Chocolate Chess Pie
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Chocolate Chess Pie is rich and decadent. It combines the classic chess pie with delicious chocolate flavor. The creamy custard filling is nestled in a buttery pie crust.
This Chocolate Chess Pie recipe is a dream.
You all know I’m a pie girl. When I started Baked By An Introvert, I almost considered making it a blog about pies. But, with recipes like lemon pound cake, butterscotch cookies, chocolate pudding and carrot cake out there – how could I do that?
Still, I can’t resist revisiting my first true love – pies. Chess Pie is a funny name. It’s debatable as to why they call it chess pie. Some say it is a mispronunciation of “cheese” pie while others say it got its name because it was served to men as they played chess.
Classic chess pie uses vinegar and reminds me of vinegar pie or even a buttermilk pie, but chocolate chess pie is more like a baked chocolate pudding in a pie. It’s like a thickened baked custard, and boy oh boy is it delicious.
I love french silk pie, and based on your comments, you all do too. My chocolate pie is another favorite. So, just a hunch, but I think you guys are going to love this.
The incredible thing about this pie is it is so easy. You bake the crust, whisk the filling together and pour it into the hot crust, then pop it back in the oven until the filling is almost set.
The filling is like a chocolate custard. It’s rich and thick from the eggs and the evaporated milk. Sweet from the sugar, and chocolatey from the cocoa. It’s gooey but not too much so, sweet but not too sweet and rich and decadent.
It tastes absolutely delicious on its own, served over a drizzle of raspberry sauce, with a dusting of confectioners sugar, a dollop of whipped cream or a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Any way you choose to serve this pie, it’s sure to wow your family and friends.
Recipe Snapshot
- TASTE: Chocolatey deliciousness
- TEXTURE: Creamy filling against a flaky crust
- EASE: Easy!
- TIME: One and a half hours, plus cooling time.
What You’ll Need
Ingredients
- Pie crust – Make your own homemade pie crust or use store-bought refrigerated pie dough.
- Sugar – This recipe uses white granulated sugar to sweeten the filling.
- Cocoa Powder – The recipe calls for unsweetened cocoa powder. This is in the baking aisle of the grocery store, not with the hot chocolate mix.
- Evaporated milk – Stabilizes, sweetens, and thickens the filling.
- Butter – Unsalted sweet cream butter is almost always my butter of choice – this recipe calls for it to be melted and cooled.
- Eggs – There wouldn’t be a curd-like filling without eggs! These should be at room temperature.
- Vanilla extract – Use an all-natural extract.
Recommended Tools
How to Make Chocolate Chess Pie
Start with a hot oven for this pie – preheat it to 400°F – in which to bake the crust. Once the crust has baked, turn the oven down to 325°F to cook the filling.
Be sure to check out the full recipe and ingredient list below
- Bake the crust. Make the crust according to instructions, and pre-bake until it looks dry and begins to bubble, about 8 minutes.
- Prepare the filling. Mix sugar and cocoa together in a large bowl. Beat eggs in a medium bowl with an electric mixer until light and fluffy; stir into cocoa mixture. Beat in evaporated milk, butter, and vanilla.
- Bake the pie. Turn the oven down. Pour the filling into the hot pie crust. Bake the pie for an additional 40-50 minutes or until the edges are set but the center jiggles slightly when shaken.
- Cool. Let cool on a wire rack for 4 hours before serving.
Handy tip:
Bring the eggs to room temperature before using. Egg whites and yolks break up more easily when they are warm and not chilled so they will incorporate into the batter more easily.
Tips For Success
- Melted butter: Make sure to allow the butter to cool slightly. Piping hot butter will cook the eggs.
- Chill: For cleaner slicing, chill the pie before serving.
- Don’t overmix: If overmixed, the filling could come out rubbery.
- Pie crust: If the edges of the crust are browning too quickly, cover them with aluminum foil or a pie shield.
Storage & Freezing
Wrap with plastic and refrigerate for up to 4 days.
Chocolate Chess Pie
Ingredients
- 1 homemade pie crust, or use store-bought refrigerated pie dough
- 1 ½ cups (300 g) granulated sugar
- ¼ cup (21 g) unsweetened cocoa powder
- 3 large eggs, room temperature
- 5 ounces (141 g) evaporated milk
- ⅓ cup (75 g) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Prepare the pie crust according to the recipe and chill for at least 1 hour.
- On a lightly floured surface, roll the pie crust to fit a 9-inch pie dish. Place in pie dish; trim off any excess along the edges. Flute the edges with your fingertips. Prick the bottom of the crust with a fork. Freeze for 20 minutes.
- Adjust the oven rack to the middle position and preheat the oven to 400°F.
- Mix sugar and cocoa together in a large bowl. Beat eggs in a medium bowl with an electric mixer until light and fluffy; stir into cocoa mixture. Beat in evaporated milk, butter, and vanilla.
- Line the crust with parchment paper and fill it with pie weights. Bake the crust for about 8 minutes. Remove and lower the oven temperature to 350°F.
- Give the filling a quick whisk then pour it into the hot pie crust. Bake for 40-50 minutes, until the surface is light brown and the center jiggles slightly when shaken.
- Cool on a wire rack for 4 hours before serving. For cleaner slicing, chill for a few hours before slicing. Refrigerate any leftovers for up to 4 days.
Notes
- Melted butter: Make sure to allow the butter to cool slightly. Piping hot butter will cook the eggs.
- Eggs: Bring the eggs to room temperature before using. They will incorporate into the batter more easily.
- Don’t overmix: If overmixed, the filling could come out rubbery.
- Pie crust: If the edges of the crust are browning too quickly, cover them with aluminum foil or a pie shield.