CHOCOLATE DREAM PIE

I made and served this Chocolate Dream Pie to our Mexican Train group who met at my house last Thursday. Everyone loved the pie but not so much the crust I made. I deleted the recipe for the rice cereal crust that I made and what you see in the pictures because I was not happy with it and I would strongly suggest that you use either a homemade pastry shell, baked and cooled or a chocolate crumb type crust. Even a vanilla wafer crumb crust would taste good. Trust me! The chocolate filling is so good you will figure out what kind of crust you want to use.

 CHOCOLATE DREAM PIE

2       3 - oz packages cream cheese, softened (I used an 8 -oz package 1/3 less fat Neufchatel cheese and cut it at the 6 - oz measuring line on foil.)
3/4    cup powdered sugar
1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla
1/2    cup + 1 tablespoon cocoa
1/4    cup milk
1-1/2 cups whipping cream OR 1 - 8 oz container of whipped topping

Suggestions for crust...
         a baked pastry shell OR a chocolate crust such as an Oreo Cookie Crumb Crust or Chocolate Graham Cracker Crust

Beat for 3 - 4 minutes on high speed cream cheese and powdered sugar til nice and creamy. (You don't want to start out this fast or you will have a mess with the powdered sugar. Once it is blended on stir/low then increase speed to higher number and beat til creamy and smooth.)

Gradually add the cocoa alternately

with the milk starting and ending with cocoa. (3 times cocoa and twice with the milk) Beat until smooth.

(I also sifted the cocoa first to make sure there were no lumps to deal with.)

If using the whipping cream, slowing add the cream and beat until mixture is stiff. If using the whipped topping, gently fold in the topping until evenly blended.

Pile filling into prepared pie shell and chill for several hours or overnight. (I placed mine in a plastic pie case and put in the refrigerator overnight.)