Easy Chocolate Chess Pie
This deep dish chocolate chess pie is creamy on the inside and flakey on the top, and is a family favorite for dinner parties and holidays. It’s an old fashioned southern recipe made with basic ingredients, and starts with a frozen deep dish pie shell for time-saving ease.
When I want a foolproof chocolate dessert recipe for entertaining, I reach for this one. This chocolate pie is a more decadent version of my chess pie. The center is smooth and creamy while the top has a light crust-like texture. It’s simple, classic, and all it needs is a big scoop of ice cream to complete the plate.
This dessert is a wonderful addition to your pie table for Thanksgiving, a Friendsgiving party, Christmas dinner, or year round hosting!
How To Make It
This pie is easy to make. You’ll need to use a hand mixer in order to get the butter mixed in with the other ingredients. See full instructions in recipe card below.
- Use a hand mixer to combine the ingredients and break up the cold butter.
- Pour filling into a deep dish pie shell and bake. You’ll probably need to cover the crust halfway through with aluminum foil or a pie shield, so it doesn’t over brown.
- Continue cooking for the remaining time. It should not need to cook for more than an hour total.
- Let pie cool on a cooling rack until completely set, about two hours.
Helpful Tips
Make sure to start with chilled butter for this recipe. Eggs are best at room temperature so they’re easier to incorporate.
You never want a runny chess pie so make sure it’s cooked through. It also needs time to cool and set up so don’t cut into a hot or warm pie.
Make sure to check on the crust about halfway through cooking, and cover the edges so it doesn’t burn.
The cooking instructions tell you to cook for 55-60 minutes. You can check on it at the 50 minute mark if your oven runs hot. If the center is very jiggly it’s not ready to come out. It can move slightly in the center and then firm up as it cools. But at the hour mark it should be pretty steady in the middle and it will be smooth and delicious when it’s fully cooled down.
Storage
There’s enough sugar in the recipe that chocolate chess pie is fine to store at room temperature for about 5 days. Just cover it with foil for freshness.
Serving Suggestions
When presenting the pie as a whole, you can garnish it a couple of ways. Use a sieve to sift powdered sugar on top, or add a layer of Cool Whip on top.
Because this pie is so chocolatey and rich, it really does benefit by adding vanilla ice cream on the side. It’s almost like adding a glass of ice cold milk, but better!
More Pie recipes
I’m a pie girl through and through so this chocolate chess pie recipe is one I reach for again and again. Here are some other favorites.
- This Kahlua pecan pie is perfect for Christmas entertaining.
- Make my easy pumpkin pie for Thanksgiving and beyond.
- This apple galette with caramel drizzle is like an apple pie, but easier to make.
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Chocolate Chess Pie Recipe
This southern deep dish chocolate chess pie is perfect for dinner party or holiday dessert. It's easy to make using milk, cocoa powder, and a touch of instant coffee for a rich, indulgent dessert.
Ingredients
- 2 Eggs
- 1 ½ cups Sugar
- 1 stick Cold Butter (½ cup)
- ½ cup Milk (you can use low fat)
- 2 Tablespoons All-purpose Flour
- 2 Tablespoons Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
- ½ Tablespoon Instant Coffee Granules
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- pinch of salt
- 1 Deep Dish Pie Shell (I use frozen)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350º F.
- Use an electric mixer and blend together eggs, sugar, and butter until well combined.
- Add remaining filling ingredients and combine well. Pour into pie shell.
- Bake for 20 minutes, then check pie and cover crust edges with aluminum foil or a pie shield so edges don’t burn.
- Return to oven and continue baking another 35-40 minutes.
- Let pie cool on cooling rack until completely set, about 2 hours.
- Serve with vanilla ice cream.
