One of my favorite easy pie recipes is my Best Chocolate Chess Pie. I've taken an old fashioned chess pie recipe, like my own Southern Chess Pie recipe and added some cocoa powder to give it a chocolaty twist. This is a pie your friends and family are sure to enjoy.
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The full recipe with ingredients/instructions is available on the recipe card at the bottom of the post. Important tips/tricks are also included in the blog post.
This dark chocolate chess pie has a flaky pie crust and a deliciously fudgy filling underneath that is almost fudge like in texture.
I like to make my own homemade pie crust, but if you're pushed for time a store bought pie crust will work just fine too. The chocolate pie filling takes minutes to whip together and uses basic ingredients that most of you will have in your stores at home.
Pies are a favorite sweet treat for my family over the colder months of the year and are great to serve up for Thanksgiving or Christmas, or indeed any other gathering of family and friends.
Some of my favorites include my Homemade Pumpkin Pie, Southern Sweet Potato Pie, Purple Sweet Potato Pie, Southern Pinto Bean Pie and my Carrot Pie.
Ingredients
Here is what you will need for my delicious rich and fudgy chocolate chess pie recipe:
- Pie crust (store-bought or homemade)
- Granulated sugar
- Large eggs
- Unsalted butter
- Cocoa powder
- Evaporated milk
- Vanilla extract
- Salt
How to make a Chocolate Chess Pie
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (175 degrees C).
- In a large bowl, add the granulated sugar and eggs.
- Beat the eggs and sugar together with an electric mixer until thoroughly combined, about 2-3 minutes.
- Add the unsalted butter, cocoa powder, evaporated milk, vanilla extract, and salt and beat until combined.
- Pour the mixture into the prepared pie crust.
- Bake in the preheated oven until the pie is set, about 40-45 minutes.
- Remove the pie from the oven and set aside on a wire rack to cool for about 1 hour to allow the pie to firm up, before slicing and serving.
Expert Tips
These tips will help you make the best chocolate chess pie you've ever tasted.
- You can also use a whisk to mix the ingredients if you don’t have an electric beater. Just make sure the ingredients are fully combined and free of any lumps.
- Place the pie dish onto a baking sheet prior to baking to avoid spillage.
- The pie may bubble up while baking. Don’t worry, it will deflate once it’s removed from the oven and cools.
- The pie crust used in this recipe should be partially baked, so use a store bought pie crust or make your own and part bake it.
- Once baked, set the pie aside for one hour and allow the pie to set firm before slicing.
Variations
- Swap the cocoa powder and make a lemon chess pie by adding the the zest and juice of 2 whole lemons to the custard filling. Or how about using limes or oranges?
- Chocolate works great with other spices so why not add a pinch of ground spices like ginger, nutmeg and cinnamon.
- Make a chocolate and coffee filling by adding a tablespoon of espresso powder to the filling.
How to serve my Chocolate Chess Pie
There is so much flavor in this pie that I like to keep things simple. Serve a slice of pie with a sprinkling of powdered sugar. Then add some whipped cream, or your favorite vanilla ice-cream, if desired.
How to store leftover Chess Pie
To refrigerate: Once baked, this pie will keep for 24 hours at room temperature, or store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
To freeze: Once cooked and cooled, wrap the pie in plastic wrap, then foil, and store in the freezer for up to 3 months. Defrost overnight in the fridge, or at room temperature for a couple of hours, when you are ready to enjoy.
FAQs:
This pie can be served at room temperature or served from the refrigerator slightly chilled.
When the chocolate chess pie filling has set and is no longer liquid, the pie is cooked. You can check by giving the pie a quick jiggle, or by inserting a toothpick into the filling, if cooked it will come out clean.
Yes, once baked, set the pie aside on a wire rack for 1 hour. This will allow the pie to cool down and the center to firm up ready for slicing.
If you have tried this Chocolate Chess Pie recipe, or any other recipe on my blog, then please rate it and let me know how it turned out in the comments below!
Chocolate Chess Pie
Ingredients
- 9 inch pie crust
- 1 ⅓ cups granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 4 tablespoon unsalted butter melted
- ¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 5 oz can evaporated milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (175 degrees C).
- In a large bowl, add the granulated sugar and eggs. Beat the eggs and sugar together with an electric mixer until thoroughly combined, about 2-3 minutes.
- Add the unsalted butter, cocoa powder, evaporated milk, vanilla extract, and salt and beat until combined. Pour the mixture into the prepared pie crust.
- Bake in the preheated oven until the pie is set, about 40-45 minutes.
- Remove the pie from the oven and set aside on a wire rack to cool for about 1 hour to allow the pie to firm up, before slicing and serving.
Notes
- You can also use a whisk to mix the ingredients if you don’t have an electric beater. Just make sure the ingredients are fully combined and free of any lumps.
- Place the pie dish onto a baking sheet prior to baking to avoid spillage.
- The pie may bubble up while baking. Don’t worry, it will deflate once it’s removed from the oven and cools.
- The pie crust used in this recipe should be partially baked, so use a store bought pie crust or make your own and part bake it.
- Once baked, set the pie aside for one hour and allow the pie to set firm before slicing.
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