Chocolate Pie

A classic creamy chocolate pie, made completely from scratch!  This recipe is a deliciously simple staple for every home baker, served over a simple homemade pie crust and topped with from-scratch whipped cream!

Fall is baking season, it’s pie and pumpkin season, made for apples and salted caramel and kitchens warmed by 350 degree ovens — all things cozy and delicious. Since tomorrow is the first official day of Fall (!!!) I thought a pie recipe would be appropriate.

I teased you on Monday that I wouldn’t offer you my easy pie crust recipe without giving you something to fill it with, so I hope you saved that recipe because you’re going to need it today!  One pre-baked pie crust is the first ingredient for today’s homemade chocolate pie (see why I went into all the details about blind baking?!).

Remember how I mentioned that my pie crust recipe is extremely easy to make? Well that’s the hardest part of this whole chocolate pie because the filling is a simple chocolate pudding that is a breeze to make.

Making pudding that didn’t come out of a tiny powder filled Jell-o box was always intimidating to me, but now that I’ve been making it for so long I don’t know what it was that was so scary about it.  Pudding, or in this case, chocolate pie filling, only requires a few ingredients to make.

We start with sugar, egg yolks (you can save the whites for an Angel Food cake or Funfetti cake!), cornstarch (to help firm up the chocolate pie and make it sliceable rather than soupy!), salt, milk, and heavy cream.  I’ve made chocolate pies before using solely milk and no cream, but I like the richness of the cream and decided it worked best with this recipe, so I definitely recommend it.

Once these ingredients have cooked and come to a boil (make sure you’re whisking almost constantly!), then you’ll add your chocolate, your butter, your vanilla extract.  The heat of your pudding mixture will melt your chocolate and butter and it will all come together as a silky chocolate filling right beneath your whisk.

I recommend running your pie filling through a fine mesh sieve before pouring it into your pie crust, this will eliminate any clumps that may have formed while your pie is cooking. I just place my sieve over a glass bowl, then pour the chocolate pie filling from the saucepan into the bowl through the sieve, using a spoon or spatula to gently help work the filling through.

You want your pie crust to be cooled and you want to let the chocolate filling cool a bit before you pour it into the pie crust.  I recommend letting it sit at room temperature for about 15 minutes before adding it to your pie shell — just be sure to stir it every so often to prevent a layer or skin from forming on the surface (if you do notice a skin starting to form, just whisk it very well and it will dissolve).

For this very same reason, after you’ve poured your chocolate layer you’ll want to cover it with cling wrap.  Make sure the plastic wrap is pressed flush against the surface of the pie — this will keep a thick, unappetizing skin from forming over the surface.

Then there’s the whipped cream…

As I’ve mentioned before, I nearly always whip my own because it’s simple and because ever since the first time I let my family members taste homemade whipped cream they demand it over any sort of store bought variety (I’m looking at you, Cool Whip).

3 ingredients, 5 minutes, and just one dirty bowl, it’s definitely worth it.

I like to pipe the whipped cream around the outside of the pie near the crust (and sometime I lose all control and end up decorating the whole pie, did you see my Instagram story? 😳), but if you’re feeling impatient you can just slap it on top with a spoon.

I’m always trying to stay ahead on my recipes and I want to share a few more pies with you between now and Thanksgiving.  Any requests for recipes that you’d like to see here?

Oh, and I hope you’ll tune in to my Facebook page at 12:00 EST today and say hi! I’ll be making my Dirty Brownies, live!

5 from 5 votes

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Chocolate Pie

A classic creamy chocolate pie, made completely from scratch!  This recipe is a deliciously simple staple for every home baker!

Prep Time 30 minutes

Total Time 30 minutes

Servings 10 slices

Calories 530 kcal

Author Samantha Merritt || Sugar Spun Run

Ingredients

• 1 prepared (baked) 9" pie crust
• 1 ½ cups granulated sugar (300g)
• 1/4 cup + 1 Tbsp cornstarch (40g)
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 5 large egg yolks
• 2 2/3 cup whole milk (630ml)
• 1/2 cup heavy cream (118ml)
• 6 oz dark chocolate--finely chopped (170g)
• 4 Tablespoons butter cut into pieces (56.5)
• 1 ½ teaspoon vanilla extract

Homemade Whipped Cream

• 3/4 cup heavy cream (175ml)
• 1/4 cup powdered sugar (30g)
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

1. In a medium saucepan, whisk together sugar, cornstarch and salt.

2. Add egg yolks, milk, and heavy cream and transfer to stovetop over medium-high heat and whisk ingredients together.

3. Whisk ingredients frequently on medium heat until ingredients begin to thicken (this will take several minutes).  

4. Once mixture has thickened* (it should be like a pudding consistency) whisk constantly, the mixture will come to a boil and continue to whisk for 60 seconds before removing from heat (still whisking constantly). 

5. Immediately add chocolate, butter, and vanilla extract.

6. Whisk until ingredients are smooth and chocolate and butter are completely melted.  

7. Pour your pie filling through a fine mesh sieve into a medium-sized heatproof bowl.  Allow to cool for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent skin from forming.

8. Pour filling over prepared pie crust and cover surface with clear wrap, making sure that the clear wrap is pressed against the surface of the chocolate to prevent a skin from forming.

9. Refrigerate at least 6 hours to allow chocolate pie to firm up and set.

Homemade Whipped Cream

1. Prepare Whipped Cream shortly before serving pie.  

2. Combine 3/4 cup heavy cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract in a clean medium-sized bowl.

3. Use an electric mixer to stir on low-speed. Gradually increase speed to high and beat until stiff peaks form.

4. Pipe (I used a Wilton 2D tip) or scoop whipped cream topping over pie just before serving.  

Recipe Notes

*It is important that your mixture thickens and comes to a boil, otherwise it will not set properly.

Nutrition Facts

Chocolate Pie

Amount Per Serving

Calories 530

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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