"Sometimes you just want chocolate, and nothing satisfies your craving like chocolate cream pie. One of the best things about making this rich dessert in the form of a pie pop is that you can have just a little to satisfy your sweet tooth, or three or four. It’s really up to you whether you want to share or not! I make my chocolate cream with a touch of cinnamon and salt to really liven up that chocolate flavor and make it unforgettable! "
4 unbaked store-bought or homemade 9-inch-diameter piecrusts
24 8-inch long cookie sticks
Chocolate Cream Filling:
1 2/3 cups water
3 tablespoons cornstarch
5 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
3 large egg yolks, beaten (see note)
1 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk
2 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon coarse salt
1 large egg white, beaten, for brushing
Confectioners’ sugar, for dusting
Preheat the oven to 375°F. Grease and flour a large baking sheet.
To prepare the filling: In a large saucepan, whisk together water, cornstarch and cocoa powder until smooth. Place over medium heat. Immediately stir in the egg yolks and condensed milk, and cook until thickened, stirring constantly.
Lower the heat to low, and stir in the butter until completely combined. Remove from the heat, and add the vanilla, cinnamon and salt; mix well. Let cool slightly before using.
To assemble the pie pops: Flour both sides of the two piecrusts, and then roll flat with a rolling pin. Using a 3-inch round cookie cutter, cut 24 rounds from the dough, 12 for the bottom crust and 12 for the top crust.
Lay out the 12 bottom crusts on a large, greased and floured baking sheet. Brush each bottom crust with egg white, using a silicone basting brush. Press an 8-inch-long cookie stick firmly on top of the center of each bottom crust.
Dispense a 1 1/2-inch dollop of chocolate pie filling in the center of each bottom crust. Place a top crust over each bottom crust, and press firmly around the sides only, sealing the filling inside.
Create a cookie stick dowel by cutting a 1-inch piece off the end of an 8-inch-long cookie stick. Use this dowel to crimp the sealed edges of the pie pop by pressing firmly on each side of the stick first, then move counterclockwise around the edges. This will keep the stick from moving around once the pie pop is baked.
After each pop is sealed and pressed, brush more egg white on each top crust.
Bake the sheet on the center rack of the oven for 15 to 18 minutes, until the crust is nice and golden. Then place the individual pops on a cooling rack. Sift the confectioners’ sugar on top of each crust. Let cool for at least 15 minutes before serving.
Note: You can save the egg whites for brushing pie pops, so don’t toss them out!