Slice of chocolate yumminess. 

My mom has two books by Nora Daza: Galing-Galing and Let's Cook with Nora and for some reason, there's only one recipe I always go to: the Graham Cracker Chocolate Pie. As much as possible, I try not make pies because I don't like making the traditional pie crust (you know, the one you have to knead and roll and cut) but since this one has a Graham cracker crust, it's something doable for me. I'm familiar with Graham cracker crusts. I mean, I've seen my mom make them for her no-bake blueberry cheesecakes- they can't be that hard, right?. Little did I know, the crust would be the least of my problems.

I made this recipe last year for Father's Day. I used the recipe from the Galing-Galing cookbook. Long story short, I cut a few corners on the procedure and ended up with a goopy and a bit fluid chocolate filling. Was it yummy? Yes, but she ain't a pretty pie.

I wasn't willing to give up on this pie yet so here I am, making it again one year later with the other cookbook, Let's Cook with Nora. This book has a bit of tweaks compared to the recipe in Galing-Galing and now that I didn't cut corners, I'd like to think that my pie now is a better improvement but I feel like it still needs work, particularly the chocolate filling. See, I want my filling to be set (aka won't be a goopy mess when I slice into it) but still a lil creamy. The filling I have now ended up a liiiiitle, just a touch too set (although my mom assures me I didn't overbake it) for my liking. It's not dry at all, it just has quite the body.

Flavor-wise, it's pretty good. I was supposed to make it just plain chocolate but hey, why don't I just put in some mix-ins as well? I quite love raisin and nut chocolates anyway so I'm gonna turn this chocolate filling into one big raisin and nut chocolate.

I did turn down the sweetness a bit (again, my 'rents don't like overly sweet stuff) so the bitterness of the cocoa shone through. If you prefer it sweet, just bump up the sugar, no biggie. 

Enjoy!

Raisin and Walnut Chocolate Pie

(adapted from Let's Cook with Nora)

Crust:

1 1/4 cups crushed graham crackers

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1/4 cup melted butter

Chocolate Filling:

2/3 cup granulated sugar (bump up to 3/4c if you want a sweeter filling)

1/3 cup all purpose flour, sifted

1 tablespoon cornstarch

1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted

a pinch of salt

2 cups evaporated milk

2 egg yolks, beaten

1 tablespoon butter

1/3 cup raisins

1/3 cup chopped walnuts (a toasted mine before chopping)

1. Preheat oven to 350F.

2. Crust: mix graham crumbs and sugar in a bowl. Add in butter and stir until evenly moistened. Transfer the mixture into a 9" pie plate and press down firmly with your hands or spoon to cover the bottom and sides. Bake for 5-8 minutes then set aside to cool.

3. Filling: In a nonstick pan, combine sugar, flour, cornstarch, salt and cocoa powder. Add milk and stir. Bring pan on a stove and on low-medium heat, cook the mixture. Keep stirring until the mixture becomes thick, about 12-15 minutes.

Once the mixture is thick, add 1-2 tablespoons of the chocolate mixture into the beaten egg yolks and stir vigorously to temper the yolks. Add this back to the pan and continue to cook for one or two more minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in butter and fold in the raisins and walnuts. 

4. Pour the filling onto the graham crust and bake for 20 minutes. 

(I baked mine for 20 minutes and left it in the oven with the heat turned off for another 5. I think the pie's better off taken out of the oven after 20-23 minutes then cooled outside the oven.)

5. Let the pie fully cool before chilling it in the fridge to set. 

Enjoy!