About This Chocolate Chess Pie
This chocolate chess pie is stuffed with a gooey, brownie custard filling with a crispy, crackly, meringue-like prime. The custard filling is made with every melted chocolate AND cocoa powder, with NO evaporated milk. The two chocolate elements combined and the dearth of evaporated milk make it further dense and chocolaty. It is actually certainly one of my absolute favorite pie recipes on Hummingbird Extreme!
This filling is baked in an extra crispy all-butter pie crust produced from scratch. Nonetheless don’t be intimidated! The pie dough comes collectively merely on account of a novel methodology that features making the dough in a stand mixer (that I developed for my cookbook, Weeknight Baking). The pie crust is pre baked, guaranteeing that it stays crispy beneath the decadent chocolate filling!
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What’s chocolate chess pie?
Preserve the cellphone. What even is chess pie, anyway?
Chess pies are normally made with custard fillings and no fruit. The custard is often flavored with pantry, shelf-stable elements like cocoa powder, cornmeal, evaporated milk, and additional. Chess pies normally do not comprise any modern fruit (although you may typically uncover a recipe for a lemon chess pie) like most completely different pie recipes.
What does chocolate chess pie model like?
Take into consideration your favorite brownie recipe baked in a superb flaky and crispy pie crust. Because of that’s primarily what chocolate chess pie tastes like!
The chocolate filling is moist, gooey, and decadent, very like that of a fudge brownie. Nonetheless, its prime is notably completely completely different. Whereas most brownies have a mushy prime, the chocolate chess pie filling on this recipe is completely completely different. It has a crisp, meringue-like chocolate prime that cracks dramatically as a result of it cools. It contrasts splendidly with the mushy filling, and enhances the crispy, buttery, flaky texture of the pie crust properly.
Why You Must Make The Recipe
Listed beneath are all the reasons to make this chocolate chess pie recipe:
The recipe is the outcomes of hours of infinite model testing and recipe enchancment, making the perfect chocolate chess pie on the net.
When creating this recipe, I tried a ton of the popular chocolate chess pie recipes on the net. There was a shocking amount of choice between all of them. Some fully used melted chocolate, whereas others used cocoa powder. Others skipped the butter and known as for a can of evaporated milk to be included inside the filling instead.
I tasted all these varieties and determined that the perfect chocolate chess pie was made with every melted chocolate AND cocoa powder, with quite a few butter and no evaporated milk. I really think about that the recipe underneath makes the perfect chocolate chess pie on the net!
The recipe makes use of an unusual however setting pleasant strategy to make pie dough from scratch.
Most pie dough recipes instruct you to make pie dough in a handful of the way in which: by hand (each with devices like a pastry cutter, or with out them), or in a meals processor. I’ve under no circumstances, ever actually helpful making pie dough by hand. It’s too messy and time-consuming! And whereas using a meals processor is faster, it’s far too easy to overwork the butter and end up with a flat, dense, crust.
So inside the recipe underneath, I instruct you to make the pie dough with a STAND MIXER.
After chilling the elements for five minutes or so, you throw each factor into the stand mixer and mix it on low tempo reminiscent of you’ll a cookie dough. It takes decrease than 5 minutes to come back again collectively and eliminates TONS of mess and work.
Furthermore, in distinction to a meals processor, a stand mixer permits you additional administration and visibility as a result of the dough comes collectively—no flat, dense crusts proper right here of us!
The pie dough recipe is from my cookbook, Weeknight Baking.
The recipe is flexible and may match into any schedule.
I’ve broken down the pie dough recipe underneath in order to make quite a lot of of its steps ahead. Doing so allows you to match baking into your schedule additional merely. It moreover ensures that you simply simply’re not caught inside the kitchen all day!
Because of on the entire, it’s unusual that I actually bake a pie all in in some unspecified time in the future. That’s because of making pie requires quite a lot of chilling and re-chilling of the dough to take care of it workable. First, pie recipes instruct you to make the pie dough, chill it for at least an hour, then roll it out and fill it, then chill it as soon as extra, and so forth. It quickly turns into an all-day-long kitchen endeavor. So keep in mind to strive my concepts underneath on one of the best ways to make this recipe match into your schedule!
However when that every one looks as if an extreme quantity of labor nonetheless, don’t worry. I’ve moreover included instructions underneath on one of the best ways to make this chocolate chess pie with retailer bought pie crust. Doing so will make this chocolate chess pie a superb quick-and-easy dessert recipe!
The chocolate chess pie retailers properly.
On account of the entire melted chocolate, cocoa powder, and sugar, the chocolate chess pie stays modern and fudgy for days. In actuality, I identical to the pie the perfect the day after they’re made. Why? In a single day, the chocolate elements inside the filling really develop and alter into additional flavorful.
Components and Substitutions
Now that I’ve glad you to make this chocolate chess pie recipe, proper right here’s each factor you need:
Buying Report For Chocolate Chess Pie
- apple cider vinegar
- ice
- all-purpose flour
- granulated sugar
- kosher salt
- eggs
- unsalted butter
- darkish chocolate (between 60% to 70% cacao)
- pure unsweetened cocoa powder
- pure vanilla extract
And let’s discuss some key elements and potential substitutions:
Apple Cider Vinegar
You need 1 ½ teaspoons apple cider vinegar to make the pie dough on this chocolate chess pie recipe.
Can I exploit one different form of vinegar instead?
Certain, with reservations. Using a vinegar with strong, distinctive style (assume: balsamic vinegar, Chinese language language black vinegar, and additional) implies that these flavors will current up in your pie crust, too.
For individuals who don’t have apple cider vinegar, it is best to make the most of a distilled white vinegar instead. White vinegar has a neutral style and coloration that gained’t affect the look and magnificence of the pie dough.
Darkish Chocolate
You need 3 ounces (85 grams) of darkish chocolate to make the chocolate filling on this chocolate chess pie recipe.
Bittersweet versus Semisweet versus Darkish Chocolate
Every time I share a recipe that makes use of darkish chocolate, numerous you ask should you ought to make the most of bittersweet or semisweet chocolate. Many producers make chocolate bars which is likely to be notably for baking; these are generally labeled “bittersweet”, “semisweet”, or “unsweetened”. You’ll uncover that “bittersweet” and “semisweet” normally don’t embrace cocoa percentages. That’s because of there’s no official benchmark for each designation. Significantly: it’s as a lot because the producers to learn the way loads cocoa to utilize, and cacao percentages for each kind will differ enormously between producers.
That’s why in my cookbook, I counsel of us to ignore these bars and instead comply with those who document their cocoa percentages. That’s actually the one strategy to know what you’re getting! In a pinch, however, it is best to make the most of each bittersweet or semisweet chocolate for the ganache with out an extreme quantity of consequence.
Cocoa Powder
You need 2 Tablespoons pure unsweetened cocoa powder to make the chocolate filling on this chocolate chess pie recipe.
I solely have Dutch-processed cocoa powder. Can I exploit that instead?
Certain! You probably can substitute pure unsweetened cocoa powder with Dutch-processed cocoa powder on this recipe, no disadvantage.
Solely a head’s up—your pie will look and magnificence merely ever-so-slightly completely completely different than mine. The filling can have a blackish-brown coloration versus a reddish-brown one.
How To Make Chocolate Chess Pie
Listed beneath are the basic steps to make chocolate chess pie from scratch:
First, make the pie dough.
- Prep the elements for the pie dough. (Prep Time: 5 minutes)
The important thing to flaky pie dough is to take care of elements like butter and water as chilly as attainable. Be sure to adjust to the recipe instructions to chill out these elements appropriately! - Make the pie dough. (Work Time: 5 minutes)
You probably can see step-by-step pictures of my distinctive methodology in my submit on How To Make Pie Dough In A Stand Mixer. - Chill the pie dough. (Chill Time: 1 hour)
The dough have to be refrigerated for at least 1 hour sooner than being rolled out and formed onto the pie plate. For individuals who roll it out immediately after making, it’s going to possible be too mushy and arduous to take motion! - Roll out the pie dough and sort the underside crust in your pie pan. (Work Time: quarter-hour)
- Freeze the crust. (Chill Time: In a single day)
Freezing the crust in a single day ensures that your crimped edge retains its type inside the oven. It moreover ensures an extra flaky pie crust. For individuals who’re pinched for time, you might get away with freezing the crust for merely 4 hours instead.
Subsequent, pre bake the pie crust.
- Pre bake the crust. (Bake Time: 35 minutes)
It’s important to pre bake the pie crust because of it desires additional time to bake inside the oven than the chocolate chess pie filling. Be taught additional in my detailed submit about How To Pre Bake Pie Crust! - Make the egg wash. (Work Time: 5 minutes)
The recipe instructs you to make an egg wash, then use it to cowl the underside and sides of the pre baked crust. Doing so creates a “waterproof” layer that stops the chocolate chess pie filling from seeping into the crust and making it soggy! - Bake the crust as soon as extra. (Bake Time: 5 minutes)
Lastly, make the chocolate chess pie filling, assemble, and bake the pie.
- Prep the elements for the chocolate chess pie filling. (Prep Time: 5 minutes)
- Make the chocolate chess pie filling. (Work Time: 10 minutes)
- Assemble the chocolate chess pie. (Work Time:
- Bake the assembled chocolate chess pie. (Bake Time: 50 minutes)
Recipe Troubleshooting and FAQ
FAQ: Chocolate Chess Pie Components
Can I exploit retailer bought crust?
Certain! I mentioned sooner than that when creating this recipe, I examined with store-bought pie crusts. Actually really feel to to utilize any form of store-bought pie crust you need (every the sort you roll out and the sort that already come molded onto a pie plate work properly proper right here) and adjust to the recipe’s instructions underneath to pre bake the store bought crust.
FAQ: How To Make The Recipe Inside Your Schedule
On the entire, I dislike pre baking pie since it might be a time consuming course of to bake the pie twice. There’s quite a lot of sitting spherical and prepared, notably since you’ll moreover need to chill out the pie dough after making it and sooner than molding it onto the pie plate. For individuals who don’t want to take all day making this chocolate chess pie recipe, I like to recommend splitting the work up over just some days:
- Day 1: Make the Pie Dough, Sort the Bottom Crust, and Freeze In a single day!
(spherical half-hour of Work Time, plus 1 hour of chilling) - Day 2: Pre Bake the Frozen Pie, Make the Filling, and Bake the Pie As soon as extra!
(spherical 5 minutes of Work Time, plus 1 hour and 20 minutes of Bake Time)
If that additionally seems as if an extreme period of time inside the kitchen for one endeavor, you might break it down even further:
- Day 1: Make the Pie Dough and Refrigerate In a single day
(spherical quarter-hour of Work Time) - Day 2: Roll Out the Chilled Dough, Sort The Bottom Crust, and Freeze In a single day
(spherical quarter-hour of Work Time) - Day 3: Pre Bake the Pie Crust, Make the Filling, and Bake the Pie As soon as extra
(spherical 5 minutes of Work Time and 1 hour and 20 minutes of Bake Time)
I do understand it seems excessive to interrupt up the recipe over two or three days, nonetheless in case you take a look on the schedules intently, you’ll uncover that it dramatically decreases the time you spend inside the kitchen actively working. You’re free to go on and do completely different points as a result of the pie dough chills or freezes in a single day!
I title this form of recipe planning “making the recipe match into your schedule.” For individuals who like this form of time administration, keep in mind to strive my cookbook, Weeknight Baking, the place I break down every kind of baking recipes on this implies.
FAQ: Retailer Chocolate Chess Pie
Do you refrigerate chocolate chess pie?
Chess pie can retailer at room temperature for an extended time period. I want to retailer my chess pie for as a lot as 48 hours at room temperature, beneath a cake dome (or a giant bowl turned the opposite approach up over the pie), after which switch it to the fridge. Sooner than refrigerating, cowl loosely with a sheet of plastic wrap.
How prolonged will chocolate chess pie maintain?
For about one week: 2 days at room temperature, then one different 5 days inside the fridge. Nonetheless discover that this pie is best all through the primary two days of making it; although the flavors develop and intensify the longer it sits, the chocolate meringue prime begins to lose its crunchy texture.
FAQ: Serve Chocolate Chess Pie
What do I serve with chocolate chess pie?
Chocolate chess pie might be form of intense by itself; I would serve with a dollop of unsweetened freshly whipped cream or some modern berries on the aspect.
Most interesting Recipe Options
Gear Tip
- In distinction to most pie doughs that instruct you to make the dough by hand with a pastry cutter or in a meals processor, I instruct you to make the dough with a stand mixer. After chilling the elements for five minutes or so, you throw each factor into the stand mixer and mix it on low tempo reminiscent of you’ll a cookie dough. It takes decrease than 5 minutes to come back again collectively and eliminates TONS of mess and work. Furthermore, in distinction to a meals processor, a stand mixer permits you additional administration and visibility as a result of the dough comes collectively—no flat, dense crusts proper right here, of us!
Baking Tip
- Inside the oven, the chocolate filling will rise dramatically like a souffle after which fall as a result of it cools. When it does, the edges of the filling shall be a little bit of bit gloopy, nonetheless the prime must nonetheless be crispy like a meringue. As a result of the filling continues to relax, its prime will crack; that’s fully common and the look that you simply really need! Every time you make this pie, it will probably rise, fall, and crack in a number of strategies—that’s part of the recipe’s attraction, I promise.
Additional Chess Pie Recipes
Additional Pie Recipes
See a full document of the pie recipes on Hummingbird Extreme!
Get the Recipe:
Chocolate Chess Pie Recipe
This chocolate chess pie recipe has every chocolate and cocoa powder, resulting in a gooey, brownie-like filling baked in an all-butter pie crust.
Cease your show from going darkish
For the Stand Mixer All-Butter Pie Dough
For the Chocolate Chess Pie Filling:
For the Chocolate Chess Pie
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First, make the pie dough. In a giant liquid measuring cup, whisk collectively the water and vinegar. Add the ice and whisk, Refrigerate while you prep the rest of the elements.
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Freeze the butter. Decrease the butter into 1-inch cubes and place them in a small bowl. Freeze while you prep the rest of the elements.
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Mix the dry elements, then add the butter. Inside the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the flour, sugar, and salt. Beat on low until merely combined, about 15 seconds. Add the butter abruptly and beat on low until the mix has the texture of coarse meal, with pea-sized objects of butter all by, about 3 minutes.
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Add water. Take away the ice water mixture from the fridge. With the mixer on low, add 4 Tablespoons of liquid from the ice water mixture. Beat on low for 2 to a few minutes, or until the dough clumps throughout the paddle and/or sides of the bowl. If the dough seems too dry, add additional liquid from the ice water mixture 1 teaspoon at a time.
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Prep the dough for refrigerating. Tip the dough out onto a evenly floured counter with the spatula. Shortly knead the dough proper into a tricky ball. Wrap the dough tightly in plastic wrap and flatten proper right into a small disc. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
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Sort the underside crust. Roll out the disc of chilled dough on a evenly floured counter and match it onto a 9-inch pie pan. Crimp the sting and use a fork to poke holes in every single place within the bottom and sides of the dough. Cowl loosely with plastic wrap and freeze in a single day.
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Prep the oven and pan. Place a rack inside the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper and place the frozen crust, nonetheless in its plate, inside the center of the pan. Cowl the crust with foil, guaranteeing the crimped edges are totally coated and that there are usually not any gaps between the foil and the crust. Fill with pie weights and unfold them out so that they’re additional concentrated throughout the sides of the crust.
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Prebake the crust and make the egg wash. Bake for 35 minutes. Whereas the crust is inside the oven, make the egg wash: In a small bowl, whisk collectively the egg, water, and salt.
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Eggwash the crust. Take away the sheet pan from the oven, sustaining the oven on. Fastidiously increase out the pie weights and foil. Use a pastry brush to coat the underside and sides of the pie crust (nonetheless not the crimped border) with a thin layer of egg wash. Bake, uncovered, for an additional 5 minutes. Put apart on a wire rack to relax barely while you make the chocolate chess pie filling.
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Make the chocolate chess pie filling. Place the butter and darkish chocolate inside the prime pan of a double boiler or in a heatproof bowl set over a heavy-bottomed sauce pan filled with just some inches of simmering water (make sure the underside of the bowl does not contact the water). Prepare dinner dinner over medium heat, using a heatproof rubber spatula to stir the mix and scrape the sides of the bowl typically, until the butter and chocolate have melted and combined, about 10 minutes. Set the double boiler or bowl on a wire rack and let the chocolate mixture cool while you prep the alternative elements.
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Mix the elements for the chocolate chess pie filling. In a medium bowl, whisk collectively the sugar, eggs, cocoa powder, vanilla, and salt. Slowly add the chocolate mixture and whisk to combine. Pour the mix into the pie shell.
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Bake the assembled chocolate chess pie. Bake for 50 to 55 minutes, or until the edges are set and the center of the pie merely barely jiggles. Cool on a wire rack.
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Serve and retailer. Serve barely warmth or at room temperature. The pie might be saved at room temperature, beneath a cake dome or a giant bowl turned the opposite approach up, for as a lot as 3 days.
- In distinction to most pie doughs that instruct you to make the dough by hand with a pastry cutter or in a meals processor, I instruct you to make the dough with a stand mixer. After chilling the elements for five minutes or so, you throw each factor into the stand mixer and mix it on low tempo reminiscent of you’ll a cookie dough. It takes decrease than 5 minutes to come back again collectively and eliminates TONS of mess and work. Furthermore, in distinction to a meals processor, a stand mixer permits you additional administration and visibility as a result of the dough comes collectively—no flat, dense crusts proper right here, of us!
- Inside the oven, the chocolate filling will rise dramatically like a souffle after which fall as a result of it cools. When it does, the edges of the filling shall be a little bit of bit gloopy, nonetheless the prime must nonetheless be crispy like a meringue. As a result of the filling continues to relax, its prime will crack; that’s fully common and the look that you simply really need! Every time you make this pie, it will probably rise, fall, and crack in a number of strategies—that’s part of the recipe’s attraction, I promise.
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Weeknight Baking:
Recipes to Fit your Schedule
Over the earlier quite a lot of years of working Hummingbird Extreme, I saved an vital aspect of my life hidden from my readers: I had a full-time, terribly demanding job inside the tech world. In my debut cookbook, Weeknight Baking, I lastly reveal the secrets and techniques and strategies to baking delicious desserts on a good schedule.