Chocolate Cream Pie

9" baked pastry shell or crumb crust
3 cups milk
1/3 cup cocoa
3 Tbsp. butter
1-1/4 cup sugar
1-1/2 tsp. vanilla
1/3 cup cornstarch
1/4 tsp. salt
sweetened whipped cream


Prepare shell, cool. Combine cocoa, sugar, cornstarch and salt in medium saucepan. Blend in milk until smooth. Cook and stir over medium heat until boiling. Boil and stir 3 minutes. Remove from heat, blend in butter and vanilla. Pour into pie shell: press plastic wrap onto surface to prevent skin forming. Chill 3 to 4 hours. Serve with cream.

Variation:

Mocha cream pie: add 2 tsp. instant coffee to dry ingredients