Mississippi Mud Pie with Homemade Whipped Cream

So I was commissioned to make a chocolate pudding pie (whatever that is) for our Thanksgiving potluck. I've never done that before, but I was pretty sure Martha Stewart wouldn't let me down so I decided to go for it. I found this delicious recipe from Martha's website, and it looked a lot more gourmet than just a chocolate pudding pie. It was inhaled at dessert!

Mississippi Mud Pie with Homemade Whipped Cream

25 chocolate wafer cookies (~1/2 a 9 oz package; we used Oreos with the cream scraped off)

1/2 C pecan halves, plus some for garnish

4 tbsp unsalted butter, melted, plus 2 tbsp cold, cut into small pieces

2/3 C plus 1 tsp sugar

1/3 C unsweetened cocoa powder

1/3 C cornstarch

1/4 tsp salt

2 1/2 C milk

4 large egg yolks

2 tsp pure vanilla extract, divided

1/2 C heavy cream

1. Preheat oven to 375°F. In food processor, grind cookies and pecans to fine crumbs. Add melted butter and process until moistened.

2. Transfer mixture to 9" pie plate, pressing into bottom and up sides into crust shape. Bake until fragrant, about 8-10 minutes. Cool.

3. Place large, fine-mesh sieve over a large bowl and set aside. In medium saucepan, off heat, whisk together 2/3 C sugar, cocoa powder, cornstarch, and salt. A few tbsp at a time, whisk in milk. Whisk in egg yolks.

4. Over medium heat, WHISKING CONSTANTLY, cook mixture until first large sputtering bubble forms. (It took 5-10 minutes or so, but you'll know exactly when this moment is because all of the sudden, out of nowhere, what was a thin mixture has morphed into perfect chocolate pudding!)

5. Reduce heat to low and cook for 1 minute, still WHISKING CONSTANTLY.

6. Remove from heat and immediately pour through sieve into waiting bowl. Stir in 1 tsp vanilla and 2 tbsp cold butter chunks.

7. Pour pudding into crust. Place plastic wrap directly on surface of pudding to prevent a skin from forming. Chill at least 2 hours.

8. Just before serving, beat cream, 1 tsp sugar, and 1 tsp vanilla until soft peaks form. Spread whipped cream over pudding and sprinkle with pecans.

Enjoy! This was a really fun and gratifying recipe to make... it was super quick (even the baking is only for the crust), really easy, and delectable!