Recipe: Oreo Cream Pie with Vanilla Cream Filling (make ahead)

OREO CREAM PIE
"My son Dakota was so excited when I told him I was working on an Oreo Cream Pie - almost as excited as my husband was. I can't tell you what a huge smile it put on my face when I saw Dakota's eyes light up with excitement as he put the first bite of this pie in his mouth. We had his friends sample our new creation a few days later and they had the same reaction. There's no doubt that kids love Oreo Cream Pie, but be sure to save some for the adults, too!"



FOR THE VANILLA CREAM:
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1 1/3 cups whole milk
3/4 cup water
3 egg yolks, beaten
1 vanilla bean, halved lengthwise, seeds scraped out with the point of a sharp knife and reserved (or, alternatively, 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract)

FOR THE OREO FILLING:
1 cup whipped cream
2 cups coarsely chopped Oreos
1/2 cup Hot Fudge Sauce

FOR SERVING:
2 cups whipped cream
1/2 cup coarsely chopped Oreos
1/4 cup hot fudge sauce

TO PREPARE THE VANILLA CREAM:
In a medium saucepan off of the heat, whisk together the sugar, salt, and flour. Add the milk and 3/4 cup water to the whisked dry ingredients and heat the mixture over medium heat, constantly whisking and scraping the sides of the pan. Monitor the mixture carefully; when it begins to simmer and becomes thick and bubbly after about 4 minutes, let it cook for 1 minute more. You'll know it's finished when the cream thickens to the point where it covers the back of a spoon.

Add 2 tablespoons of the heated mixture to the egg yolks and mix them together well. Whisk the egg yolks into the cream in the saucepan and let the cream simmer for 2 minutes, stirring and scraping the sides constantly to prevent burning. Add the vanilla seeds (discard the pod) or vanilla extract and whisk to combine.

Pour the vanilla cream into a large bowl, cover it tightly with plastic wrap, and place it in the refrigerator. Allow the vanilla cream to cool for at least 1 hour.

TO PREPARE THE OREO FILLING:
Once the vanilla cream has cooled, fold 1 cup whipped cream into the cooled vanilla cream. Add 2 cups of chopped Oreos, folding them into the cream until well combined.

TO PREPARE THE PIE:
Spread 1/2 cup of the hot fudge sauce across the bottom of the Oreo pie shell. Sprinkle the remaining 1/2 cup of chopped Oreos evenly across the hot fudge. Spoon the Oreo filling on top of the chopped Oreos.

Put the pie in the refrigerator to cool until it is firm, at least 2 hours before serving. Oreo Cream Pie can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

TO SERVE:
Spread the 2 cups of whipped cream evenly across the pie. Sprinkle the 1/2 cup of chopped Oreos over the whipped cream. Using a spoon, drizzle the 1/4 cup of hot fudge over the top.

Makes one 9-inch pie, 6 to 8 slices
Used by permission to Recipelink.com from Random House
Adapted from source: Perfect Pies and More by Michele Stuart, photograph by Ben Fink