Chocolate Chess Pie

Chocolate Chess Pie has a silky creamy chocolate filling with hints of espresso, baked inside a buttery flaky crust. An easy chocolate pie recipe that you can easily make the same day with simple ingredients. I recommend a cold slice of pie topped with fresh whipped cream and a hot cup of coffee for breakfast.

Some chocolate pies are a mix and chill, but this beauty goes in the oven. A thin top layer of baked chocolate crust will form protecting the fudgy chocolate filling. I prefer to bake mine in a homemade pie crust opposed to a frozen store-bought pie crust. Besides, the added buttery flavor of a homemade crust, you can also make designs with the dough like I’ve done with this one.

Key Ingredients & Test Notes

• Make your own Homemade Pie Crust for the base and for any decorations.
• Qaulity unsweetened cocoa powder or dutch processed cocoa powder for a richer dark chocolate flavor.
• Sweetened Condensed Milk is a naturally sweetened thickener.
• Heavy Cream makes a light melt in your mouth chocolate chess pie.
• Granulated Sugar for sweetness and structure.
• Brown Sugar gives subtle tasting notes of caramel.
• Unsalted Butter is used in both the pie dough and the filling.
• Large Egg Yolks create a lovely custard texture.
• Vanilla bean paste or pure vanilla extract enriches the pie filling.
• Espresso Powder to enhance the overall chocolate flavor.

How to Make Chocolate Chess Pie

Homemade All Butter Pie Crust

The first step for a chocolate pie is to make the pie dough, wrap in plastic wrap and let it chill in the fridge for at least an hour. I usually make my pie dough the day before and up to 3 days prior. European style butter with 82% butterfat makes the most buttery, flaky, classic pie crust, known as short crust pastry or pâte brisée in French.

Then, roll out the pie dough to about 1/8 to 1/4-inch thickness and line your pie pan. Press the dough into the corners of the pie pan and let the excess dough hand over the sides. Trim away any large pieces and then tuck the rest underneath itself to create a rim of pie dough. Crimp the edges of the pie with your fingers or a fork.

If you make a double crust of dough, roll out the additional dough and cut into small squares. Brush the edges of the pie dough lightly with cold water and then layer the pie dough squares around the edges to create a unique pie design as seen in the photo below. This is an entirely optional additional step if you have extra time, that I added just for visual effect.

Dock the pie dough with tines of a fork to create little pricks along the base and sides. Place the unbaked crust in the fridge to chill and firm for about 30 minutes to 1 hour. Baking with a very cold pie dough helps to prevent shrinking in the hot oven.

There’s no need to blind bake the crust for this rich chocolate pie, since the filling will also need to be cooked.

Chocolate Pie Filling

A mixture of melted butter, sugar, eggs, sweetened condensed milk, heavy cream, and cocoa powder creates a lovely chocolate custard filling. Simply whisk the melted butter together with both brown and granulated sugars.

Then, beat in the eggs, half the sifted cocoa powder, along with the dairy and flavorings. A final mix of the remaining cocoa powder and you have a smooth chocolate filling. Pour the filling into the cold pie crust and bake until golden brown and the center is just about set.

Baking the Chocolate Chess Pie

I’ve found that baking with a cold pie crust helps to preserve the shape of my outer crust and any crimping or designs. Make sure the pie dough is cold and firm before placing the pie in the oven. My trick for getting an even bake on the bottom crust is to place the pie pan on a baking sheet before baking it in the oven.

While baking, you may notice the pie slightly rising, don’t be alarmed. It will settle and become level as it finishes baking and cools. Remove your pie when the center is almost set with just a slight wobble in the center. Let the chocolate pie cool completely on a wire cooling rack before slicing. The texture is even better after being refrigerated for a few hours.

Helpful Tips

• Pie Crust: The dough can be made the day before, just let it sit at room temp for about 20 minutes before easy. Make sure pie crust is rolled out to no thicker than 1/8-inch thickness. Otherwise the crust will rise too much and your crust designs will fall off.
• Chill the Crust: Be sure to chill your lined pie pan a minimum of 30 minutes to firm the crust before baking.
• Keep an Eye on the Oven: All ovens heat differently, causing slight variations in baking times. For best results, watch your pie closely and adjust as needed.

★★★★★ Please leave a star rating and review below if you make this recipe! THANK YOU!!