Name: Cookie Dough Cream Pie
Cook time: 4 h
Total time: 4 h
Yield: 8
Ingredients: 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted; 2 tablespoons almond meal (optional, for added flavor); 1 cup chocolate wafer cookie crumbs (about 7 ounces of cookies, finely ground in a food processor); 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature; 1/4 cup granulated sugar; 1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed; 2 tablespoons milk or cream; 1/2 teaspoon Gefen Vanilla Extract; 1 and 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, heat treated (see note); 1/2 teaspoon salt; 1/2 cup mini semisweet chocolate chips such as Gefen Mini Chocolate Chips; 3/4 cup light brown sugar, packed; 1/3 cup all-purpose flour; 1/4 teaspoon salt; 2 cups whole milk, divided; 3 egg yolks; 1 tablespoon unsalted butter; 1 teaspoon Gefen Vanilla Extract; 1 cup heavy cream; 3 tablespoons sugar

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
Mix together melted butter, almond meal (if using), and cookie crumbs with a fork until uniformly moistened. Press into the bottom and up the sides of a nine-inch pie pan.
Bake eight minutes, or until set. Cool completely.

Beat butter and sugars with an electric mixer on medium speed two to three minutes, until light and fluffy. Add milk and vanilla. Add flour and salt and mix on low speed (or by hand) until incorporated. Stir in chocolate chips.
Press cookie dough into cooled crust. You want an even layer of dough approximately half an inch thick. (You will have leftover dough.)
Refrigerate pan while you prepare the cream filling.

Whisk together brown sugar, flour, and salt in a saucepan. Add one cup of the milk and whisk until smooth. Bring mixture to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. Continue to stir until mixture is smooth and thickened, about two minutes. Remove from heat.
In a heatproof bowl, beat egg yolks with the remaining one cup milk. Temper the yolks by adding the warm milk mixture to the eggs, a little bit at a time, stirring after each addition. Repeat until about half of the milk mixture has been added and egg mixture is warm to the touch. Pour into saucepan and stir to combine.
Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly; reduce heat to low and simmer until mixture has the consistency of thick pudding, about one minute. Remove from heat and stir in butter and vanilla. Let cool about five minutes or until warm—not hot—to the touch.
Pour filling over chilled cookie dough, leveling the top with an offset spatula. Filling should reach about half an inch from the top of the crust.
Refrigerate until set, at least three hours.

Whip heavy cream with an electric mixer until it begins to form soft folds. Add sugar and vanilla and beat until cream holds stiff peaks.
With an offset spatula, gently spread all but one-third cup of the whipped topping over chilled filling. Pipe or dollop remaining topping evenly around the pie.
Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Tips:

For a perfectly pressed pie crust, use a flat-bottom measuring cup (lightly buttered, if necessary) to compress the crumb mixture on the bottom and up the sides.

Notes:

To heat-treat flour, spread it onto a cookie sheet and roast at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for five minutes. This should kill any bacteria. Allow to cool before using.

Description:

Excerpted from The Cookie Dough Lover’s Cookbook, published by Quirk Books.