Mini Cream Pies!

Cream pie filling is so versatile!  You can use it plain, add chocolate chips, coconut, the options are endless!  This is my mother's recipe that she used all the time I was growing up.


Basic Vanilla Cream Pie Filling:


2 cups of milk
2 egg yolks
1 cup sugar
2 Tbsp butter
Dash of salt
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/4 cup milk
1 tsp vanilla


Mix 1/4 cup cornstarch and 1/4 cup milk together in a small bowl or cup and set aside.  Add all the other ingredients to a saucepan and whisk together to combine.  Cook on medium heat, stirring constantly until it just comes to a boil.  Reduce heat to a simmer and add cornstarch/milk mixture and continue stirring until the pudding thickens.  Remove from heat, stir in vanilla and chill.




For Chocolate Cream Pies:
Stir in 1 cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips until melted and chill.  Fill a pre-baked pie crust.


For German Chocolate Pies:
Stir in 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips and 1 cup of sweetened coconut flakes until melted and combined and chill.  Fill a pre-baked pie crust.


For Banana Cream Pies:
Slice or chop several bananas and layer with the chilled vanilla cream pie filling into a pre-baked pie crust.


For Pumpkin Cream Pies:
Mix in 1 cup of canned pumpkin and add cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg.  Chill and put in a pre-baked pie crust.




Pie Crust (Paula Deen's Recipe)

• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon fine salt
• 3 tablespoons granulated white sugar
• 1/4 cup vegetable shortening, cold (I used butter-flavored Crisco)
• 12 tablespoons butter, cold and cubed
• 1/4 cup to 1/2 cup ice water

I combined all the dry ingredients with the butter and shortening into a food processor and pulsed until it looked like coarse crumbs.  Then I put in the water until the dough just came together.  Remove and separate into 2 disks.  Cover with plastic wrap and chill for 30 minutes.  If you leave it in there longer, you will need to remove and warm up a little to roll it out.  For the mini-pies I used a biscuit cutter and placed them in the bottom of a cupcake pan.  Bake at 450 degrees for 8 minutes.  Cool and fill with cream pie filling.  Top with whipped cream (I used the canned stuff cause it made it look pretty!)