Old Fashioned Chocolate Pie
The best part about this creamy, old fashioned chocolate pie recipe is that it’s not only simple, but it uses everyday ingredients you probably have in your pantry. Make this delicious pie today and enjoy it tonight with a cup of decaf.
I’m warning you that one slice of this decadent pie is never enough. Well, it’s enough for about an hour and then you’ll find yourself itching for more.
You will love that you can whip this up in a matter of minutes, chill for the afternoon, and have a homemade pie ready for dessert the same evening.
Along with my French crepes, strawberry sponge cake, and strawberry crumble this makes for the perfect ending to a delicious meal.
Why you’ll love this Old Fashioned Chocolate Pie recipe
- Even the pickiest eaters can’t say no to this creamy chocolate dessert.
- It can be the perfect touch to a dinner party.
- The unforgettable taste of this delicious dessert is amazing and it’s sure to be a family’s favorite dessert!
- This rich chocolate pie is perfect for any occasion from Birthday Parties to family reunions to the holiday season.
- If you’re a chocolate fan, then this will soon become your favorite dessert.
Ingredients for Old-Fashioned chocolate pie recipe
- Egg Yolks- This ingredient is used to thicken the pie filling so that it’s not soupy. It will create the custard filling you expect for chocolate pie.
- Sugar- This ingredient gives the pie a nice sweet taste, especially when paired with the unsweetened chocolate.
- Cornstarch- Cornstarch helps to thicken the pie along with the egg.
- Salt- Salt balances the sweet taste and is necessary to have a flavor profile that is enjoyable.
- Whole Milk- Whole milk makes the filling nice and creamy. I do not recommend using a skim milk as the custard needs the fat to set up well.
- Butter- Butter adds a great taste to the crust and makes it soft, flaky, and of course, buttery.
- Vanilla Extract- Vanilla is great at adding a depth of flavor.
- Unsweetened Chocolate- Chocolate must be included in this recipe! It sets this pie apart from all the others. This ingredient is why we call this dessert Chocolate Pie. The chunks will melt seamlessly into the custard and create a rich filling.
- Pie Crust- Pie Crust is the base of the pie. If you want to elevate the dessert, make a homemade crust. It is simple and only takes a bit of time.
How to make Old Fashioned Chocolate Pie
- Make the Starch Mixture: This is the base of your custard filling.
- Add in Eggs and Milk: You will temper the eggs first by slowly combining a bit of the starch mixture with the eggs to bring them up to temperature so they don’t scramble. Then, you will continue by incorporating the milk. Easy as pie!
- Add in the Chocolate: Take the pan off of the heat and add the chocolate, butter, and vanilla. Stir until the chocolate melts and there are no lumps.
- Pour into Crust and Chill: Pour the chocolate mixture into a prepared crust and chill for 4 hours.
Different Pie Crusts for Homemade Chocolate Pie
- Homemade Pie Crust- Homemade crusts are easy to make and offer the perfect, flaky crust you look for in a pie.
- Graham Cracker Crust- This is a simple, yet delicious pie crust that tastes great with chocolate pie filling. Plus, you can grab one from the store to make this recipe even more simple!
- Premade Pie Crust- Grab a premade pie crust from the refrigerated section of your store, roll it out, place it in your pie plate and bake it up for an easy pie crust option!
Ingredients for pie crust
- 1 1/4 cups Flour- All-purpose flour is great for making pie crusts.
- 1 stick Cold Butter- I cut this into cubes so it distributes evenly.
- 1/4 teaspoon Salt
- 1/4 cup Cold Water- I add tablespoons at a time until my dough creates a ball.
Steps to make a simple pie shell
- Add flour and salt to a bowl or food processor
- Cut in the cold butter until it resembles pebbles.
- Add in cold water slowly until the dough becomes a ball
- Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes before rolling out and placing in a pie plate.
Do you blind bake the pie crust for Chocolate Pie?
Yes, you need to blind bake your pie crust prior to adding in this delicious and silky chocolate pie filling.
Blind baking sounds difficult, but I promise it is very easy.
Roll out your crust, put it in your pie plate, add in pie weights or uncooked beans to hold your pie crust in place while baking.
I do like to poke my crust around the edges and the bottom of the crust to give the air room to escape.
This prevents it from puffing up while it blind bakes.
Bake the crust for 10 minutes at 400°F while you make your chocolate pie filling.
Toppings for this Homemade Chocolate Pie recipe
- Whipped Cream- Whipped cream can give this pie a nice airy texture.
- Ice Cream- Ice cream is a great topping, especially on a hot summer day.
- Chocolate Shavings- Chocolate shavings add more chocolate to the pie.
- Coconut- Chocolate and coconut taste amazing together!
- Peanut Butter Cups- Peanut Butter and chocolate go together in the best way.
- Pecans- This topping adds another texture to the pie.
- Cocoa Powder- A light dusting of cocoa powder would go great with this dessert.
How to make a fluffy meringue
- With an electric mixer, whisk 5 large egg whites and 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar together until it gets foamy. And the 1/4 cup sugar slowly until stiff peaks form.
- Top the pie completely with the meringue.
- Bake in a 325°F oven for 20 minutes. Cool completely and enjoy!
Why it’s important to temper eggs in baked goods
For this old fashioned chocolate cream pie, you have to temper the eggs before adding them to the hot chocolate cream mixture.
Tempering is when you bring the temperature of the whisked eggs up so they don’t scramble when added to an even hotter mixture.
For cream pies, you temper the eggs by adding half of the hot starch mixture to the eggs and whisking.
Then, once the eggs are warmed up you can add them to the hot pie filling with not trouble or worry of them scrambling.
How to Store Southern Chocolate Pie
Wrap your delicious pie in aluminum foil or plastic wrap then put it in the refrigerator. It should last up to four days in the fridge.
Do you need to refrigerate Chocolate Pie?
I would recommend refrigerating your pie after it cools. I feel it tastes better that way.
Tip for making the best Chocolate Pie
To get the best pie crust for chocolate pie, melt some chocolate in a double boiler and brush the melted chocolate on the cooked pie shell.
Allow it to harden before adding in the sweet chocolate filling.
Old Fashioned Chocolate Pie Recipe
Old Fashioned Chocolate Pie
Equipment
- 1 saucepan
- 1 pie plate
Ingredients
- 1 prepared pie crust, baked
- 4 large egg yolks, beaten
- 1½ cups granulated sugar
- ⅓ cup cornstarch
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 3 cups whole milk
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla
- 3 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped
Instructions
Make the Starch Mixture
- In a 2-quart saucepan over medium heat, mix together the sugar, cornstarch, and salt. Gradually stir in the milk and cook over medium heat. Stir constantly while the mixture thickens.
Add in Eggs and Milk:
- Temper the eggs by pouring 1/2 of the start mixture into the bowl of beaten eggs slowly. When you have done that, pour the entire egg mixture into the saucepan and stir while you slowly add in the milk. Cook, stirring, until the entire mixture comes to a low boil.
Add in the Chocolate:
- Take the pan off of the heat and add the chocolate, butter, and vanilla. Stir until the chocolate melts and there are no lumps.
Pour into Crust and Chill:
- Pour the chocolate mixture into a pie crust and chill for 4 hours.
Notes
Toppings for this Homemade Chocolate Pie recipe
- Whipped Cream- Whipped cream can give this pie a nice airy texture.
- Ice Cream- Ice cream is a great topping, especially on a hot summer day.
- Chocolate Shavings- Chocolate shavings add more chocolate to the pie.
- Coconut- Chocolate and coconut taste amazing together!
- Peanut Butter Cups- Peanut Butter and chocolate go together in the best way.
- Pecans- This topping adds another texture to the pie.
- Cocoa Powder- A light dusting of cocoa powder would go great with this dessert.
Very poor directions. Where it says add in eggs and milk, #1. It says to temper the eggs by adding 1/2 of milk mixture to them, then it says to add the egg mixture to the pan – here’s the confusion – do you add the eggs to the pan that has the other half
of the milk&sugar mixture? Why did you say to add milk to the eggs after saying put the eggs into the pan? Are we supposed to have eggs in a separate pan?
Also, how long do you cook the milk and sugar and cornstarch mixture? Just til it thickens? Is it boiling, simmering? Need more instructions .
Sorry for the confusion. I wrote them exactly as I make it and it can be confusing. To temper, I just want to combine slowly to get the temperatures to where the eggs won’t scramble. I add 1/2 of the starch mixture slowly to the eggs… whisking the entire time to slowly bring the temp of the eggs up.
Then, I essentially pour the opposite “direction” so to speak. I take the egg mixture (that now has 1/2 of the starch mixture in it) and slowly pour it into the starch/milk pan… stirring constantly… pouring slowly to bring the temp of the eggs up slowly.
I hope that clarifies. It’s not hard, but I agree… it’s confusing to explain in words. Sorry about that.