Old Fashioned Chocolate Chess Pie is a terrific treat. The ingredients for this easy Chocolate Chess Pie Recipe are a staple in most pantries which makes it a go-to pie for holidays or anytime.
We love desserts that are rich and delicious like Slow Cooker Apple Bread Pudding with Salted Caramel Drizzle and Pumpkin Spice Muffins.
Chocolate Chess Pie Recipe
This Chocolate Chess Pie is a family favorite and a Southern tradition. If you are looking for a terrific pie to celebrate the holidays, this pie is for you.
My name is Diane and I am contributor for Jenn at Princess Pinky Girl. I blog about easy recipes at Recipes for our Daily Bread.
What is Chess Pie?
Chess Pie is a Southern specialty. It has a simple filling of eggs, sugar, butter, and a small amount of cornmeal and flour. Yes, Cornmeal! Do not worry. You cannot taste the cornmeal and magically this pie comes out smooth and creamy.
Chess pie is a cousin to Buttermilk Pie and Egg Custard Pie. If you have had either one of these pies, they have similar ingredients but with a slightly different taste and texture.
Why is it called chess pie?
While the origin of chess pie is unknown, it is thought that it could possibly have been a mistake! Well, the pronunciation was a mistake. Some people think that the intention was to call it “cheese pie” because of the combination of the butter, sugar and eggs that give it a custard-ish texture.
How easy is chess pie to make?
Chocolate Chess Pie is actually super easy to make! You are basically just combining the ingredients using an electric or stand up mixer and pour it into a pre-made pie shell! Then baking for about an hour.
Old Fashioned Chess Pie A Holiday Tradition For Decades
Every Thanksgiving and Christmas you will see a Chess Pie on our holiday table of desserts. Usually, my mother-in-law makes the pies. She typically prepares a Chess pie without the Chocolate.
Floy, my mother-in-law, also makes her famous Pecan Pie. She grew up in Tennessee. Her mother, Ma Willie, who also grew up in Tennessee made these pies for her family.
I grew up in South Alabama where we had plenty of pecans. You guess it. Growing up, pecan pie was a staple on our holiday table. Like Floy and Ma Willie, we had a chess pie too and I still love them today.
Making Chess Pie For My Family
When I started making chess pie for my family, being the chocolate lover, I am I added chocolate to the recipe. Chocolate Chess pie has become one of my favorite chocolate pies.
It is full of chocolate and super creamy. If you live in the south, chances are you have had a chess pie. Chess pie is a Southern tradition, and now you can taste why.
Ingredients needed for Chocolate Chess Pie Recipe:
- Sugar
- All-purpose flour
- Yellow cornmeal
- Salt
- Cocoa Powder
- Eggs
- Butter
- Buttermilk
- Vanilla
- Unbaked pie crust
Does Chocolate Chess Pie need to be refrigerated
After the pie has completely cooled (about 2-3 hours), you should loosely cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to 3 days.
Pre-made pie crust vs homemade pie crust
If you are looking to make this recipe super easy, go with the pre-made, store-bought crust. However, if you want to totally make this from scratch we have a really easy and delicious graham cracker pie crust recipe.
Whichever way you go, our Chocolate Chess Pie is sure to be a crowd-pleaser.
How to make a graham cracker pie crust
- 1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs (I prefer to store-bought already crushed crumbs, rather than crushing them yourself
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 6 tablespoons butter
Melt the butter, mix all ingredients together and press into 8 or 9-inch pie dish. Bake at 375 for 8 minutes. Let cool completely.
More Easy Pie Recipes
- Peppermint Pie (aka Candy Cane Pie)
- No-Bake Chocolate Pudding Pie
- Impossible Pumpkin Pie Cupcakes
- No-Bake Pumpkin Pie {10 Minute Prep!}
- No-Bake Oreo Cream Pie
- Sweet Potato Pie with Marshmallow Meringue
- Cherry Bars
Chocolate Chess Pie
Ingredients
- 1 – ¾ cups sugar
- 1 Tablespoon all-purpose flour
- 2 Tablespoon yellow cornmeal
- ⅓ cup cocoa powder
- ¼ Teaspoon salt
- 4 eggs beaten
- ½ cup butter 1 stick, melted
- ½ cup buttermilk
- 1 Tablespoon vanilla
- 1 unbaked pie crust
Instructions
- Preheat oven 350 degrees.
- Prepare the bottom of the pie crust by rubbing 1 tablespoon softened butter on the bottom. Next, sprinkle 1 tablespoon sugar on top of the butter.
- In a large bowl combine the sugar, flour, cocoa powder, cornmeal and salt.
- Add the wet ingredients which includes the melted butter, buttermilk, vanilla, and 4 beaten eggs.
- Pour the mixture into the unbaked pie crust and sprinkle the top with nutmeg or all-spice.
- Bake for 45 minutes or until the filling is set.
Nutrition Info
Original Photo from Post:
So I made this pie and it tastes delicious! But when I cut it, it had separated into 2 very distinct layers… chocolate custard on top and yellow custard on the bottom! It was very well mixed in the kitchen aide… why do you think this happened??? PS… it was still very pretty… just not what I was expecting…
I AM ALSO CONCERNED ABOUT THE PRE-BAKED PIE SHELL. ALSO CAN THIS BE MADE WITHOUT THE CHOCOLATE?
Also wanting to know about pre-baked vs. un-baked pie shell.
I have the same question as Marla—do I prebake the pie crust before I pour in the filling?
Help! I’ve made this pie several times over the last year, but now the amounts are not listed next to the ingredients! I don’t have it printed, have just always referred back to the site and followed directions from there. Can you put the amounts back or email me the recipe? I have everything ready to make this for family tonight, but don’t have the amounts memorized. Thanks!
OMGoodness – the recipe card is gone! Let me get it back up there ASAP!
Does this pie have to be refrigerated or can it sit out?
Any pie with eggs needs to
Be refrigerated. If you use pasteurized eggs you will reduce the risk of
Spoilage. If I’m doubt refrigerate a recipe with eggs.
Help me understand the 1 – 3/4 cups sugar, does this mean 1 and 3/4 cup?
I made your chocolate chess pie and it took 1 hr. 15 minutes to cook. And, maybe needed even more. I accidently touch the top when taking it out of the oven and the top caved in. Too bad too take to bake sale.
I find if the mixture is beaten slowly as to not get frothy, it will have less top crust.
I have carefully removed the top crust on occasion.
I can’t wait to make this but have a question. It reads to place ingredients in a pre-baked pie shell but the list of ingredients calls for an unbaked pie crust. The bake time seems long for a pre-baked pie crust but since I haven’t made this yet I’m not sure. Can someone please clarify? Thanks.
GOOD MORNING JENN,
I love this Chocolate Chess Pie! I am thrilled to be able to share it with your readers.
THANK YOU! THANK YOU!
Blessings,
Diane