Food & Cooking Recipes Dessert & Treats Recipes Pie & Tarts Recipes Coffee Cream Pie Inspired by the flavor of chocolate-covered espresso beans, this is a deliciously creamy and decadent dessert. Prep Time: 40 mins Cook Time: 20 mins Total Time: 5 hrs Servings: 8 Yield: 1 9-inch pie Jump to recipe Our creamy coffee pie recipe is a luscious creation with a homemade chocolate crust and rich coffee custard. It's finished with a generous topping of whipped cream. Served chilled, this creative dessert will please both coffee and chocolate lovers alike. The easy chocolate crust is made with wafer cookies, butter, and sugar and comes together quickly with the help of a food processor. The coffee filling gets its complex flavor from instant espresso powder (one of our favorite baking ingredients) and coffee liqueur. Top it with chocolate-covered espresso beans or chocolate curls for an eye-catching and irresistible dessert. Our 23 Top Pie Recipes of All Time Credit: decorvow Keys to a Smooth Coffee Custard Making custard at home isn't difficult, but being mindful of a few key steps will help ensure a smooth and creamy finished product. Temper the egg yolks: Incorporating the hot milk mixture to the yolks before cooking the custard on the stovetop is known as "tempering" and helps to heat them gently so they don't curdle. When adding the hot liquid, do so very gradually in a slow, steady stream while constantly whisking, rather than pour it in all at once. Strain the cooked custard: A fine-mesh sieve is used to strain the custard after cooking, which prevents any firm bits of cooked egg from making it into the finished result. If you don't have a sieve, you can use a colander lined with a double-layer of cheesecloth instead. Slowly work in the butter: When whisking the butter into the custard, do so piece by piece, waiting until each is fully melted and incorporated before adding the next. Doing this gradually helps to emulsify the mixture, leaving you with a velvety consistency. A food processor is used to break down the chocolate wafers into fine crumbs as well as incorporate the butter and sugar. If you don't have a food processor, place the cookies in a resealable bag, push out the air, and use a rolling pin to crush them into fine crumbs. Transfer them to a bowl and stir in the melted butter, sugar, and salt until well combined. Directions Preheat oven; assemble crust: Preheat oven to 350°F. In a food processor, pulse wafers until finely ground. Add butter, sugar, and salt, and process until well combined. Press mixture firmly into bottom and up sides of a 9-inch pie plate. Bake crust; let cool: Bake until crust is firm, about 10 minutes. Let cool completely on a wire rack. Cook milk mixture for filling: Whisk together granulated sugar, cornstarch, and salt in a medium saucepan. Whisk in milk and 2 tablespoons espresso powder, and cook over medium-high heat, stirring constantly, until bubbling and thick, about 7 minutes (about 2 minutes after it comes to a boil). Add to egg yolks; cook custard: Whisk egg yolks in a medium bowl until combined. Whisk in milk mixture in a slow, steady stream until completely incorporated. Return mixture to saucepan, and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, just until it returns to a boil, 1 to 2 minutes. Strain custard; whisk in butter and let cool: Strain through a fine sieve into a large bowl, and stir in coffee liqueur and vanilla. Add butter, 1 tablespoon at a time, whisking until each piece melts before adding the next one. Let custard cool, whisking occasionally, about 10 minutes. Pour filling into crust; cover and chill: Pour custard into baked and cooled crust. Press plastic wrap directly on surface of custard. Refrigerate until filling is firm, 4 hours (or wrapped tightly with plastic, up to 1 day). Crush espresso beans: With the flat side of a chef's knife, crush espresso beans, 1 at a time. Reserve 1 tablespoon large pieces for garnish. Make whipped cream topping; top pie: In a chilled bowl, beat cream, confectioners' sugar, and remaining 1 teaspoon espresso powder until stiff peaks form. Fold small espresso-bean pieces into whipped cream mixture, and spread over pie. Sprinkle with reserved espresso-bean pieces or chocolate curls, and serve immediately. Topping Variation The crushed chocolate-covered espresso beans lend a speckled look and subtle crunch to the whipped cream topping while the whole beans on top nod to the pie's chocolate-coffee flavor. If you'd prefer a smoother texture, you can omit them entirely and garnish the cake with chocolate curls instead. More Coffee-Flavored Recipes to Try: Coffee Meringue-Ice Cream Cake Blum's Coffee Crunch Cake Coffee Buttercream Coffee-Filled Cream Puffs With Chocolate Glaze Coffee Napoleon This recipe comes from the book decorvow's New Pies & Tarts. Martha made this recipe on episode 507 of Martha Bakes. Updated by Esther Reynolds Esther Reynolds Esther Reynolds is an experienced recipe developer, recipe tester, food editor, and writer with over a decade of experience in the food and media industries.