In this article
My uncle asked my mother for her chocolate pie recipe, read the list out loud and told her she had to be leaving something out. There is no chocolate bar in it, no pudding and no cream. Chocolate chess pie is sugar, cocoa, melted butter, eggs, a little evaporated milk and vanilla, whisked together in one bowl and poured into an unbaked crust, a pie made from what is already in the cupboard. It goes into the oven looking like thin chocolate milk and comes out with a shiny crackled crust on top like a brownie and a dense, fudgy chocolate custard underneath. My uncle ate two slices, then made her write the recipe on a card in front of him so he could watch her not leave anything out.
The one thing that decides a chess pie is when you take it out. Bake it until the center is firm and it turns dry and grainy. Take it out when the edges are puffed and set but the center, a circle about two inches across, still wobbles like a set custard when you nudge the pan. It finishes setting as it cools, and the middle stays soft and fudgy. The other small trick is to whisk the cocoa into the sugar first, before anything wet touches it, so the cocoa never clumps into dry little lumps.
Why this chocolate chess pie works
- Cocoa, not chocolate. Cocoa gives a deep, dark chocolate flavor and lets the pie set like a custard instead of a ganache.
- Sugar and cocoa whisked dry first. The sugar breaks up the cocoa so the filling is perfectly smooth.
- Melted butter and eggs. They set the filling into a dense fudge texture, the same way a brownie sets.
- Evaporated milk. It is richer than milk and keeps the custard creamy.
- Pulled with a wobble. Taking it out while the center still jiggles keeps the middle soft and fudgy.
Ingredients
Makes one 9 inch pie, 8 slices. The measurements are in US cups with grams in brackets.
For the crust
- 1 unbaked 9 inch pie crust, homemade or store-bought, fitted into a pie plate and chilled
For the filling
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar (300g)
- 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (25g)
- 1/4 teaspoon fine salt
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled (113g)
- 3 large eggs
- 1/2 cup evaporated milk (120ml)
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
To serve
- lightly sweetened whipped cream
Natural or Dutch-process cocoa both work. Dutch-process gives a darker, smoother pie; natural cocoa a slightly brighter chocolate flavor.
How to make chocolate chess pie
- Heat the oven to 350 degrees (175°C) with a rack in the lower third. Keep the pie crust in the refrigerator until the filling is ready.
- In a large bowl, whisk the sugar, cocoa and salt together until no lumps of cocoa remain.
- Pour in the melted butter and whisk until it looks like wet sand.
- Whisk in the eggs one at a time, then the evaporated milk and vanilla, until the filling is smooth and glossy. Do not beat hard; you do not want bubbles.
- Pour the filling into the chilled crust.
- Bake for 40 to 45 minutes. After 25 minutes, cover the crust edge with strips of foil or a pie shield if it is browning fast.
- The pie is done when the top is puffed and crackled, the edges are set, and a circle about 2 inches across in the center still wobbles when you gently nudge the pan.
- Cool on a rack for at least 2 hours, until it reaches room temperature and the center has set. Serve with whipped cream.
Tips that make the difference
- Bake it low in the oven so the bottom crust cooks through before the top overbrowns.
- Let the melted butter cool for a few minutes before it goes in. Very hot butter can scramble the eggs.
- Do not judge doneness by a knife. A chess pie is meant to be soft in the middle; go by the wobble.
- Cut it with a knife dipped in hot water and wiped dry for clean slices through the crackly top.
Variations
- Pecan. Scatter half a cup of chopped pecans over the filling before baking.
- Coconut. Stir half a cup of sweetened shredded coconut into the filling.
- Mocha. Whisk a teaspoon of instant espresso powder into the sugar and cocoa.
- Plain chess pie. Leave out the cocoa, add a tablespoon of cornmeal and a tablespoon of lemon juice for the classic golden chess pie.
Storage and make-ahead
Keep the pie covered at room temperature for 1 day, then refrigerate for up to 4 days. Cold, it turns even fudgier.
Let a cold slice stand 15 minutes before serving, or eat it straight from the refrigerator like fudge.
To freeze, wrap the cooled pie well and freeze for up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator.
Frequently asked questions
How do I know when chocolate chess pie is done?
The edges are set and puffed, the top is crackled, and a circle about 2 inches across in the center still wobbles when you nudge the pan. It sets as it cools.
Why is my chess pie grainy or dry?
It baked too long. Take it out while the center still jiggles; an overbaked chess pie loses its fudgy texture.
Why is it called chess pie?
Nobody knows for certain. The most repeated story is a cook who said it was ‘jes’ pie’, just pie, because it was made from nothing special.
Can I use regular milk instead of evaporated milk?
Yes, whole milk works, but evaporated milk gives a richer, creamier filling.
Whisk it in one bowl, take it out while it still wobbles, and when somebody reads the recipe and says you left something out, let them have a second slice.
Chocolate Chess Pie (A Fudgy Pie from Pantry Staples)
Old-fashioned Southern chocolate chess pie made with sugar, cocoa, melted butter, eggs, evaporated milk and vanilla in an unbaked crust. Baked at 350 degrees for 40 to 45 minutes until it has a crackly brownie top and a fudgy center.
Ingredients
- 1 unbaked 9 inch pie crust, homemade or store-bought, fitted into a pie plate and chilled
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1/4 teaspoon fine salt
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
- 3 large eggs
- 1/2 cup evaporated milk
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- lightly sweetened whipped cream
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 350 degrees (175°C) with a rack in the lower third. Keep the pie crust in the refrigerator until the filling is ready.
- In a large bowl, whisk the sugar, cocoa and salt together until no lumps of cocoa remain.
- Pour in the melted butter and whisk until it looks like wet sand.
- Whisk in the eggs one at a time, then the evaporated milk and vanilla, until the filling is smooth and glossy. Do not beat hard; you do not want bubbles.
- Pour the filling into the chilled crust.
- Bake for 40 to 45 minutes. After 25 minutes, cover the crust edge with strips of foil or a pie shield if it is browning fast.
- The pie is done when the top is puffed and crackled, the edges are set, and a circle about 2 inches across in the center still wobbles when you gently nudge the pan.
- Cool on a rack for at least 2 hours, until it reaches room temperature and the center has set. Serve with whipped cream.
