I make a lot of cream pies, but this one is my favorite:

Chocolate Hazelnut
Bavarian Cream Pie

This recipe uses melted chocolate.

4 tsp gelatin
2-1/2 tbsp cold water
2/3 cup milk
2-1/2 oz. Bittersweet
chocolate
1/4 cup sugar
5 egg yolks
one pinch (1/16 tsp) salt
1/2 to 1 cup hazelnuts, toasted
1-2 tbsp Frangelico
1-1/4 cups whipping cream

Place a bowl and beaters in the freezer for the
whipping cream, to be used later.

Soak the gelatin in the cold water in a small
container.

Melt the chocolate in the top of a double
boiler.

Measure the milk in a Pyrex liquid measuring cup, and
microwave it 45 seconds on high, or until it is scalded. Add to the chocolate and stir to blend.

Combine the egg yolks, sugar, and salt in a large
mixing bowl and beat until blended. Add
the milk & chocolate mixture slowly, stirring constantly, so that the eggs
do not cook. Return the mixture to the
double boiler and cook until it begins to thicken or reaches 170°. This will take a few minutes, probably about 10-12.

Stir in the gelatin and mix until dissolved.

Coarsely chop the hazelnuts and combine them with the
chocolate mixture, and add the Frangelico.
Chill the entire mixture until about to set, which should take about
30-40 minutes or so, depending on your refrigerator. You do not want it to be too stiff, and so you should check it
often, if it appears to start to cool.
If it gets too stiff, you will have to warm it slightly by returning it
to the double boiler with hot (but not boiling) water in the bottom, or you can
float the bowl in a larger bowl of warm to hot water and stir until it is a
good consistency.

Remove the bowl and beater from the freezer, and add
the whipping cream to the bowl. Whip
the cream until stiff, and fold into the chocolate mixture. Pour the combined mixture into an 8” pie
pans with cookie (or graham cracker) crust and one dessert cup. Chill thoroughly (at least 12 hours) before
serving.

Yield: one
8” pie and one dessert cup, or one 9” pie. I like to have a little bit of the pudding without the piecrust.

You can omit the hazelnuts. Adjust the amount of Frangelico, depending on how thick it comes out - it can usually take 2 tablespoons. You can use Amaretto instead, or 1 tsp vanilla, but Frangelico gives the best flavor with hazelnuts. If your cream pies come out soupy, you can increase the amount of gelatin.

I also make some cream pies, although mostly banana and chocolate. The banana cream is easiest, I bake a crust, slice enough bananas to make a layer on the bottom, then make a cream filling, more like pudding than anything.

My favorite is this chocolate one, dark and rich and you only need a little slice:

Dark Chocolate Cream Pie

1-1/4 cups sugar

1/4 cup cornstarch

1/4 teaspoon salt 3 cups milk 3 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped
4 egg yolks, lightly beaten
3 tablespoons butter
1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 pastry shell (9 inches), baked

In a large saucepan, combine the sugar, cornstarch and salt. Stir in milk and chocolate. Cook and stir over medium-high heat until thickened and bubbly. Reduce heat; cook and stir 2 minutes longer. Remove from the heat.

Stir a small amount of hot filling into egg yolks; return all to the pan, stirring constantly. Bring to a gentle boil; cook and stir 2 minutes longer. Remove from the heat.

Gently stir in butter and vanilla. Spoon into pastry shell. Cool on a wire rack. Cover and chill for at least 3 hours. Yield: 8 servings.

Don't ask me why I can't just copy and past from a Word document, but I can't, it goes all over the place, with a mix of fonts and spaces. Grrr. Anyway, it's a good recipe!

Annie

Thank-you! I don't make cream pies, but I've saved both your recipes so if I should ever have reason to I'll have them to hand!

Annie, is "pasty shell" puff? A pie crust? Or a tart? Any of them? Something else?

I forgot to mention that I cook my custard to 170°, and I bought a thermometer/spoon recently that helps with that.

I'm sorry, plllog, it's a typo. That's "pastry shell", which is what Grandma always called a pre-baked pie crust.

This thread reminds me that I should drag out the old Farm Journal Pie cookbook and make a butterscotch cream pie, it was one of Grandma's favorites.

Annie

This is not a "pie" but it's a tart with a cream filling and delicious....and very company worthy.

Master recipe for fruit tarts….Cooks Magazine

Glaze:

1 cup of Apricot preserves or red current jelly

1 T water……melt together ( a liquor is nice instead of the
water….)

Pastry Cream

2 ½ T flour

¼ cup sugar

pinch salt

3 egg yolks

1 cup milk

1 tsp vanilla…or liquor

2 tsps butter

Pastry

1 1/4 cups AP flour

1 /4 cup cake flour

1/4 cup sugar

1/4tsp salt

1/4 lb chilled butter

2 egg yolks

Water if needed

Fruit

For glaze melt and strain if using preserves….keeps weeks
covered in refrig

For pastry cream

Mix dry ingredients

Beat yolks and beat
into dry ingredients

add milk and whisk over low heat until bubbles break the
surface….and continue cooking 1 minute longer. Remove from heat and stir in
butter and liquor or vanilla.

Cover with plastic wrap ( right on the surface!) and chill

Pastry

Mix dry ingredients in a bowl, cut in ( or work in with your
fingers) the butter until mix resembles coarse meal

Work in beaten egg
yolks

And add water if
needed to hold dough together.

Form into flattened ball, wrap and chill at least 30 minutes
( or up to 2 days)

Have ready tart pan with removable bottom ( 9 inch) and roll
out crust, fit into pan and roll pin over the top of tin to cut dough off. Press dough into
corners of pan and chill at least 15 minutes….or over night

Heat oven to 350 , place greased foil in tart crust, weight
with dry beans or pie weights and bake 10 minutes ….remove weights and foil and
bake another 10 minutes…or until dough is lightly browned….cool.

Fill with the pastry cream, arrange sliced fruit over the
top ( make a lovely swirl of strawberries or peach slices) Fruit should be
chilled before slicing and filling….brush with glaze….and serve!

The recipe goes on to show beautiful different fruit
combos….like kiwi raspberry, grape and berry, plum and apricot etc…..

Thanks, Annie! The typo was mine.

It sounds to me like the problem might be in how long you cook the filling.... it needs to cook long enough to bind/thicken, but if you cook it too long it breaks down and becomes thin/weepy. I'm sure that grainlady will jump in and explain it all in great detail!

I would love to make the coconut cream pie that Ann posted, but Kevin does not like coconut. However, I have a coconut in the fridge and all the ingredients to make it, and so I may make it anyway, on Monday, and then take leftovers to work.

WOW....looks like we are going to be eating a lot of pie in the near future....

Thanks for all the comments... This family will go for the chocolates for sure.I will post later as I make these. It is a 21 yr old grandson I am trying to please. He was here Thursday for lunch when I had tried again on a banana cream pie......"but Mammo it still tastes good" as he finished his 2nd piece....he will not be back till spring break. Hopefully I can surprise him and me too.

Lars....what brand thermometer spoon did you get?

.....is Frangelico a high dollar purchase?

I just wonder what the OP is doing that causes all these cream pie filling failures. I wonder if perhaps the filling needs to be cooked longer to a boil before adding it to the crust.

I've never made a cream pie, yet I love coconut cream pie. Thanks for asking the question, Shirl! There will definitely be a cream pie or two in the future.

This is the spoon thermometer I got - it was $34.06 when I bought it, and so I guess it has gone up slightly in price.

Frangelico is not expensive, and it has a lot of uses. I frequently add it to ice cream, whether vanilla or chocolate, and you can also add it to coffee (which I do not drink).

I think ann_t's recipe instruction nails it with the method. I also use a heavy pot and medium to low heat and have no issues.

3 pies in one week is just to much.....still have two to go......Need to shop in Big Town for Lars Chocolate Barvarian Pie and Lindac92's Fruit Tart. Those are on next weeks schedule.

Lars..... just ordered the Silikomart Silicone thermometer spoon you mentioned, didn't even shop, "if good enough for Lars, be fine for me". Used today and liked well. One disappointment, thought it was going to be red, nope it was brown, but that is doable.

Thanks Everyone.....

First was AnnTs Coconut Cream

Second was a Banana Cream...AnnT's Coconut filling recipe with bananas

And today Annie92's Chocolate Cream

The next time I get on the scales it is just gonna say....."One at a time please!" LOL

Shirl, those all look perfect AND delicious. To heck with your scales, ignore them. (grin) And none of them look like soup at all, they cut nicely and hold their shape.

That coconut cream looks especially good!

Annie

Shirl, your pies look beautiful, and they are all my favorites! BTW, I think you will like the thermometer spoon. I used it last week-end when I made French vanilla ice cream. I was going to make a pie, but the weather is getting warm here again, and so I made ice cream, as that is much easier.

Oh my! Those look delicious! I'm going to have to look into that thermometer spoon.

Three cream pies. WOW, I'm so impressed. Looks like you have now mastered the cream pie.

I'm going to make a coconut cream pie today because of this thread. :-)

I've never made one before, so I have a question about blind baking the crust. I have dry black beans, and lentils. Once I use them for baking would they be edible to use in cooking??

Edited to say that I did some noodling around, and it's recommended not to eat them. They aren't that expensive, and I buy dried black beans regularly anyway.

Also can you tell me what temps you used for baking the shell.

And one more Pie....

Lars Chocolate Hazelnut Bavarian Cream Pie

We found the favors 'come out' if pie is out of refrigerator for 15 to 20 minutes before serving. Very very good! Did not put hazelnuts in filling, but used for garnish.

Did I mention how nice the Thermometer spoon is? it's aweson as our grankids would say....

Jasdip....I bake my pie shells at 375 for 15 min...remove beans, return to oven for another 10 - 15 minutes but watch very closely for the browning process. Right or wrong I don't know, but works for me. Beans are not good for cooking once they are baked, just cool to cold and store till next time.

Thanks Shirl.

I did make a coconut cream pie last weekend, and we were both very happy with the way it turned out.

Nice photo of the Bavarian cream! I think it's a good idea to garnish on top with the hazelnuts - I never thought of that, but I'll bet they stay crunchier that way.

I still need to make the coconut cream pie, and I bought more ingredients for it last week-end.