A from-scratch, no-bake chocolate pie made with homemade chocolate pudding and whipped cream. Note: The pie crust itself does require baking. The actual pie fillings do not require baking.
Prepare your pie crust. Pierce the prepared pie crust multiple times, on both the bottom and sides of the pie crust, with a fork. Bake the pie crust in a 400F oven for 15 minutes. Set aside to cool.
For the Chocolate Pudding Layer:
In a double boiler (or a homemade double boiler***), over medium heat, melt the chocolate, 1 1/3 cups of heavy cream, maple syrup, and salt in double boiler. Whisk the chocolate mixture until the chocolate is fully melted and the mixture appears smooth (it will start out with a grainy look). This will take about 5-10 minutes.
In a small bowl, whisk together the arrowroot and 3 tablespoons of heavy cream. Whisk the arrowroot mixture into the chocolate mixture. Continue to cook the chocolate mixture over medium heat until slightly thickened (5 minutes), whisking every 1-2 minutes to prevent settlement on bottom of the bowl.
Turn off the heat and stir in the vanilla extract. Pour the chocolate filling into the baked pie crust. Chill the pie in fridge for at least 2 hours, until no longer jiggly in the center. I don't cover the pie during this chill time--if your fridge is slightly stinky, then you may want to cover your pie, and then deodorize your fridge ;).
For the Whipped Cream Layer:
Pour the the (cold) cream, maple syrup, and vanilla extract in a large bowl. Using a hand-mixer, or a stand-mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whip the cream on medium-high speed until the cream stiffens. You'll notice the cream will slowly thicken--this will take several minutes. Do not over mix the cream.
Remove the pie from the fridge. Spoon the homemade whipped cream over the set chocolate layer. Sprinkle the whipped cream with toasted coconut flakes (optional). Refrigerate immeadiately, or serve immeadiately. Refrigerating the pie before serving (even just a few minutes) will allow the whipped cream to set so the pie is easier to slice.
Store the pie, covered, in the fridge for up to 3-4 days. To serve, slice the pie with a sharp knife.