Chocolate Chess Pie

About This Chocolate Chess Pie

This chocolate chess pie is filled with a gooey, brownie custard filling with a crispy, crackly, meringue-like top. The custard filling is made with both melted chocolate AND cocoa powder, with NO evaporated milk. The two chocolate ingredients combined and the lack of evaporated milk make it extra dense and chocolaty. 

This filling is baked in an extra crispy all-butter pie crust made from scratch. But don’t be intimidated! The pie dough comes together easily thanks to a unique technique that involves making the dough in a stand mixer (that I developed for my cookbook, Weeknight Baking). The pie crust is pre baked, ensuring that it stays crispy under the decadent chocolate filling!

@hummingbirdhigh if you love brownie and pie this is for you #noonecanstopme #foodtok #pie #brownies ♬ Ticking – TIN

What is chocolate chess pie?

Hold the phone. What even is chess pie, anyway? 

Chess pies are typically made with custard fillings and no fruit. The custard is often flavored with pantry, shelf-stable ingredients like cocoa powder, cornmeal, evaporated milk, and more. Chess pies typically do not contain any fresh fruit (although you will occasionally find a recipe for a lemon chess pie) like most other pie recipes.

What does chocolate chess pie taste like?

Imagine your favorite brownie recipe baked in a super flaky and crispy pie crust. Because that’s basically what chocolate chess pie tastes like!

The chocolate filling is moist, gooey, and decadent, similar to that of a fudge brownie. However, its top is notably different. While most brownies have a soft top, the chocolate chess pie filling in this recipe is different. It has a crisp, meringue-like chocolate top that cracks dramatically as it cools. It contrasts wonderfully with the soft filling, and complements the crispy, buttery, flaky texture of the pie crust well.

Why You Should Make The Recipe

Here are all the reasons to make this chocolate chess pie recipe:

This chocolate chess pie recipe is the result of hours of endless taste testing and recipe development, making the best chocolate chess pie on the internet.

When developing this recipe, I tried a ton of the most popular chocolate chess pie recipes on the internet. There was a surprising amount of variety between them all. Some exclusively used melted chocolate, while others used cocoa powder. Others skipped the butter and called for a can of evaporated milk to be included in the filling instead.

I tasted all these varieties and determined that the best chocolate chess pie was made with both melted chocolate AND cocoa powder, with lots of butter and no evaporated milk. I truly believe that the recipe below makes the best chocolate chess pie on the internet!

This chocolate chess pie recipe uses an unusual yet efficient way to make pie dough from scratch.

Most pie dough recipes instruct you to make pie dough in a handful of ways: by hand (either with tools like a pastry cutter, or without them), or in a food processor. I have never, ever recommended making pie dough by hand. It’s too messy and time-consuming! And while using a food processor is faster, it’s far too easy to overwork the butter and end up with a flat, dense, crust.

So in my recipe below, I instruct you to make the pie dough with a STAND MIXER. The pie dough recipe is from my cookbook, Weeknight Baking. In my book, I instruct you to make your pie dough using a STAND MIXER.

After chilling the ingredients for five minutes or so, you throw everything into the stand mixer and mix it on low speed like you would a cookie dough. It takes less than 5 minutes to come together and eliminates TONS of mess and work. Furthermore, unlike a food processor, a stand mixer allows you more control and visibility as the dough comes together—no flat, dense crusts here folks!

This chocolate chess pie recipe is flexible and can fit into any schedule.

I’ve broken down the pie dough recipe below so that you can make several of its steps ahead. Doing so allows you to fit baking into your schedule more easily. It also ensures that you’re not stuck in the kitchen all day!

Because in general, it’s rare that I actually bake a pie all in one day. That’s because making pie requires a lot of chilling and re-chilling of the dough to keep 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 again, and so on. It quickly turns into an all-day-long kitchen project. So be sure to check out my tips below on how to make this recipe fit into your schedule!

But if that all sounds like too much work still, don’t worry. I’ve also included instructions below on how to make this chocolate chess pie with store bought pie crust. Doing so will make this chocolate chess pie a super quick-and-easy dessert recipe!

This chocolate chess pie stores well.

Because of all the melted chocolate, cocoa powder, and sugar, the chocolate chess pie stays fresh and fudgy for days. In fact, I like the pie the best the day after they’re made. Why? Overnight, the chocolate ingredients in the filling really develop and become more flavorful.

Ingredients and Substitutions

Now that I’ve convinced you to make this chocolate chess pie recipe, here’s everything you need:

Shopping List For Chocolate Chess Pie

• apple cider vinegar
• ice
• all-purpose flour
• granulated sugar
• kosher salt
• eggs
• unsalted butter
• dark chocolate (between 60% to 70% cacao)
• natural unsweetened cocoa powder
• pure vanilla extract

And let’s talk about some key ingredients and potential substitutions:

Apple Cider Vinegar

You need 1 ½ teaspoons apple cider vinegar to make the pie dough in this chocolate chess pie recipe.

Can I use another kind of vinegar instead?

Yes, with reservations. Using a vinegar with strong, distinctive flavor (think: balsamic vinegar, Chinese black vinegar, and more) means that those flavors will show up in your pie crust, too.

If you don’t have apple cider vinegar, you can use a distilled white vinegar in its place. White vinegar has a neutral flavor and color that won’t affect the look and taste of the pie dough.

Kosher Salt

You need ½ teaspoon kosher salt to make the pie dough AND the chocolate filling for this chocolate chess pie recipe.

Why You Should Use Kosher Salt When Baking

I like to use kosher salt (as opposed to table salt) when baking. Its larger crystals make it difficult to confuse with granulated sugar. However, not all kosher salts are created equal. Some kosher salts have smaller granules than others, which will result in saltier tasting baked goods.

For consistency, I recommend sticking to one brand, and one brand only: Diamond Crystal kosher salt. It’s the only brand of salt I use when I develop recipes for Hummingbird High. Why? Diamond Crystal kosher salt is one of the few 100% pure salts in the grocery store. Other brands have additives that can add unexpected flavors to your desserts.

I can’t find Diamond Crystal kosher salt. Is Morton’s Coarse kosher salt okay?

Yes, with reservations. Morton’s Coarse kosher salt granules are much smaller, denser, and crunchier than Diamond Crystal. According to this Food52 article, the two are different shapes and sizes because of how they’re made. Morton’s is made by flattening salt granules into large thin flakes by pressing them through high-pressure rollers, whereas Diamond Crystal is formed by a patented method in which “upside-down pyramids [are] stacked one over the next to form a crystal.” You can even see a visualization of the different sizes in this Cook’s Illustrated article.

Okay, but what does that mean, exactly? 1 teaspoon of Morton’s will taste saltier than 1 teaspoon of Diamond Crystal. Wild, right? So if you follow my recipes exactly as they are written but use Morton’s instead of Diamond Crystal, the results will come out saltier. In fact, sometimes they will come out TOO salty. So if you’re using Morton’s instead of Diamond Crystal, reduce the salt in the recipe by half.

Want to learn more about Diamond Crystal versus Morton’s Coarse kosher salt? Definitely check out the Food52 and Cook’s Illustrated articles I linked to above, as well as this Taste article.

I can’t find Diamond Crystal OR Morton’s Coarse kosher salt. Can I just use table salt?

Yes, with reservations. If you use table salt, you’ll need to reduce the recipe’s salt quantity by half.

If you read my little essay about Diamond Crystal and Morton’s, you learned that Diamond Crystal kosher salt granules are larger than Morton’s kosher salt granules. The same principle applies to table salt versus kosher salt. Table salt granules are much smaller than kosher salt granules. As a result, 1 teaspoon of table salt tastes much saltier than 1 teaspoon of kosher salt… simply because it can hold more granules! Wild, right?

So if you follow my recipes exactly as they are written but use table salt instead of kosher salt, the results will come out saltier. If you’re using table salt instead of kosher salt, I recommend reducing the salt in the recipe by half. 

Dark Chocolate

You need 3 ounces (85 grams) of dark chocolate to make the chocolate filling in this chocolate chess pie recipe.

Bittersweet versus Semisweet versus Dark Chocolate

Whenever I share a recipe that uses dark chocolate, many of you ask if you can use bittersweet or semisweet chocolate. Many manufacturers make chocolate bars that are specifically for baking; these are often labeled “bittersweet”, “semisweet”, or “unsweetened”. You’ll notice that “bittersweet” and “semisweet” typically don’t include cocoa percentages. That’s because there’s no official benchmark for each designation. Specifically: it’s up to the manufacturers to determine how much cocoa to use, and cacao percentages for each type will vary greatly between brands.

That’s why in my cookbook, I advise folks to ignore these bars and instead stick with the ones that list their cocoa percentages. That’s truly the only way to know what you’re getting! In a pinch, however, you can use either bittersweet or semisweet chocolate for the ganache without too much consequence.

Cocoa Powder

You need 2 Tablespoons natural unsweetened cocoa powder to make the chocolate filling in this chocolate chess pie recipe.

I only have Dutch-processed cocoa powder. Can I use that instead?

Yes! You can substitute natural unsweetened cocoa powder with Dutch-processed cocoa powder in this recipe, no problem.

Just a head’s up—your pie will look and taste just ever-so-slightly different than mine. The filling will have a blackish-brown color as opposed to a reddish-brown one.

How To Make Chocolate Chess Pie

Here are the basic steps to make chocolate chess pie from scratch:

First, make the pie dough.

1. Prep the ingredients for the pie dough. (Prep Time: 5 minutes)
   The secret to flaky pie dough is to keep ingredients like butter and water as cold as possible. Be sure to follow the recipe instructions to chill these ingredients appropriately!
   
   
2. Make the pie dough. (Work Time: 5 minutes)
   
   
3. Chill the pie dough. (Chill Time: 1 hour)
   The dough needs to be refrigerated for at least 1 hour before being rolled out and formed onto the pie plate. If you roll it out immediately after making, it will be too soft and hard to do so!
   
   
4. Roll out the pie dough and form the bottom crust on your pie pan. (Work Time: 15 minutes)
   
   
5. Freeze the crust. (Chill Time: Overnight)
   Freezing the crust overnight ensures that your crimped edge keeps its shape in the oven. It also ensures an extra flaky pie crust. If you’re pinched for time, you can get away with freezing the crust for just 4 hours instead.

Next, pre bake the pie crust.

1. Pre bake the crust. (Bake Time: 35 minutes)
   It’s necessary to pre bake the pie crust because it needs more time to bake in the oven than the chocolate chess pie filling.
   
   
2. Make the egg wash. (Work Time: 5 minutes)
   The recipe instructs you to make an egg wash, then use it to cover the bottom 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!
   
   
3. Bake the crust again. (Bake Time: 5 minutes)

Finally, make the chocolate chess pie filling, assemble, and bake the pie.

1. Prep the ingredients for the chocolate chess pie filling. (Prep Time: 5 minutes)
   
   
2. Make the chocolate chess pie filling. (Work Time: 10 minutes)
   
   
3. Assemble the chocolate chess pie. (Work Time: <5 minutes)
   
   
4. Bake the assembled chocolate chess pie. (Bake Time: 50 minutes)

Recipe Troubleshooting and FAQ

FAQ: Chocolate Chess Pie Ingredients

Can I use store bought crust?

Yes! I mentioned before that when developing this recipe, I tested with store-bought pie crusts. Feel to to use any kind of store-bought pie crust you like (both the kind you roll out and the kind that already come molded onto a pie plate work well here) and follow the recipe’s instructions below to pre bake the store bought crust. 

FAQ: How To Make The Recipe Within Your Schedule

In general, I dislike pre baking pie since it can be a time consuming process to bake the pie twice. There’s a lot of sitting around and waiting, especially since you’ll also need to chill the pie dough after making it and before molding it onto the pie plate. If you don’t want to take all day making this chocolate chess pie recipe, I suggest splitting the work up over a few days:

1. Day 1: Make the Pie Dough, Form the Bottom Crust, and Freeze Overnight!
   (around 30 minutes of Work Time, plus 1 hour of chilling)
   
   
2. Day 2: Pre Bake the Frozen Pie, Make the Filling, and Bake the Pie Again!
   (around 5 minutes of Work Time, plus 1 hour and 20 minutes of Bake Time)

If that still seems like too much time in the kitchen for one project, you can break it down even further:

1. Day 1: Make the Pie Dough and Refrigerate Overnight
   (around 15 minutes of Work Time)
   
   
2. Day 2: Roll Out the Chilled Dough, Form The Bottom Crust, and Freeze Overnight
   (around 15 minutes of Work Time)
   
   
3. Day 3: Prebake the Pie, Make the Filling, and Bake the Pie Again
   (around 5 minutes of Work Time and 1 hour and 20 minutes of Bake Time)

I know it seems excessive to break up the recipe over two or three days, but if you look at the schedules closely, you’ll notice that it dramatically decreases the time you spend in the kitchen actively working. You’re free to go on and do other things as the pie dough chills or freezes overnight!

I call this kind of recipe planning “making the recipe fit into your schedule.” If you like this kind of time management, be sure to check out my cookbook, Weeknight Baking, where I break down all sorts of baking recipes in this way.

FAQ: How to Store Chocolate Chess Pie

Do you refrigerate chocolate chess pie?

Chess pie can store at room temperature for an extended amount of time. I like to store my chess pie for up to 48 hours at room temperature, underneath a cake dome (or a large bowl turned upside down over the pie), and then move it to the refrigerator. Before refrigerating, cover loosely with a sheet of plastic wrap.

How long will chocolate chess pie keep?

For about one week: 2 days at room temperature, then another 5 days in the fridge. But note that this pie is best within the first two days of making it; although the flavors develop and intensify the longer it sits, the chocolate meringue top starts to lose its crunchy texture.

FAQ: How to Serve Chocolate Chess Pie

What do I serve with chocolate chess pie?

Chocolate chess pie can be kind of intense on its own; I would serve with a dollop of unsweetened freshly whipped cream or some fresh berries on the side. 

More Chess Pie Recipes

• Funfetti Buttermilk Chess Pie
• Matcha Buttermilk Chess Pie
• Meyer Lemon Chess Pie
• Momofuku Milk Bar Pie (for High Altitude!)
• Salty Honey Pie

More Pie Recipes

• Atlantic Beach Pie Recipe
• Black Bottom Chess Pie
• Blueberry Crumble Pie
• Easy Canned Cherry Pie Recipe
• Libby’s Pumpkin Pie Recipe, Elevated
• My Best Easy Vegan Pumpkin Pie Recipe
• Rhubarb Custard Pie

See a full list of the pie recipes on Hummingbird High!