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. It is one of my absolute favorite pie recipes on Hummingbird High!
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 end the thanksgiving pumpkin pie supremacy
♬ Storytelling – Adriel
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:
The 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!
The 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 the recipe below, I instruct you to make the pie dough with 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!
The pie dough recipe is from my cookbook, Weeknight Baking.
The 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!
The 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.
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.
- 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! - Make the pie dough. (Work Time: 5 minutes)
You can see step-by-step photos of my unique technique in my post on How To Make Pie Dough In A Stand Mixer. - 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! - Roll out the pie dough and form the bottom crust on your pie pan. (Work Time: 15 minutes)
- 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.
- 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. Learn more in my detailed post 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 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! - Bake the crust again. (Bake Time: 5 minutes)
Finally, make the chocolate chess pie filling, assemble, and bake the pie.
- Prep the ingredients 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: <5 minutes)
- 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:
- Day 1: Make the Pie Dough, Form the Bottom Crust, and Freeze Overnight!
(around 30 minutes of Work Time, plus 1 hour of chilling) - 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:
- Day 1: Make the Pie Dough and Refrigerate Overnight
(around 15 minutes of Work Time) - Day 2: Roll Out the Chilled Dough, Form The Bottom Crust, and Freeze Overnight
(around 15 minutes of Work Time) - Day 3: Pre Bake the Pie Crust, 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.
Best Recipe Tips
Equipment Tip
- Unlike most pie doughs that instruct you to make the dough by hand with a pastry cutter or in a food processor, I instruct you to make the dough with 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!
Baking Tip
- In the oven, the chocolate filling will rise dramatically like a souffle and then fall as it cools. When it does, the edges of the filling will be a little bit gloopy, but the top should still be crispy like a meringue. As the filling continues to cool, its top will crack; this is totally normal and the look that you want! Every time you make this pie, it will rise, fall, and crack in different ways—that’s part of the recipe’s charm, I promise.
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!
Chocolate Chess Pie Recipe
Special Equipment
- stand mixer
- Rolling Pin
- aluminum foil
- pie weights
Ingredients
For the Stand Mixer All-Butter Pie Dough
- 3 Tablespoons (1.5 ounces or 43 grams) very cold water
- 1 ½ teaspoons apple cider vinegar
- ½ cup ice
- ½ cup (4 ounces or 113 grams) very cold unsalted butter
- 1 ¼ cups (5.65 ounces or 160 grams) all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ teaspoons granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
For the Egg Wash:
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon water
- pinch of kosher salt
For the Chocolate Chess Pie Filling:
- ¾ cup (6 ounces or 170 grams) unsalted butter, chopped into 1- to 2-inch pieces
- 3 ounces (or 85 grams) dark chocolate (between 60 to 70% cacao), chopped into 1- to 2-inch pieces
- 1 ½ cups (10.5 ounces or 298 grams) granulated sugar
- 3 large eggs
- 2 Tablespoons natural unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
Instructions
For the Chocolate Chess Pie
- First, make the pie dough. In a large liquid measuring cup, whisk together the water and vinegar. Add the ice and whisk, Refrigerate while you prep the rest of the ingredients.
- Freeze the butter. Cut the butter into 1-inch cubes and place them in a small bowl. Freeze while you prep the rest of the ingredients.
- Mix the dry ingredients, then add the butter. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the flour, sugar, and salt. Beat on low until just combined, about 15 seconds. Add the butter all at once and beat on low until the mixture has the texture of coarse meal, with pea-sized pieces of butter throughout, about 3 minutes.
- Add water. Remove the ice water mixture from the refrigerator. With the mixer on low, add 4 Tablespoons of liquid from the ice water mixture. Beat on low for 2 to 3 minutes, or until the dough clumps around the paddle and/or sides of the bowl. If the dough seems too dry, add more liquid from the ice water mixture 1 teaspoon at a time.
- Prep the dough for refrigerating. Tip the dough out onto a lightly floured counter with the spatula. Quickly knead the dough into a rough ball. Wrap the dough tightly in plastic wrap and flatten into a small disc. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
- Form the bottom crust. Roll out the disc of chilled dough on a lightly floured counter and fit it onto a 9-inch pie pan. Crimp the edge and use a fork to poke holes all over the bottom and sides of the dough. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and freeze overnight.
- Prep the oven and pan. Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper and place the frozen crust, still in its plate, in the center of the pan. Cover the crust with foil, making sure the crimped edges are completely covered and that there are no gaps between the foil and the crust. Fill with pie weights and spread them out so they are more concentrated around the edges of the crust.
- Prebake the crust and make the egg wash. Bake for 35 minutes. While the crust is in the oven, make the egg wash: In a small bowl, whisk together the egg, water, and salt.
- Eggwash the crust. Remove the sheet pan from the oven, keeping the oven on. Carefully lift out the pie weights and foil. Use a pastry brush to coat the bottom and sides of the pie crust (but not the crimped border) with a thin layer of egg wash. Bake, uncovered, for an additional 5 minutes. Set aside on a wire rack to cool slightly while you make the chocolate chess pie filling.
- Make the chocolate chess pie filling. Place the butter and dark chocolate in the top pan of a double boiler or in a heatproof bowl set over a heavy-bottomed sauce pan filled with a few inches of simmering water (be sure the bottom of the bowl does not touch the water). Cook over medium heat, using a heatproof rubber spatula to stir the mixture and scrape the sides of the bowl occasionally, 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 other ingredients.
- Mix the ingredients for the chocolate chess pie filling. In a medium bowl, whisk together the sugar, eggs, cocoa powder, vanilla, and salt. Slowly add the chocolate mixture and whisk to combine. Pour the mixture into the pie shell.
- Bake the assembled chocolate chess pie. Bake for 50 to 55 minutes, or until the edges are set and the center of the pie just slightly jiggles. Cool on a wire rack.
- Serve and store. Serve slightly warm or at room temperature. The pie can be kept at room temperature, under a cake dome or a large bowl turned upside down, for up to 3 days.
Notes
- Unlike most pie doughs that instruct you to make the dough by hand with a pastry cutter or in a food processor, I instruct you to make the dough with 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!
- In the oven, the chocolate filling will rise dramatically like a souffle and then fall as it cools. When it does, the edges of the filling will be a little bit gloopy, but the top should still be crispy like a meringue. As the filling continues to cool, its top will crack; this is totally normal and the look that you want! Every time you make this pie, it will rise, fall, and crack in different ways—that’s part of the recipe’s charm, I promise.
NEVER miss a recipe
NO TIME TO BAKE?!
Over the past several years of running Hummingbird High, I kept a crucial aspect of my life hidden from my readers: I had a full-time, extremely demanding job in the tech world. In my debut cookbook, Weeknight Baking, I finally reveal the secrets to baking delicious desserts on a tight schedule.
Abby says
This pie looks soo rich and chocolatey, Michelle, I love it! Being from the west coast I’ve never tried a chess pie, now it’s def on my food bucket list haha. Also: I loooved watching your Instagram story that shared your recipe development process, it was fascinating and just a whole lot of fun to watch. Oh, and as always, stunning photos, I pinned the hell out of this recipe. xx
email login says
I have never heard of chess pie, the world of pastries is so unlimited. Thank you for the recipe, can’t wait to try it!
erni says
I made this for Easter and it was SO GOOD…there are not words sufficient to describe how good. It’s rich (but not too rich), and chocolately and I don’t know why it’s so good, but it’s unbelievable how good it is. Thank you!!! I will be making this for the rest of my life.
Baker says
Hi there, this looks incredible. Quick question – once you’ve formed the bottom crust, can you keep the it frozen for over 1 night? wondering if I can make the crust a few days in advance and leave it in the freezer?
Michelle says
Yes! You can keep it frozen for up to 3 months!
Nilanjana says
Hi! I have a question about curdling of the custard or chocolate mixture.. but first of all, I loved this article. It’s so detailed and comprehensive and fun to read. Congratulations on your book too.
Everytime I Google a recipe I am bombarded with so many to pick from, or on YouTube. But not this time, when searching for chocolate chess pie, which was intriguing and makes me crave it more. I’ve never had it atleast not the right one.
I tried recipe with chocolate chunks instead of cocoa powder, melted them with butter and then added the eggs and ingredients to it…. but it started curdling? And was oozing oil or butter I guess. I still went ahead and baked + cooled it coz I thought well its chocolate. But it eventually became a tasty but solid fudge or bar like texture. Please advise!!
Michelle says
I’m confused… this recipe uses both solid chocolate AND cocoa powder. Did you replace the amount of cocoa powder needed (2 Tablespoons) with 2 Tablespoons of chocolate chunks, as well as use the solid chocolate needed for the recipe (which is 3 ounces/85 grams)?
Vanessa says
I have no space in my freezer! Can I put the shaped dough overnight again in the fridge instead of the Freezer?
Michelle says
Technically yes, but I don’t recommend it at all. The shaped dough is more likely to lose its shape in the oven unless you get it really really cold!
Vanessa says
Thank you. Made some space. Tried the stand mixer dough for the first time and it came together super fast.
Sara says
This recipe is 10/10. The pie crust was flaky and delicious and the chocolate chess filling was truly decadent. The textures are fun too since you get a really nice crunch on top but the filling below is similar to a gooey brownie. My only issue was the crimping on my pie crust didn’t hold during the blind bake but I did do this recipe in one day so I don’t think I chilled my crust in the dish for long enough. Still delicious though!
Steph says
LOVED this recipe and my family all raved about it! I actually made TWO (for different households) and people only had great things to say. The top was perfectly crackly like a brownie and the whole thing was rich and so yummy!
Since I was traveling, I thought I’d make it easier by using a store-bought, pre-made crust…and chose an Oreo crust! It was delicious, but there’s probably a reason she doesn’t do a crumb crust…because the filling broke through part of the top edge of the crust 🤣🤣🤣 worth it, though! With so much chocolate in this version, I’d def recommend some whipped cream, ice cream, cool whip, or similar.
Every year for the holidays, I always make sure to make a chocolate dessert for the people who don’t like pumpkin pie and other “fall” desserts and this was delicious and EASY!