Chocolate Pie Filling

I've wanted to find a good, basic, make-from-scratch chocolate pie filling and this one is it! It's on allrecipes, but it's called "Chocolate Cornstarch Pudding".

1/2 cup white sugar
3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 3/4 cups milk
2 tablespoons margarine or butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

In a saucepan, stir together sugar, cocoa, cornstarch and salt. Place over medium heat, and stir in milk. Bring to a boil, and cook, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens enough to coat the back of a metal spoon. Remove from heat, and stir in margarine and vanilla. Let cool briefly, and serve warm, or chill in refrigerator until serving.

Notes:
The tablespoons of cocoa should be HEAPING.

I made three 9" pie crusts so a double batch of this filling was the perfect amount! The conversion for a double batch:

1 cup white sugar
6 Tbsp cocoa
1/2 cup cornstarch
1/4 tsp salt
5 1/2 cups milk
4 Tbsp butter
2 tsp vanilla

I put the pies outside to chill, but the weather turned cold and I let one pie freeze. It changed the texture and turned it almost grainy. It's still totally edible, but there is a noticeable texture difference. The pie that didn't freeze was very yummy and creamy!

"playkittenpie" made these comments on allrecipes, which I found helpful:

To avoid lumps, put 1st 4 ingredients in saucepan and mix well. If there are any lumps, get in there with your fingers and work them out. If you don't want to do it with your hands you can use a sifter or push them through a sieve. You must have a smooth, lump-free powder before you add your liquid. I also use a whisk and constantly stir. Lastly, it will sometimes thicken before it boils but I find if I don't let it boil for even just 10 seconds, I can taste the cornstarch in it.

As with any cream pie, you'll want to lay plastic wrap directly on top of the pie to avoid that nasty skin thing as it cools.