Chocolate Chess Pie Recipe (2024)

Chocolate Chess Pie is a classic Southern chocolate pie with a creamy middle topped with a crisp topping. Chess pie is easy and so delicious!

Looking for more delicious chocolate recipes? I think you’ll love my Best Chocolate Cake, Best Chocolate Cupcakes, and Grandmother’s Chocolate Cobbler. Yum!

Chocolate Chess Pie Recipe (1)

Chocolate Chess Pie is seriously one of the best things ever created – especially if you love chocolate like I do.

Creamy, custardy, and oh-so chocolatey on the inside, chocolate chess pies are also crowned with the signature crunchy top crust that you’ll find in really good chess pie recipes. This pie is always a favorite dessert. We especially love it topped with a dollop of homemade whipped cream.

And really, the simplicity of a chess pie makes it even more special.

Table of Contents

  • Why You’ll Love This Recipe
  • Easy Chocolate Chess Pie Recipe
  • What is Chess Pie?
  • How To Make Chocolate Chess Pie
  • Ingredients
  • Step-by-Step Instructions
  • Storage Tips
  • Chocolate Chess Pie Recipe

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

Delicious chocolate pie recipe. Every single bite is filled with delicious chocolate flavor.

Easy to make. The hands-on time for making this amazing chocolate pie is less than 10 minutes and it is easy enough for a beginning baker. I learned to make it with my Grandmother when I was a young girl and I haven’t looked back!

Great to make ahead or freeze. Since the cooling time is key to this recipe, it is great to make ahead or to freeze to serve later.

Easy Chocolate Chess Pie Recipe

Chocolate Chess Pie Recipe (2)

See the inside of that pie?

Oh my goodness!!!

Irresistible!

What is Chess Pie?

Chess Pie is a traditional southern pie recipe with deep roots in England. Chess pie is made from sugar, flour, butter, and eggs and then baked in a pie crust. The combination of the sugar and flour mixed together gives the pie a crispy, crackle finish on the top while leaving a custard-type filling from the eggs. Cocoa powder is also included in this chocolate version of the classic pie.

How To Make Chocolate Chess Pie

To make this pie, you’ll need the following ingredients:

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Ingredients

Be sure to see the recipe card below for the full listing of ingredients, instructions, notes, and estimated nutritional information.

  • Sugar – I use granulated sugar in this recipe.
  • Unsweetened Cocoa Powder – I use natural unsweetened cocoa powder in this recipe.
  • Flour – a little all-purpose flour is used to thicken the pie filling.
  • Espresso Powder– optional, but recommended to enhance the chocolate flavor in this pie.
  • Salt – just a pinch is used to balance the flavors of the pie.
  • Butter– you’ll use melted and slightly cooled butter for this recipe.
  • Evaporated Milk – I make homemade evaporated milk. You can also use your favorite store-bought.
  • Vanilla extract – enhances the flavors in this sweet pie recipe. Use a high-quality vanilla extract. I love to use my homemade vanilla extract. It is so easy to make and always delicious!
  • Eggs – In this recipe, you’ll use lightly beaten eggs for the pie filling.
  • Pie crust– you’ll need one unbaked pie crust. You can use homemade pie crust or your favorite store-bought in a pinch.

Step-by-Step Instructions

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Chocolate Chess Pie Recipe (5)
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Mix the pie filling. Whisk together sugar, cocoa, flour, salt, and espresso powder. Pour your melted butter and evaporated milk into the sugar and cocoa mixture and beat on high speed with an electric mixer. Mix in vanilla extract and eggs until well combined and continue to mix for about 2 minutes to lighten the batter.

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Pour into the pie crust and bake. Pour the chocolate mixture into a 9-inch, unbaked pie crust. Bake for 55 minutes.

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Cool the pie before slicing. The center of the pie will be a bit soft. Allow it to cool completely on a wire rack for an hour before slicing. The pie will continue to set as it cools.

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Storage Tips

To store leftovers. Cover the pie loosely with wrap and store it in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

To make ahead. This pie is excellent to make ahead as it is best served cold! Like with the storage instructions, make the pie ahead of time and cool. Cover the pie loosely with wrap and store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Remove from the refrigerator, slice, and serve.

To freeze. You can easily freeze a baked Chocolate Chess Pie. Bake and cool completely. Wrap tightly with freezer-safe wrap and place in a freezer bag. Freeze for up to 3 months. To serve, that in the refrigerator overnight and then slice and serve.

Chocolate Chess Pie Recipe (11)

Here’s my recipe for Chocolate Chess Pie. I hope you love it as much as we do!

Chocolate Chess Pie Recipe (12)

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Chocolate Chess Pie Recipe

Robyn Stone

4.83 from 23 votes

Chocolate Chess Pie is a quintessential Southern chocolate pie. Get this family favorite chocolate chess pie recipe.

Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 55 minutes minutes

Total Time: 1 hour hour 5 minutes minutes

Servings: 8

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 cup (297 g) granulated sugar
  • 4 tablespoons (21 g) unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 2 tablespoons (15 g) all-purpose flour
  • 1/4 teaspoon (0.58 g) espresso powder, optional
  • pinch (0.4 g) kosher salt
  • 4 tablespoons (57 g) butter, melted and slightly cooled
  • 5 ounces (141 g) evaporated milk
  • 1 teaspoon (5 g) vanilla extract
  • 3 large (150 g) eggs, lightly beaten
  • 1 (9-inch) pie crust, unbaked

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 325º F.

  • Whisk sugar, cocoa, flour, and espresso powder (if using) and salt together. Pour butter and evaporated milk into sugar and cocoa mixture and beat on high speed. Add vanilla and eggs. With mixer speed on high speed, mix for approximately 2-3 minutes to lighten.

  • Pour mixture into 9 inch unbaked pie shell and bake for about 55 minutes. The center of the pie will be a bit soft. Allow to cool on a wire rack for at least an hour before slicing. The pie will continue to set as it cools.

Notes

Storage, Make Ahead, and Freezer Instructions

To store leftovers. Cover the pie loosely with wrap and store it in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

To make ahead. This pie is excellent to make ahead as it is best served cold! Like with the storage instructions, make the pie ahead of time and cool. Cover the pie loosely with wrap and store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Remove from the refrigerator, slice, and serve.

To freeze. You can easily freeze a baked Chocolate Chess Pie. Bake and cool completely. Wrap tightly with freezer-safe wrap and place in a freezer bag. Freeze for up to 3 months. To serve, thaw in the refrigerator overnight and then slice and serve.

Nutrition

Calories: 452kcal | Carbohydrates: 60g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 21g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 105mg | Sodium: 288mg | Potassium: 149mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 40g | Vitamin A: 319IU | Vitamin C: 0.3mg | Calcium: 67mg | Iron: 2mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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Enjoy!
Robyn xo

Categorized as:All Recipes, By Cooking Style, Chocolate, Christmas Recipes, Cooking, Dessert Recipes, Father’s Day Recipes, Freezer Friendly Recipes, Game Day Recipes, Halloween Recipes, Holiday and Occasion Recipes, July 4th Recipes, Mother’s Day Recipes, Pies / Tarts / Cobblers, Recipes, Shower Recipes, Southern Favorites, Thanksgiving Recipes, Valentine’s Day Recipes

Welcome to Add A Pinch

About Robyn

Robyn Stone is a cookbook author, wife, mom, and passionate home cook. Her tested and trusted recipes give readers the confidence to cook recipes the whole family will love. Robyn has been featured on Food Network, People, Southern Living, and more.

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Chocolate Chess Pie Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What is chocolate chess pie made of? ›

The custardy filling is made with eggs, sugar, milk, butter, cornmeal, vanilla, and unsweetened chocolate. The filling gets baked into an all-butter pie crust until it's just set in the middle and crackly on top, just like your favorite brownies! What's the cornmeal do in chocolate chess pie?

Why do they call it a chess pie? ›

Compared to other custard-based pastries, the chess pie holds up relatively well at room temperature. Often, it was stored in something called a "pie chest." The word "chest," some say, eventually became "chess." Southern gentlemen liked to enjoy the dessert after dinner while they played chess.

Is egg pie and chess pie the same thing? ›

Chess pie is similar to a custard pie, as it's a dairy and egg-baked pie. However, it has one distinct difference: it usually has an additional thickener added to it like cornmeal, or sometimes, flour.

What is the difference between chess pie and sugar cream pie? ›

What is the Difference Between a Sugar Cream Pie and Custard or Chess Pie? Chess pies and custard pies are mixed and poured right into the pie crust, and they contain eggs. A sugar cream pie is made without eggs, and the filling is usually prepared on the stovetop, reducing the overall baking time.

What is funeral pie made of? ›

Vintage Funeral Pie Recipe is an old-fashioned dessert that is made from raisins, spices, and walnuts. It was traditionally made by the Amish, but this sugary pie fits right into a Southern cook's recipe box.

What's the difference between a chess pie and a buttermilk pie? ›

Chess pie is thickened with cornmeal (and sometimes a little bit of all-purpose flour!), whereas buttermilk pies uses only all-purpose flour. Many buttermilk recipes will play up the tartness, with added lemon juice and zest, giving it a pleasant citrus flavor.

Are derby pie and chess pie the same? ›

You can also think of pecan pie as an extension of chess pie, with brown sugar and corn syrup taking the place of granulated sugar and pecans adding nuttiness and crunch. And then there is Kentucky bourbon and walnut pie (aka Derby pie), which adds Bourbon, chocolate, and walnuts to the chess pie formula.

What is the pie rule in chess? ›

The pie rule applied to chess says that player 1 makes a move for white (divide) and player 2 selects the side they wish to play (choose). Player 1, knowing that player 2 will select the more advantageous side, must play a move that is neither too strong or too weak.

Why do they call it Shoo Fly Pie? ›

Pie lore offers two explanations for its unusual name. The simple one is that flies get stuck in the sticky-sweet molasses, so bakers must shoo them away. The second explanation is that the pie was named after the 19th-century “Shoofly” brand of molasses.

What is penguin pie? ›

Penguin Pie – Smoked Haddock, Potatoes, Cheese & Onion Sauce | Brockleby's.

What is Louisiana State pie? ›

Louisiana recognized the Natchitoches meat pie as the official state meat pie in 2003. The city of Natchitoches in northern Louisiana (named after the Natchitoches Indian tribe, pronounced NAK-uh-tush) offers a regional delicacy popular since the late 1700's – the Natchitoches meat pie.

What is New York's state pie? ›

New York: Grape Pie.

Is chess pie the same as shoofly pie? ›

On a serious note, Shoofly pie is considered a custard type in the same “pie family” as pecan and Chess pie (“jus pie”). Chess pie is a Southern specialty similar to pecan but without the nuts. Shoofly is famous in Pennsylvania Dutch country and is thickened with a streusel to more closely resemble cake.

What ingredients are in a chess pie? ›

Classic chess pie pairs a traditional butter pie crust with a sweet, custardy filling made with sugar, butter, and eggs. Flour and cornmeal thicken the filling and vanilla enhances the creamy custard. And did we mention that the unlikely secret ingredient of this sweet and gooey pie is vinegar?

What is the most preferred type of pie amongst Americans? ›

The clear winner for the United States as a whole was (not surprisingly) apple pie with more than 27% of sales going to the traditional flavor.

How to make chess pieces chocolate? ›

Chop 24 ounces semisweet chocolate; microwave three-quarters of the chocolate in 30-second intervals, stirring until melted. Add the remaining chocolate; stir until smooth. Fill 2 molds with the chocolate using a piping bag; scrape off the excess. Freeze 15 minutes, then pop out the pieces.

What are Mcdonald's pies made out of? ›

Ingredients: Apples (apples, Ascorbic Acid, Salt, Citric Acid), Enriched Flour (bleached Wheat Flour, Niacin, Reduced Iron, Thiamine Mononitrate, Riboflavin, Folic Acid), Sugar, Palm Oil, Water, Apple Juice Concentrate, Modified Food Starch, Invert Syrup, Contains 2% Or Less: Yeast, Salt, Cinnamon, Sunflower Lecithin, ...

What is egg custard pie made of? ›

Combine sugar, milk, melted butter, flour, vanilla, and nutmeg in a large bowl; mix well. Beat in eggs until well blended. Pour filling into partially baked pie shell. Bake in the preheated oven until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean, 45 to 55 minutes.

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