Basic Cream Pie Filling with Variations

Bring 3 cups water and sugar to a boil in a saucepan.

In a bowl, combine 1 cup of water and the remaining ingredients with a whisk until smooth.

When the sugar syrup has come to a boil and the sugar is completely dissolved, add the milk mixture to the pan and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly with the whisk until the mixture thickens (only takes a few minutes).

Remove from heat and stir in your favorite flavoring or use plain for vanilla cream pie or pudding. Pour into baked pie shell. Chill and top pie with whipped cream, if desired, when cold. Makes enough for one pie.

NOTES : Variations:( Add to hot pudding)

1. German Chocolate – stir in 1 cup chocolate chips, top with German chocolate cake frosting and whipped cream.

2. Dark Chocolate – stir in 1 cup chopped dark chocolate, such as Hershey’s special dark.

3. Peanut Butter – stir in 1 cup peanut butter.

4. Banana – stir in 2 sliced bananas and 1/4 teaspoon banana extract.

5. Coconut – stir in 1 cup coconut and 1/4 teaspoon coconut extract.

6. Pina Colada – stir in 1/2 cup coconut and 1/2 cup well drained crushed pineapple.

7. Rum raisin – stir in 1 cup raisins and 1 teaspoon rum extract.

8. Reese’s – stir in 1/2 cup chocolate chips and 1/2 cup peanut butter.

9. Stir in anything else that sounds good.