- 2 3/4 cups cold milk
- 1/2 cup salted caramel sauce
- 2 cups heavy whipping cream
- 1/2 cup confectioner's sugar
- Chocolate shavings
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
- Place the graham cracker crumbs into a medium bowl. Pour in the melted butter. Stir until all the crumbs are moistened. You can also complete this step in a food processor if you'd like. Press the butter-crumb mixture into an even layer over the bottom and up the sides of a 9" pie plate.
- Bake the shell for 15 minutes until it is a deep golden brown. Remove and let the crust cool completely.
- In a large bowl, combine the milk and pudding mixes. Stir for 2 minutes. Pour about half of the pudding into the cooled graham shell. Drizzle the caramel evenly over the pudding layer. Use the back of a spoon to smooth the caramel over the pudding. Then, pour the rest of the pudding into the shell. Smooth the top.
- If you're planning to serve it right away, refrigerate for at least 15 minutes before adding the whipped cream. If making in advance, refrigerate it for a few hours to overnight.
- Place the bowl and whisk attachment of a stand mixer into the freezer for 15 minutes to chill.
- When these are chilled, assemble them on the stand mixer and pour the whipping cream into the bowl. Whisk the cream on high. Slowly add in the confectioner's sugar as the mixer is running. Whisk the cream for about 3-5 minutes until it holds stiff peaks.
- Spoon the whipped cream over the top of the pie. Sprinkle chocolate shavings over the cream.
- Slice and serve the pie immediately or cover and refrigerate the pie for up to 8 hours before serving.
Notes
- If you have never made your own graham cracker shell, you really just should. It's not difficult at all, adds very little time and it tastes out of this world.
- Make sure you buy "instant pudding". It's easy to mix up the "instant" and "cook and serve" varieties! The cook and serve pudding will work of course, but it will add some time to the preparation of this pie.
Nutrition
This recipe and post were updated 11/17/2019.
Nancy, this pie looks absolutely delicious. I love chocolate pie and the caramel is the key . I will make . Your recipes are the best.
Donna, I hope you get to make this one, I love chocolate pies too! I’m so happy you left this comment for me, thank you! ❤️
YUM!!!
My twist on Gram's classic ❤️
Oh man! That sounds so good! I have to try it. I haven't had much luck with cream pies. I'm obviously doing something wrong. They come out a bit too...well, they lack form. I've gotta figure out what I'm doing wrong and fix that.
http://www.frankiesbookshelf.com/
They do seem to be finicky. I remember at my grandmothers the chocolate pies would sometimes be perfect, sometimes runny. Fingers crossed this one works more often than not 🙂 Thank you!
Oh my gosh, this looks delicious! I wish I could have a slice right now! I'm saving the recipe. 🙂 Thanks for sharing, Nancy!
Thank YOU! 🙂
The carmel and chocolate combo is a charming idea. Breaks up the chocolate - yummy
I did not mind making this already sweet pie even sweeter. Thanks!
Looks delicious so long as you make it and only give me a small piece. Good idea to put a layer of caramel. I think I gained weight just reading about it.
I'd be happy to 😉 Thanks Jo
I hadn't thought of putting caramel syrup in it before. Definitely have to give that a try!
I'll be making this one a lot, I think 🙂
This looks Del-i-cious! I'm pinning for later.
Kris
Thank you so much Kris!
Looks yummy. Anything with chocolate pudding sounds good to me!
~Visiting from A to Z
http://jollettetc.blogspot.com/
Thank you Wendy! The caramel helps a lot too 😉