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chocolate chess pie. top down view of pie in a glass pie dish on a black round wire rack. three slices are cut. the uncut portion has two scoops of coffee ice cream on top.
Heather Wolf

Dark Chocolate Chess Pie

5 from 8 votes
With a crackly top and a flaky crust, this Dark Chocolate Chess Pie is a Southern classic that melds the flavors of fudge brownie and rich, chocolaty custard into one unbelievably delicious dessert.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 10 minutes
Chill Dough 1 hour 30 minutes
Total Time 2 hours 55 minutes
Servings: 8
Course: Pies and Tarts
Cuisine: American
Ingredients Method

Ingredients
  

Pie Crust
  • 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour unbleached
  • 1/2 tsp sea salt fine
  • 8 tbsp unsalted butter cold and cubed
  • 1/2 tsp granulated sugar
  • 2 tbsp ice cold water
Filling
  • 4 tbsp unsalted butter cubed
  • 3.5 ounces dark chocolate bar (70% cacao) chopped
  • 1/2 cup dark brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 3 tbsp Dutch-process cocoa powder
  • 1 tbsp cornstarch
  • 1/4 tsp sea salt fine
  • 3 tbsp heavy cream
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract pure
  • 3 large eggs room temperature

Method
 

Pie Crust
  1. Grease the bottom and sides of a 9-inch pie plate with butter or spray with nonstick baking spray. Set aside.
  2. Add flour, salt, and sugar to a food processor. Pulse to combine.
  3. Add chilled butter then pulse until butter is reduced to the size of small peas.
  4. Drizzle in ice cold water then pulse until mixture begins to clump.
    Note: if dough is too crumbly add a bit more water.
  5. Remove dough from food processor and place on a floured surface. Flatten into a disk then cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for a minimum of 1 hour or up to 2 days.
  6. Remove dough from refrigerator and let it sit at room temperature for 15 minutes.
  7. Roll out dough on a floured surface, rotating a quarter turn after each roll of the rolling pin until dough is 11-inches in diameter.
  8. Gently drape dough into pie dish then trim edges leaving a 1-inch overhang. Tuck excess dough under itself then pinch to crimp edges around the rim.
  9. Using a fork, prick the bottom and sides of the pie dough multiple times. This will help prevent the dough from puffing up as it bakes.
  10. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place pie plate in the freezer to chill for 30 minutes while the oven gets hot.
  11. Remove pie crust from the freezer and line completely with aluminum foil. Next, fill foiled crust to the top with pie weights (dried beans or dried rice also work well).
  12. Bake pie crust for 15 minutes.
  13. Remove pie from the oven. Carefully lift aluminum foil by the edges to remove both foil and weights from the crust.
  14. Return pie crust to the oven and bake for 5 more minutes
  15. Allow crust to cool on a baking rack while you prepare filling.
Filling
  1. Reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees.
  2. Place butter and chocolate in a heat-safe bowl. Microwave in 20 second increments, stirring after each, until melted and smooth. Set aside to cool.
  3. In a separate bowl, whisk together both sugars, cocoa powder, cornstarch and salt.
  4. Add heavy cream, vanilla and eggs to the bowl. Whisk vigorously until eggs are incorporated and batter is glossy.
  5. Last, but not least, whisk in melted chocolate.
  6. Pour filling into pie crust, level batter with a spatula then bake for approximately 50 - 55 minutes. Pie is done when the edges are set and the center is no longer jiggly.
    Note: Peek through your oven window after the first 30 minutes of baking. If the crust is browning too quickly, cover with strips of aluminum foil (or pie shield) for the remaining baking time.
  7. Place pie on a baking rack and cool to room temperature (approximate 2 hours) before slicing. Pie will crack and sink as it cools.
  8. Cover and store pie at room temperature up to 2 days or refrigerate up to 4 days.