chess pie

A rich, sweet and decadent Southern pie made with simple ingredients. This variation includes browning the butter to really upgrade the flavor of the pie.

Chess Pie

pie crust ((homemade* or store-bought, unbaked))

(113 grams) salted butter, (diced into 1-Tbsp pieces)

(250 grams) granulated sugar

Tbsp (22 grams) cornmeal

Tbsp (10 grams) all-purpose flour

tsp salt

milk

Tbsp white vinegar

tsp vanilla extract

eggs

Roll pie crust out about 12-inches then roll up around rolling pin and transfer to a standard pie plate. Unroll and shape into pie plate and decorate edges as desired. Chill until crust is firm, at least 1 hour.

Melt butter in a medium, light-colored skillet. Let cook, stirring frequently until it has a nutty aroma and has browned (careful not to burn it, it should be an amber brown). Pour into a dish and let cool 1 hour.

Place a baking sheet in oven and preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a mixing bowl beat eggs lightly to blend.

In a separate mixing bowl whisk together granulated sugar, cornmeal, flour and salt.

Pour in browned butter, milk, vinegar and vanilla to sugar mixture and blend. Add eggs and mix until well combined.

Pour into prepared crust and bake on baking sheet in preheated oven until edges are set but center just wiggles slightly, about 45 - 55 minutes.

Transfer to a wire rack to cool 30 minutes before slicing and serving. Store pie in refrigerator.

A Southern classic, this recipe for homemade chess pie is a sweet, simple treat that will please a crowd!

Old Fashioned Chess Pie Recipe

white sugar

butter (unsalted)

tbsp cornmeal

tbsp white vinegar

inch store bought crust

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.

In a large bowl, add in the butter, sugar and vanilla together.&nbsp;

Mix the ingredients until well combined.

Add in the eggs, cornmeal, milk, and vinegar.

Place the pie crust in the 9 inch pie pan.

Pour in the pie filling.

Bake for 1 hour and 10 minutes.&nbsp;

Let cool for about 45 minutes.

Serve &amp; enjoy.

This is by far  my favorite pie. My grandmother always made this for me on Friday nights when I would stay with them. I watched her make it and share the love of this with my daughter.

Grandmother Taylor's Southern Chess Pie

c sugar

oleo

vinegar-will

vanilla

Tbsp cornmeal

This rich chocolate pie tastes like fudge brownies with a crackly meringue-like topping. To avoid a soggy crust, partially blind bake the dough as directed in the recipe below.

Magical Chocolate Pie (Chess Pie)

1 unbaked Flaky Pie Crust (what I used) or All Butter Pie Crust*

(4 Tbsp; 60 grams) unsalted butter

(56 grams) semi-sweet chocolate, finely chopped

(200 grams) granulated sugar

Tablespoons (16 grams) unsweetened natural or dutch-process cocoa powder

espresso powder

salt

(60 milliliters) heavy cream

vanilla extract

eggs + 1 large egg yolk

cream

Pie crust

I like to make sure my pie dough is prepared before I begin making this chocolate pie. Make pie dough the night before because it needs to chill in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours before rolling out and blind baking (next step).

Roll out the chilled pie dough

On a floured work surface, roll out one of the disks of chilled dough (use the 2nd pie crust for another recipe!). Turn the dough about a quarter turn after every few rolls until you have a circle 12 inches in diameter. Carefully place the dough into a 9-inch pie dish. Tuck it in with your fingers, making sure it is completely smooth. To make a lovely thick edge, I do not trim excess dough around the edges. Instead, fold the excess dough back over the edge and use your hands to mold the edge into a nice thick rim around the pie. Crimp the edges with a fork or use your fingers to flute the edges. Brush edges with egg wash/egg white. Carefully line the inside of the pie with two pieces of parchment paper, as shown in the photo below, then pour in the pie weights. Make sure the weights are evenly distributed around the pie dish. If it&#8217;s helpful, you can watch me do this exact step in my praline pumpkin pie video tutorial. Chill the dough in the refrigerator or freezer for at least 30 minutes– this helps prevent the crust from shrinking. You can actually fill with pie weights before or after chilling, it doesn’t make a difference.

Partially blind bake the crust

Bake the cold pie crust (with weights) for 15 minutes. Remove pie from the oven and carefully lift the parchment paper (with the weights) out of the pie. Prick holes all around the bottom crust with a fork. Return the pie crust to the oven and bake for 8 minutes to help set the bottom. Remove from the oven and set aside until step 7. You can pre-bake the crust up to 3 days ahead of time. Cover and store in the refrigerator (without weights) until ready to use.

For the filling

Cut the butter into pieces so it melts evenly. Place in a large heat-proof bowl. Add chopped chocolate. Melt in 20 second increments in the microwave, stirring after each increment until completely melted and smooth. Set aside and let cool for 2-3 minutes. In a large bowl, whisk the sugar, cocoa powder, espresso powder, and salt together until combined. Whisk in the heavy cream, vanilla, 2 eggs, and 1 egg yolk. Finally, whisk in the cooled butter/chocolate.

Bake

Pour filling into pre-baked pie crust (crust can still be warm). Bake for 50-55 minutes or until the center is no longer jiggly. It can still be a little sticky in the very center on top, just as long as it no longer jiggles when you lightly tap the pan. During bake time, if you find the edges of the pie crust are browning too quickly, apply a pie crust shield or a ring of aluminum foil to protect it.

Remove finished pie from the oven. Place on a wire rack to cool completely or for at least 2 hours. The pie filling will sink and set as it cools.

Garnish with whipped cream, if desired. (I used Wilton 8B piping tip in these photos.) Slice and serve.

Cover and store leftover pie at room temperature for 1-2 days or in the refrigerator for 4-5 days.

Best pie ever. I made a gluten free crust and it only took 45 minutes in my oven but otherwise followed recipe exactly. Absolute perfection.

Outstanding! Very rich, and so tasty! I followed the recipe exactly and would not change a thing. My guests said it was out of this world delicious!

Sally this pie was a hit with my family they love the rich chocolate flavor. I made the whip cream to put in top it was delicious! I
love your recipes and all the details you include in order to have a successful bake. Thank you!

I tried it out and I recommend pre-baking the crust to get the crisp texture. I baked the pies for about 20min. They could have been filled a little more for a better filling:crust ratio but they’re great otherwise!

Love this pie! Have you tried to use 1.5x the filling recipe or do you think the crust would be too full?

I made this pie tonight and it was so delicious! I didn’t have espresso powder so I had to omit this but reading the recipe through, it looks like this was optional. In place of pie weights I used sugar. Worked just fine. The pie came out of the oven a little uneven/high on one side but within minutes it settled and I had a beautiful meringue-like crust. I could not wait the full two hours for the pie to cool! I topped it with a little whipped cream and demolished a slice. This recipe is a keeper!

I made this pie today for Pi Day. It is a great pie and hit so many notes. A slight crunch with the meringue(ish) top, a creamy, soufflé(ish) center, and the deep chocolate flavor with a hint of espresso. I whipped my own cream and used Sally’s pie crust recipe. I did make a mistake with the crust and it was dry. However, the harder crust offset the creamy center. Yummy!

Sally love your site and also appreciate how you give us the chemistry or background of recipes.  So I have a question for you.    I've got a recipe from my grandma that's also for chocolate chess pie.  It calls for vinegar.  What does the vinegar do?   No espresso in grandma's.   I know it enhances the chocolate flavor does it do anything else?  Thank you.

Hands down THE BEST CHOCOLATE CHESS PIE I’VE EVER HAD!!

Hi Lexi ,
Thanks for your prompt reply.
I prevailed the crust for 7 minutes then let it cool.
Then added the pie filling .
I read 190 in the recipe .
Will try what your saying .
I don’t know what to do but I loved the filling and I am so keen to make it sans a crust as well . It tasted epic . I wish you can help me achieve that .

Unpopular opinion. I hate coffee. I thought the espresso was to enhance the chocolate flavor, but I taste the espresso in the pie. It’s a mild flavor, but disappointing. I’ll leave it out next time.

Love this recipe, one of my favorites.
Should the pie plate be on a baking sheet in the oven?

This pie was so delicious! The only thing I would change is reduce the espresso powder down to 1/4 tsp because the pie tasted like a mocha pie instead of a chocolate pie.  My coworker thought it was a coffee pie because the coffee flavor was so strong. I love chocolate and want the chocolate flavor to shine so 1 tsp of espresso powder was actually a lot for this recipe.

Hi Sally and friends! 
I made this pie last week and everyone loved it. 
However, the crust (I used the homemade all butter one because I didn’t have shortening) wasn’t very crunchy or soft. 
It wasn’t soggy, but it was hard. 
I think it was underdone. 
I have one more pie crust which I want to use for your pumpkin pie, which I believe has pretty similar instructions for baking the crust. So I just wanted to ask for any advice baking the crust to make it less hard and more pie crusty lol.

I made this pie and it turned out absolutely wonderful.  My entire family loved it and have requested it for Thanksgiving.  Thank you for all the great recipes you share.

hi, sally! I have some milk chocolate on hand could I use it instead? is it possible to reduce the sugar and if so, by what amount?
thanks

Looking for an amazing summer pie recipe? This Sweet Tea Pie from Delish.com is the best!

Sweet Tea Pie

c. sugar

cornmeal

flour

c. butter, melted

c. double-strength sweet tea*

tbsp. white vinegar

lemon

Eggs, beaten

pastry pie crust (9-inch)

Powdered sugar,

Gooey chocolate pie filling in a flaky crust with sweetened whipped cream isan absolutely heavenly match.

Chocolate Chess Pie

crust

sugar

cocoa powder

butter (melted (see note))

evaporated milk

heavy cream

confectioner's sugar

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

In a large bowl, whisk together the sugar, cocoa and salt. Add the melted butter and blend until combined.

Add the eggs to the mixture and beat with an electric mixer at medium speed for 3 minutes.

Gently stir in the evaporated milk and vanilla until incorporated..

Fit the unbaked pie crust into a 9-inch pie pan and flute the edges or crimp with a fork.

Pour the batter into the pie shell and bake for 1 hour, until the top is almost set. Remove from the oven and cool completely. Dust with confectioner's sugar and serve with whipped cream, if desired.

Place the heavy whipping cream in a bowl and beat with an electric mixer just until you begin to see peaks starting to form.

Add 1 tablespoon confectioner's sugar and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract and continue beating until stiff peaks form.

Whipped Cream

https://embed.mediavine.com/videos/rxr0vlkedcjb1y4zagkt

A classic Southern dessert, Chocolate Chess Pie with its rich and sugary sweet chocolate filling is a chocolate-lover's dream.  Made with just a handful of pantry ingredients, this simple dessert truly is as easy as pie to prepare! Whip up the chocolate filling in under 10 minutes, then bake it up in a refrigerated pie crust. Dust the top of the pie with confectioner's sugar and serve at room temperature with a dollop of freshly whipped cream.

This traditional Southern custard pie gets a makeover with the addition of pure maple syrup and fluffy meringue. It is also gluten-free thanks to the use of gluten-free all purpose flour and almond flour.

Maple Chess Pie with Toasted Meringue

xanthan gum (omit

baking powder

unsalted butter (roughly chopped and chilled)

sour cream (full fat, chilled)

Ice water by the teaspoonful (only as necessary*)

butter (melted)

maple syrup

eggs (room temperature)

almond flour** (sifted)

¼ teaspoon cream of tartar

In a large bowl, place the flour, xanthan gum, baking powder and salt, and whisk to combine well. Add the chopped and chilled butter, and toss to coat it in the dry ingredients. Flatten each chunk of butter between your thumb and forefinger. Add the sour cream, and mix to moisten the dry ingredients with the sour cream. The dough should be shaggy and somewhat crumbly. Knead the dough together with clean hands until it begins to come together. Add ice water by the teaspoon only if necessary for the dough to hold together. Turn the dough out onto a sheet of plastic wrap, and press into a disk as you close the plastic wrap around the dough. It will still seem rough. Place the dough in the refrigerator to chill for an hour.

Preheat your oven to 375°F. Grease a 9-inch pie plate with butter and set aside.

Once the dough has chilled, turn it out onto a lightly floured piece of unbleached parchment paper. Sprinkle the dough lightly with more flour, and roll it out into a rectangle that is about 1 inch thick, moving the dough frequently and sprinkling it lightly with flour if it begins to stick. Fold the dough over on itself, sprinkle the dough again lightly with flour, and roll out the dough once again into a rectangle about 1 inch thick. Complete the folding and rolling process once more, finally rolling out the dough into an approximately 12-inch round, a little less than 1/2 an inch thick.

Roll the pie crust loosely onto the rolling pin and then unroll it over the prepared pie plate. Trim the roughest edges of the crust with kitchen shears. Lift up the edges of the pie crust gently to create slack in the crust, and place the crust into the bottom and up the sides of the pie plate. Tuck the excess pie crust under itself, and crimp the edge gently all the way around the crust by pinching the dough at regular intervals with one hand, and creating a crimped impression with the forefinger of the other hand. If you are unable to do this, just leave the edges as they are after folding over the excess - either way it's beautiful! Cover the pie crust with plastic wrap and place it in the refrigerator to chill until firm, at least 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350° F while pie crust is chilling. Once pie crust is chilled, remove the plastic wrap and prick the bottom of the crust several tines with a fork. Place a piece of parchment over top of of the crust and place dried beans or pie weights over the bottom the crust. Parbake crust for 8-10 minutes, just until edges start to turn golden.

While pie crust is par baking, combine butter, maple syrup, sugar, eggs, heavy cream, vanilla, and salt in a large bowl. Whisk until well combined, then add in sifted almond flour and stir until incorporated.

Pour filling into partially baked crust, and bake for an 40-45 minutes, until the center of the pie is set and is a light golden brown color. I recommend loosely covering the edges of the pie with foil for at least half of the cooking time to avoid overcooking the crust. This crust can become tough if overcooked.

Remove eggs from the refrigerator and separate whites while cold. Place egg whites in a small bowl, cover and allow to come to room temperature. Complete this step before making pie filling to save time.

Pour eggs whites into a spotlessly-clean bowl. Whip the egg whites until they are glossy and smooth, then add the cream of tartar to help the egg whites hold their form and mix for another minute to incorporate.

Slowly add the sugar to the egg whites about a tablespoon at a time, beating well after each addition until the sugar is incorporated. Continue beating until stiff peaks form.

Spread meringue on top of warm pie filling, all the way to the crust, and use the back of a spoon to create peaks by lightly pressing spoon into meringue pulling away quickly. Place pie back in the oven on the middle rack for about 10 minutes until meringue is lightly toasted and golden around the edges.

Rich, nutty brown butter adds a new flavor dimension to a classic dessert!

Brown Butter Chess Pie

unsalted butter

brown sugar

all-purpose flour

unsalted butter,

water

Whisk together the flour, sugar, and salt in...

Whisk together the flour, sugar, and salt in a large bowl. Add the butter and mix with a pastry blender or fork until the mixture resembles coarse meal and the butter is the size of small peas.

Add 1 tablespoon of water and continue mixing....

Add 1 tablespoon of water and continue mixing. Add more water as needed, 1 tablespoon at a time, until a dough forms.

Wrap the dough tightly in plastic wrap. Refrigerate...

Wrap the dough tightly in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours.

Remove the dough from the refrigerator. If necessary,...

Remove the dough from the refrigerator. If necessary, let it sit at room temperature for 10 to 15 minutes until slightly softened but still cold.

Lightly flour a work surface. Roll out the...

Lightly flour a work surface. Roll out the dough into a circle about 1/8-inch thick.

Transfer the dough to a 9-inch pie plate....

Transfer the dough to a 9-inch pie plate. Trim and crimp the edges as desired. Place the pie plate in the refrigerator while you make the filling.

Preheat the oven to 325°F.

Place the butter in a medium saucepan or...

Place the butter in a medium saucepan or skillet. Cook over medium heat until the butter melts and begins to foam.

Continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until brown specks begin...

Continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until brown specks begin to form at the bottom of the pan and the butter has a nutty aroma. Remove the pan from the heat and allow to cool to room temperature. If desired, strain the butter to remove some or all of the browned bits.

Place the eggs in a large mixing bowl,...

Place the eggs in a large mixing bowl, and beat lightly. Add the cooled butter, sugar, brown sugar, milk, and vanilla, and stir until combined. Stir in the cornmeal and salt.

Transfer the filling to the pie crust. Place...

Transfer the filling to the pie crust. Place the pie plate on a rimmed baking sheet to catch any spills. Bake 55 to 60 minutes, or until the crust is browned and the filling is set.

This brown butter bourbon chess pie has a flaky, buttery pie crust and a rich custardy filling! It&#39;s super simple and absolutely delicious!

Brown Butter Bourbon Chess Pie

perfect pie crust

brown butter (melted)

bourbon

whipped cream

Prepare one half of my perfect pie crust according to directions. Form a disk and place into the fridge for at least 30 minutes.

While the pie dough is chilling, make the brown butter. In a small saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Once melted, stir frequently and watch closely for the formation of brown specs on the bottom of the pan and a nutty aroma. Once you see brown specs, stir for just a few more seconds (it browns super quickly). Remove from the heat and immediately pour into a different bowl to prevent it from burning. Let cool for at least 10 minutes.

Remove the pie dough from the fridge and on a lightly floured work surface, roll out dough to about 1/4 inch thick and about 2 inches wider than your pie pan. Roll the pie crust into the pie pan and be sure to poke the bottom a few times with a fork to allow air to escape during baking. Cut away any undesired excess crust and crimp, curl, or decorate the edges however you like!

Chill the pie crust in the freezer for at least 30 minutes before baking (if you skip this step, the pie crust will shrink). While the crust is chilling, preheat the oven to 425°F.

Place a piece of parchment paper or heavy duty aluminum foil inside the pie crust and fill with pie weights (uncooked rice or dry beans also work great).

Bake at 425°F for 15 minutes. Carefully lift the parchment paper and pie weights then return the pie crust to the oven to bake for another 5 minutes or until the bottom of the crust is just beginning to brown.

Remove from the oven and set aside.

Reduce the oven temperature to 350°F.

In a large bowl, whisk together the browned butter, brown sugar, granulated sugar, bourbon, vanilla, and eggs until fully combined and smooth.

Add in the cornmeal, salt, and heavy cream and whisk until fully incorporated. 

Pour the filling into your partially baked crust, then bake at 350°F for 40-50 minutes or until the center of the pie is set and the top is a light golden brown color.

Let the pie cool at room temperature for 1 hour and then place in the fridge to fully set (at least 2 hours but overnight is best).

Lightly dust with powdered sugar and serve with whipped cream!

Chocolate Chess Pie combines the richness of chocolate with a creamy, custard-like filling encased in a buttery, flaky pie crust, making this classic Southern dessert something the whole family will love.

¼ tsp baking powder

tbsp unsalted butter

cornstarch

oz evaporated milk

eggs (-room temperature)

egg yolks (-room temperature)

I love making pie crusts, but if you don&#39;t have time or the inclination, feel free to buy a premade pie shell at your local grocery store.

Add the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt to the bowl of a food processor.

Pulse the dry ingredients 4 times to fully mix the ingredients.

Add the pieces of very cold butter to the dry ingredients and pulse at one-second intervals until the butter is mixed in, forming buttery pebble size pieces.

Top 15 chess pie recipes from across the web

The most viewed chess pie recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 20,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engine

Top Tags

Chess Pie

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Sweet Tea Pie

Chocolate Chess Pie

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Brown Butter Chess Pie

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Top 15 chess pie recipes from across the web

The most viewed chess pie recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 20,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engineic_arrow_forward_48px

Top Tags

Chess Pie

Old Fashioned Chess Pie Recipe

Grandmother Taylor's Southern Chess...

Magical Chocolate Pie (Chess Pie)

Sweet Tea Pie

Chocolate Chess Pie

Maple Chess Pie with Toasted Mering...

Brown Butter Chess Pie

Brown Butter Bourbon Chess Pie

Chocolate Chess Pie

Peanut Butter Chess Pie

Chess Pie

Caramel Chess Pie

This Homemade Buttermilk Chess Pie ...

Caramel Chess Tart

The most viewed chess pie recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 20,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engine