Our Food Editor's Favorite Made-For-Summer Chocolate Dessert

Peaches, blueberries, and strawberries may be at their peak of deliciousness right now, but if you're in the mood for a sweet, summery dessert, I implore you to give this Black Bottom Icebox Pie a chance. (Just look at it. I probably don't have to twist your arm. I'm sure you could go for a slice right this second.)

Homemade chocolate pudding is the key to this dreamy icebox dessert. Made the old-fashioned way, with plenty of egg yolks, the pudding is flavored with dark rum and vanilla extract, and a hefty amount of bittersweet chocolate. Our test kitchen recommends Ghirardelli's 60% Cacao Bittersweet Chocolate Baking Bars for their deep, intense chocolate flavor. If you prefer your chocolate desserts on the sweeter side, swap out half of the bittersweet chocolate for milk chocolate. The pudding must be chilled overnight, or can be made up to a day in advance.

Be sure to press plastic wrap against the surface of the pudding before you refrigerate it to prevent a skin from forming on the top of the pudding. Unless you like that sort of thing. I won't name names, but I know some of you do!

A no-bake dark chocolate cookie crust (made with Nabisco Famous Chocolate Wafers) is the perfect match for the creamy filling. Simply combine the crushed cookies with melted butter and press into a 9-inch pie plate, then freeze until the crust is firm, about 30 minutes.

When the pudding and the crust are ready to go, make some sweetened whipped cream and pile it on top of the pie. Bittersweet chocolate shavings make a pretty garnish if you have extra chocolate. If not, that's okay too—slice it up and dig in!