Chocolate Covered Strawberry Pie

It was up to me to decide this month’s “You Want Pie With That” challenge theme. It was a lot of pressure but I decided on a pie to break New Year’s Resolutions (I know I am a meany). I am hoping the gals pull out all the stops to make the most decadent calorific pies ever!

I am not a dessert person so it would be easy for me to pass up an Ice Cream Pie, Chocolate Pie, or Cream Pie. However there is one dessert I can’t pass up, no matter how devoted I am to my diet! The chocolate covered strawberry! I don’t know what it is about that tiny treat but the mix of tart and chocolate is irresistible! So I decided to try a chocolate covered strawberry pie and goodness gracious it didn’t disappoint! It tasted just like a chocolate covered strawberry!

Ingredients
1 (9 inch) frozen deep dish pie crust
3 cups of fresh strawberries
3/4 cup white sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 tablespoons butter (cut into small pieces)
1/2 cup cornstarch
2/3 - 1 cup chocolate chips (milk or semi-sweet)
Optional- 1 rolled refrigerator pie crust (if you want to put a top crust on your pie)
Optional- Fresh strawberries, chocolate, and whipped cream to top pie (this is what I did)

Directions
Rinse strawberries and dry them well. Remove the greenery, stem, and "belly button" from strawberries; then cut the strawberries into bite-size chunks. They need to be relatively the same so they'll cook evenly. In a large bowl, combine the cut strawberries, vanilla, and sugar. Mix until the sugar is all wet. Mix in the salt and cornstarch and stir until the cornstarch is thoroughly wet. DO NOT add any other liquid. Finally, lightly mix in butter and chocolate chips. Dump the entire mix into the deep dish pie shell. If you want a top you can use the rolled crust to cover in your favorite way. (lattice-top, etc.) I left mine uncovered but topped with more fresh strawberries and chocolate. Cover the rim of the pie crust with foil so it doesn’t brown and cook at 400 for 45-60 minutes. You will want the filling to be bubbling and the crust to be brown. Cool pie for at least 45 minutes (an hour to hour and a half is better) before cutting.