Black Bottom Icebox Pie

Makes 8 to 10 servings

Hands-on Time: 35 minutes

Total Time: 9 hours, 35 minutes

1 (9 oz) package chocolate wafers

1/2 cup butter, melted

2/3 cup sugar

3 Tbsp. cornstarch

4 egg yolks

2 cups milk

2 (4 oz) bittersweet chocolate baking bars, chopped

1 tsp. imitation rum flavoring

1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

2 cups heavy whipping cream

1/4 cup sugar

Garnish: bittersweet chocolate shavings

1. Pulse chocolate wafers in a food processor 8 to 10 times or until finely crushed. Stir together wafer crumbs and butter, and firmly press mixture on bottom, up sides, and onto lip of a lightly greased 9-inch pie plate. Freeze crust 30 minutes.

2. Whisk together 2/3 cup sugar and 3 Tbsp. cornstarch in a 3-qt. heavy saucepan.

3. Whisk together egg yolks and milk in a small bowl; whisk yolk mixture into sugar mixture in pan, and cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, 10 to 12 minutes or until mixture thickens. Cook 1 more minute. Remove from heat.

4. Microwave chocolate in a microwave-safe glass bowl at HIGH 1 1/2 minutes or until melted, stirring at 30-second intervals. Whisk melted chocolate, rum, and vanilla into thickened filling. Spoon filling into prepared crust. Place plastic wrap directly onto filling (to prevent a film from forming), and chill 8 to 24 hours.

5. Beat whipping cream and 1/4 cup sugar at medium-high speed with an electric mixer until soft peaks form. Top pie with whipped cream, and garnish, if desired.

*Taken from the September 2010 Southern Living magazine

*I used Ghirardelli 60% Cacao Bittersweet Chocolate Baking Bars

*I added the vanilla and rum flavoring to the melted chocolate before stirring it in with the filling. I think it would have been better to just add them all to the filling at once, while the chocolate was still freshly melted.

*This dessert is for the TRUE dark chocolate lover.