FRENCH SILK PIE (OREO CRUST)

French Silk Pie (Oreo Crust) image

Number Of Ingredients 10

Ingredients

20 pieces 20 Oreo cookies, finely crushed (Use chocolate-filled Oreos, regular rather than Double-Stuffed)
1.5 cups Unsalted butter, melted (1 Cup + 3 Tblsp)
6 ounces Dark chocolate, at least 72%, melted (unsweetened baker's chocolate may be substituted)
1 cup Unsalted butter, softened (2 sticks)
1 1/2 cups Ultrafine sugar, also called ultrafine or baker's sugar
1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
1 pinch Salt, optional and to taste
4 pieces Large eggs, at room temperature
8 ounces Whipped topping (thawed and stirred well, lite okay) or 2 cups freshly whipped cream
4 ounces Dark chocolate (72% or higher) roughly chopped, for sprinkling

Steps:

Crust - Preheat oven to 350F and spray a 9-inch pie dish wish cooking spray; set aside.
Add Oreos to the canister of a food processor and process until finely ground, 1 to 2 minutes on high power; set aside.
In a small microwave-safe bowl, melt the 3 Tblsp butter, about 1 minute on high power.
Add melted butter to canister of food processor and process until incorporated, about 30 seconds.
Turn crumbs out into prepared pie dish and using your fingers, hard-pack the mixture to create a crust, making sure to cover sides of pie dish.
Bake for 10 minutes, or until just set. Place on a wire rack to cool.
Filling - In a medium microwave-safe bowl, melt the chocolate, about 1 to 2 minutes on high power. Stop after 1 minute to check and stir. Heat in 15 second increments until chocolate can be stirred smooth; set aside to cool.
To the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, add the 1 Cup butter, sugar, and beat on high power until very light and fluffy, about 5 minutes, stopping as necessary to scrape down the sides of the bowl. Mixture should be very pale, almost white; the lighter and fluffier the better to ensure sugar is well on it's way to being dissolved and incorporated fully.
Add the vanilla, optional salt, cooled chocolate, and beat on high power until incorporated and mixture is fluffy, about 3 to 4 minutes.
Stop, scrape down the sides of the bowl, remove paddle attachment, switch to whisk attachment, add 1 egg, and beat for 5 minutes on high power.
Stop, scrape down the sides of the bowl, add the second egg, beat for 5 minutes on high power. Repeat process with remaining eggs. Eggs are added 1 at a time, spaced 5 minutes apart, for a total of 20 minutes active whipping time. After 20 minutes, make sure your mixture is smooth, silky, fluffy, with zero traces of graininess. Continue beating until you're satisfied with the smoothness because this is what your pie will taste like.
Turn mixture out into crust, smoothing the top lightly with a spatula. Cover with plasticwrap and place in fridge for at least 4 hours (overnight is better) for pie to set up fully.
Topping - Add the whipped topping/cream, smoothing it lightly with a spatula. I left a bare margin of 1-inch for visual appeal so you can see the chocolate; cover surface fully if preferred.
Sprinkle evenly with chopped chocolate before slicing and serving. Pie will keep covered in the fridge for up to 5 days. NUTRITION INFORMATION Nutrition analysis per serving (8 servings) Calories 827, Total Fat 52g, Saturated Fat 32g, Trans Fat 0g, Total Carbohydrates 85g, Fiber 3g, Sugar 72g, Protein 7g, Sodium 177mg