Fresh Strawberry Pie, with a chocolate layer dividing the incredible Oregon strawberries from the all-butter pie crust, is the absolute best summer dessert!
To make the butter pie crust, use a pastry blender to cut the butter into the flour and salt until all of the butter is pea sized or smaller. Adding one tablespoon at a time of the cold water, work the dough together just until it sticks together. Take care not to over mix or over work the dough. Shape into a dish and tightly wrap with plastic wrap. Refrigerate at least and hour.
Roll dough out on a heavily floured surface until it is of even thickness and can fit into a 9 inch pie dish. Poke holes in dough across entire surface of dough to allow steam to escape. Cover with parchment paper and weigh down paper with pie weights or dry beans. Bake crust in 375 F degree oven for 20 minutes, then remove the weights and paper and continue cooking for another 10-20 minutes until the crust is golden brown.
When crust is done cooking, turn off oven, add chocolate chips, and allow crust to sit in hot oven for a few minutes to allow chocolate to melt. Once melted, use a pastry brush to evenly spread the chocolate across the bottom and up the sides of the crust. Refrigerate to set.
Mash 2 cups of the strawberries and add water. In a separate dish, combine sugar and cornstarch in a small bowl. Combine both the mashed strawberries with water with the sugar and cornstarch mixture in a medium saucepan. Place saucepan over medium-high heat and bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Allow to boil while stirring for 2-3 minutes until thickened, stirring constantly. I find a wooden spoon with a flat end works best. Remove from heat and stir in butter. Allow to cool enough that you can touch it without getting burnt and pour over strawberries in pastry shell.
Arrange 4 cups strawberries in baked pastry shell. Pour warm filling over strawberries, spreading as needed to cover entire surface.
Chill for at least 1 hour before serving.
In a small bowl, whip cream and powdered sugar until soft peaks form. Serve each slice of pie with a dollop of whipped cream.