Cinnamon Chai Cream Pie is the perfect holiday dessert! Rich cinnamon pudding sits on a hazelnut crust, with fluffy chai whipped cream on top. Delicious!
It’s too early to utter the word holiday, to think about stocking stuffers, or heaven forbid, hum White Christmas in public (or on the internet) for fear of someone wiping out their make shift voodoo doll and lighting you on fire. There’s something about the thought of “the holidays” before Black Friday that just sets some people off.
I can’t blame them, seeing red and green decked aisles in August really puts a sour taste in my mouth. But, personally, I start thinking about the holidays as early as mid July. It’s not that I want to skip down the aisles of those stores filling my cart with more holiday decorations.
Nope, its the little trinkets I find here and there that I know will make someone smile come Christmas morning. I don’t tell anyone. I just sneak them in and hide them away.
But something changed in the air last week, and I found myself singing out load (in the privacy of my own home) to one or two new albums I had to add to my holiday collection as I started to day dream about mistletoe and perfect bows.
I wont add the holiday music to my MP3 player for a few more weeks – I promise. But for those of us who get into it – don’t hate us for it. As long as I’m not shoving my jingle jangle down your throat, let me have my holiday mojo as long as I want it in my own home or car without fear of persecution.
Now, what would the holidays (or maybe just a Thursday in November) be without cinnamon chai cream pie to get us through?
Cinnamon Chai Cream Pie
AmericanIngredients
For the Hazelnut Crust:
- 1/2 cup hazelnuts - toasted and finely chopped
- 1/2 cup almonds - toasted and finely chopped
- 3/4 cup graham crackers - crushed
- 3 tbsp brown sugar
- 4 tbsp butter - melted
For the Cinnamon Pudding:
- 3 tbsp cornstarch
- 3/4 cup brown sugar - or turbinado sugar
- 3 cups milk
- 2 eggs - beaten and in a medium bowl
- 1/2 teas cinnamon
- 1 tbsp butter
- 1 1/2 teas pure vanilla extract
For the Chai Whipped Cream:
- 1 Cup heavy whipping cream - chilled
- 3/4 cup Chai liquid concentrate - sweetened, chilled
Instructions
Make the Crust:
- Heat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Place nuts on a baking sheet and toast for about 10 minutes, checking often.
- Remove from oven and allow to cool and remove the skins from the hazelnuts.
- Finely chop the hazelnuts and almonds.
- Place the graham crackers in a resealable bag, and crush into fine crumbs (In other words, go to town with a rolling pin – just don’t pop the bag).
- In a medium bowl, mix the graham cracker crumbs, chopped nuts, brown sugar, and melted butter until well combined.
- Press the mixture firmly into the bottom and sides of a spring-form pan using your fingers or the bottom of a glass.
- Bake for 12 minutes, or until golden.
- Remove from oven and let cool.
Make the Cinnamon Pudding
- In a heavy bottom medium saucepan, mix the cornstarch and brown sugar.
- Gradually add the milk and cook over medium heat until bubbly, stirring constantly.
- Cook and stir for 2 more minutes and remove from heat.
- Add the cinnamon and stir. In the bowl you have set aside with your eggs in it, gradually add one cup of the milk mixture.
- Pour the egg mixture back into the milk mixture in the saucepan.
- Cook the pudding until almost bubbly, but don’t allow to boil.
- Reduce heat and cook for 2 more minutes, then remove from heat.
- Add the butter and vanilla, and stir.
- Pour the pudding into the pie crust, and place in the freezer for a couple of hours, until frozen through.
Make the Chai Whipped Cream
- Place the cream, chai concentrate, mixer bowl, and whisk in the freezer for at least 10 minutes before you are ready to make the whipped cream layer.
- Remove from freezer and pour the heavy cream into the cold mixer bowl, add the Chai concentrate, and mix on high speed until cream is whipped into soft peaks.
- Spread the whipped cream over the layer of pudding.
- Sprinkle with toasted hazelnuts.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional informations provided as a courtesy and is only an approximatation. Values will changes based on ingredients used.
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hazelnut crust! I’m in! This sounds absolutely fabulous! Can’t wait to try it!
Hahahahaha! Yes I am secretly getting my jingle jangle on too. I just bought my weight in Christmas sprinkles and cookie cutters. I even put a little peppermint in my hot chocolate this week. It is just kinda creeping up on me….and yes I might have sung Silent Night to my little man to put him to sleep last night.
I can just taste that delightful Chai spices … mmmm! Beautiful pictures as always, Kita.
Maybe I can take some heat off of you – I ho-ho-ho-have my shopping done and half of my baking already! This looks amazing – my tummy growled looking at your pics – I can almost taste it!
I cannot believe it’s the holidays! Gorgeous crust!
Wow, that sounds perfect! I love, love, love cinnamon, and my wife is the biggest chai fan, so this could work awesomely for both of us!
Wow this pie looks amazing!! Joined in on your blog hop too, fun! 🙂
Gorgeous! Wow. Really lovin’ the idea of this pie. So unique.
Oooh… I love the hazelnut crust. That sounds like the perfect things to go with the cinnamon pudding and chai whipped cream filling!
I’m not quite ready to acknowledge how close we’re getting to Christmas, but I think this pie would go a long way to making me a little more comfortable with the idea. 🙂 (Still, no carols until mid-December… any earlier than that is just *wrong*.)
I busted out my “rudolph” jammies and some christmas tunes last weekend – there’s no going back, now! I love the holidays, so this post is totally relatable. And that pie! I’d like a slice right now, please 🙂
It is waayyy to early! I just cant yet!! And please tell me you give away that pie! Please…becaue if that was in my house…I’d eat the whole thing. Sad.
I already have my Christmas list started. Your title rhymes. Now i find myself saying it over and over again in a song. Haha, I think I might have to make it to get my mind off of the title.
I wish I liked pudding because this looks fantastic! I’m gonna have to use the crust to make something else. Or maybe I’ll just mix it up and eat it with a spoon.
This looks awfully good–I feel like I could eat the cinnamon pudding on its own, too!
oh my goodness, Kita. Chai is one of my greatest weaknesses. Please save me a big slice of this pie, I’ll be right over!
Cinnamon pudding? That sounds amazing!
I start thinking about the holidays well, I basically never STOP thinking about them. I just like to take each one as it comes rather then fast forwarding past a few. I’m like you though with little trinkety stuff, I buy it all year if I see it and just hide it. It makes Christmas shopping a whole lot less stressful when I already have a few things. Um and this pie, heeeeello!!!!! Chai Pie, YES PLEASE!!!!!
Just amazing! And what fabulous pictures, too!
This looks amazing. So creative!
Beautiful cream pie! The crust is fantastic! I listen to and sing Christmas music all year long. Since I’ve done it forever – family, friends and everyone I know just considers it one of my many quirks! ….and I’m okay with that!
Ohh Chai, how I love you! The crust looks awesome too, all chunky and nutty!
Great post..
I LOVE all things chai. Will have to try this wonderful looking pie recipe out soon.
What a lovely combination. Impressive!
This is absolutely stunning. I love the crust. You are a goddess my dear!
Among all the cakes/pies I’ve seen this week, I think I’d love to try this one most. I drink chai every day twice and I have a special attachment for chai. 🙂 This must be heavenly for me…
So glad you liked it! 🙂
This looks amazing! I love anything chai and your photos, as always, are perfect. I’m holding out on the holidays also, but I did catch myself humming Joy To The World on the way home from the store today. Shhh – don’t tell anyone!
Never too early to spread the Christmas cheer! I’ve been saying Merry Christmas to people all wee. They do seem to inch away from me though. Chai Whipped Cream = omg. Can you pretty please come round to ours for Xmas??? New Zealand’s not tooooo far way…..:P
shhh, don’t tell anyone, I made earlier today ginger brownies with peppermint chocolate. Smelled like Christmas morning.
love this pie, mmm chai. yum!
With kids in the house, it’s like it’s Christmas year-round anyway. (Grinch in May? Sure, why not?!) This pie sounds and looks fantastic! Mmmm! What a great addition it would be to any holiday dessert table!
I’m totally trying to plan ahead for the holidays…but that never seems to work out! However, I do know I’ll be making this for my family. They love chai, and this will make them so happy! Thanks for sharing such a gorgeous post!
This looks like a delightful twist on an American classic.
I love all the chai flavored/inspired recipes on your site! This pie looks great. And I’m with you on the holiday spirit, something is changing in the air making me less curmudgeonly about winter and more positive 🙂
This sounds amazing! What a great change of pace from the usual Thanksgiving mix of desserts.
Hazelnut crust, yes please! This sounds amazing, Kita!
Just saw this guy on FoodPornDaily… Wow! Stunning shot and what a recipe! Nicely done!
I made this today for Thanksgiving and it was delicious!
I used ginger thins in the crust instead of grahams and it worked out great!
Thank you for the new holiday favorite!
It’s like pie in heaven form! Delicious recipe!
I think I just found this year’s Pass the Sushi holiday recipe! 😀 I’m ok with the jingle jangle when people are celebrating, but I don’t care for the stores trying to rush me. At my house, I keep at least one piece of Christmas out all year. Just because I can. And I’ve had my Christmas scented candles out for two weeks and my wreath up too! Bring it on. I’m ready for “Merry”!
Kim, I’m making the whip cream, but it’s not getting as fluffy as I’d like. It seems a little runny. What am I doing wrong?
Hi Darci,
I am sorry, I was traveling and am just now seeing this. Were you able to make the whipped cream work for you?
Nut allergy here – can I sub extra graham crackers for the nuts instead?
Totally! Lemme know how it turns out