Easy Dulce de Leche Cream Pie

I love cream pies. And I love dulce de leche. So, obviously, combining those two things into an easy dulce de leche cream pie seemed like a pretty stellar match up. I’ve actually made this pie a few times now, and the good news is that the recipe is fairly forgiving and really adaptable.

I initially followed the recipe from Land o’ Lakes pretty closely – using a store-bought Oreo crust. Since then (last summer?) I can’t seem to find pre-made Oreo crusts anywhere. I have no idea if this is just a weird Portland phenomena or if Oreo has stopped making them. If so, this is tragic. I’m willing to make my own Oreo crust, but it’s soooooooo much easier to just buy a pre-made one.

Which is why for the more recent iterations of this pie, I’ve just used whatever crumb pie crust I’ve had on-hand. The one pictured was a shortbread crust (mostly ’cause I wasn’t paying attention when I grabbed it out of the pantry – I intended to use a graham crust).

So, I can confirm this pie is great with Oreo crust, graham crust, and shortbread crust. I suspect it would also be delicious with one of those pre-made pecan crusts they’re selling nowadays. But I have yet to try that.

Also, the original recipe calls for either “cheesecake” or “white chocolate” instant pudding mix – neither of which tend to be on hand at my local Safeway. So, I suspect it would still be quite tasty with vanilla. I think the pudding mix does more for the texture than the flavor.

Similarly, the last time I made this, I couldn’t be bothered with the 3 oz of cream cheese that the original recipe calls for. I didn’t notice a difference without it and won’t bother in future. Why fiddle with opening an 8 oz package for a measly 3 oz?!

Thus! This is a pretty quick, easy, recipe that can accommodate whatever crust/pudding mix combo that you happen to have available. Huzzah!

Easy Dulce de Leche Cream Pie

Grade: A

• store-bought pie crust of your choice!

Optional layer of chocolate ganache (if not using an Oreo crust):

• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1 cup chocolate chips (milk or semi-sweet)

Filling:

• 1 (13.4-ounce) can dulce de leche
• 1 cup milk
• 1 (3.3-ounce) package instant white chocolate or cheesecake or vanilla-flavored pudding mix
• 1/2 teaspoon (or 1 tsp – to taste) cinnamon
• 3/4 cup heavy whipping cream

I opted to add a little bit of chocolate since I wasn’t using an Oreo crust. To make the ganache, heat up the heavy cream in a small saucepan – just until steaming. Then add the chocolate chips and let sit for a minute or so before stirring. Stir until smooth and then set aside. Do this first so that it can cool a while before you spread it in the bottom of the crust.

Note: the only annoying thing about this recipe is that you have to beat the heavy cream separately from the other ingredients – and you really kind of need a mixer for both parts. So, either plan to use a hand mixer for one half and a stand mixer for the other. Or, plan to clean the mixer bowl/beater in between steps.

For the filling: whisk together the milk, pudding mix, and cinnamon. Add the dulce de leche and whip with a mixer until thoroughly combined.

In another bowl, beat the heavy cream until stiff peaks form. Then, gently fold the heavy cream into the dulce de leche mixture. Spoon mixture into crust and spread evenly.

Refrigerate at least two hours until firm.