Chocolate Chess Pie

This favorite southern dessert is best served warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. It's ... well, try it and come up with your own adjectives. I'm fresh out.

Next time try this classic pecan pie!

Jump to:

• ❤️ Why you'll love this recipe
• 🧾 Ingredients
• 🔪 Instructions
• 💭 Things to know
• 👩🏻‍🍳 Frequently asked questions
• 📚 Related recipes
• 🥄 Equipment
• 📞 The last word
• 📖 Recipe

❤️ Why you'll love this recipe

• for experienced chocolate lovers only
• one of those old-fashioned pies that is always a hit with everyone
• easy recipe

Chocolate chess pie is a Southern recipe that is undeniably the most chocolate of chocolate desserts.

It's like eating brownie batter in a butter crust - talk about decadent!

If you're looking for something even easier try this no-bake German Chocolate Pie recipe with pecan and coconut topping!

There are many variations on traditional chess pie and probably as many recipes for it as there are Southern cooks. This particular heirloom dessert is a favorite at our house. We like it so much better than regular chess pies

Make it once and it will be a favorite at your house, too!

🧾 Ingredients

• All-purpose flour for the flaky butter crust. If you've never had good luck with homemade pie dough before definitely try this one!
• Butter is essential for the flakiness and buttery-rich flavor of this pie crust. Unsalted butter is best but salted is fine in a pinch.
• Sugar for the filling. This pie uses both brown sugar and white sugar to give it the deepest flavor ever. You can use all white if you want but the flavor will have more of a "flat sweet" flavor instead of a layer of flavors.
• Salt balances the sugar and keeps it from being too sweet.
• Extra dark cocoa powder is what gives this pie all its dark chocolate flavor. Baking with chocolate just doesn't give it the same flavor because there are additional ingredients in the chocolate. I use Hershey's but you can use whatever you like. Just make sure it's DARK or BLACK unsweetened cocoa powder.
• Eggs used are large, pasture raised eggs. Essential since this is basically a custard type pie.
• Vanilla extract creates a delicate after-taste that adds more layers to the flavor.
• Evaporated milk from a can (Carnation or Pet) is the milk used. Mom knew what she was talking about when she said that evaporated milk made pies creamier!
• Confectioner's sugar for dusting the top. I just think it gives it a light frost and makes it look pretty.

🔪 Instructions

Note: This is an overview of the instructions. The full instructions are in the green recipe card below.

• Heat oven to 350F.
• Add all of the ingredients, except the crust and optional toppings, into a large bowl.
• Beat on medium speed for 2 to 3 minutes until very smooth.
• Pour into the unbaked pie shell.
• Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, or until the center of the pie is set.
• Remove from the oven and cool completely - it's best if you cover and refrigerate overnight.

💭 Things to know

One bite of this pie is like eating gooey brownie batter in a buttery homemade crust. My version is sinfully dark and rich - don't overbake it or it will be a brownie in a butter crust.

This is such an easy recipe to make -- I hope you'll try it. Here are some things I've learned along the way...

• I use cocoa powder instead of baking chocolate - it makes the pie have much more chocolate flavor.
• I find that I prefer extra dark cocoa to the regular cocoa that most recipes call for. It makes it more fudgy and decadent. If all you have is regular cocoa then use it.
• This is rich - a dusting of Confectioner's sugar is the perfect topping for this decadent chocolate dessert. If you're really into sweet + rich add a big spoonful of this homemade whipped topping!
• If you hate to make pie crust or don't have time don't sweat it. A purchased unbaked pie crust works just fine.
• This is not a creamy pie. It's not like a custard pie, either. It's really something in between - and hard to explain.
• Some people like to add pecans to this chocolate chess pie recipe. I love pecans but not in this recipe - I have texture issues. You can try adding some chopped pecans if you really think this chocolate pie needs something else to make it even better. Personally, I like it the way it is.
• This easy chocolate dessert will keep for several days tightly covered in the refrigerator.
• If the pie is being served out of the fridge warm it up for maybe 10 to 15 seconds in the microwave. YUM.
• I'd suggest cutting this chess pie in smaller pieces than normal. You can probably get 12 slices easily. If you're looking for a more traditional  chocolate cream pie try this.

👩🏻‍🍳 Frequently asked questions

Are you the type of person that just wants to know everything possible about a recipe? Yep - me too. Here are some of the most frequent questions that I am asked... besides "will you make one for me?"

📚 Related recipes

Honestly, there's nothing more welcoming and comforting than a good pie! Here are some of my favorite pie recipes here on Restless Chipotle.

• Pecan Pie is just as rich and gooey as a red crayon left in the back seat of the car in July. But I promise it tastes MUCH better.
• Coconut Pie is oddly similar to the pecan pie but uses sweetened, flaked coconut instead. I think it's addictive.
• Millionaire Pie is piled high with a creamy cloud of pineapple, coconut, and maraschino cherries. Best of all - it's no bake!
• Lemon Icebox Pie is just like the one your Memaw made and served sorta frozen but sorta not on the hottest afternoons.
• Old Fashioned Chocolate Pudding Pie is rich and creamy - just like Mom used to make!

What’s new? Check out my Restless Chipotle & Co. Store on Amazon where you'll find all kinds of nostalgic goodness!  Thanks so much for being a part of Restless Chipotle!

🥄 Equipment

The following are affiliate links. We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

I use this glass pie pan - it's deep enough that the filling shouldn't overflow. There's been some issues for some people because they use an 8-inch pie pan. Don't because it will make a mess.

📞 The last word

Sometimes I wish our society could be swept back into the days before tons of technology. Days when people walked, burned fat to keep warm in drafty houses, and constantly  moved - you know - back to the days when eating a slice of pie like this wouldn't cause a 40 pound weight gain.

Sometimes? Make that most of the time.

This chocolate pie, though. Although it's been popular in the South forever I think it got national renown when the movie, The Help, came out.

This is the pie that Minnie served to her former employer.

Well, not this pie. We definitely don't want her secret ingredient.

Ahem.

Looking for something that you don't have to bake? I've got you with this easy, no bake Hershey chocolate pie recipe!

If you click on the number of servings in the recipe card you can adjust the measurements up or down for the exact number of servings you need. Don't forget that you can click on "add to collection" to save it to your own, private recipe box!

If you love this recipe please give it a 5 star rating. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

📖 Recipe

First published February 23, 2018. Last updated July 3, 2021 for better instructions and minor edits to text.