You may not forgive me for this one. It is the very definition of decadence. Chess pie, in all its forms, has always been a favorite of mine, from the traditional to my Sweet Potato Buttermilk Chess Pie. Add in some chocolate, and I am a really happy girl. I recently made a classic chocolate chess for a lake weekend with friends (and a traditional chess, just to be safe) and though I licked my plate, and got rave reviews, I couldn’t help but think what I could do to snazz up the original, as I am wont to do. And it came to me – chocolate overload. Swap out a standard pie crust for one made with a hit of cocoa, and you have got something special.
The crust can be a little ticky to work with, just be patient and patch any holes with scraps of dough when you fit it in the plate. You can, of course, pour this filling into a standard butter pie crust, but really. The center of the pie needs to be firm, but with a tiny little wiggle. It will fall a little on cooling and some cracks may appear, but those just reveal the gooey chocolate center. I think this pie is amazing on its own, but a little dollop of whipped cream is never a bad thing.
Ingredients
- For the Crust
1 cup plus 2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 Tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
2 Tablespoons granulated sugar
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
½ cup (1 stick) cold unsalted butter
3 – 4 Tablespoons ice water
- For the Filling
¼ cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1 ½ cups granulated sugar
¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
a pinch of kosher salt
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 Tablespoon cornmeal
Directions
- For the Crust
- Place the flour, cocoa powder, sugar and salt in the bowl of a food processor and pulse a few times to blend completely. Cut the butter into small pieces and drop into the food processor. Process until you have a crumbly mixture with the butter distributed evenly. With the motor running, add the water a little at a time, just until the dough starts to come together. Dump the dough onto a large piece of plastic wrap and knead a few times into a cohesive ball. Flatten the dough into a disk, wrap it in the plastic and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, but overnight is fine.
- When ready to assemble the pie, remove the dough from the fridge and let it sit at room temperature for about 5 minutes. Lightly flour a work surface and roll the dough into a round large enough to fit into a 9-inch pie plate (about 12 inches around). Spray the pie plate with cooking spray. Carefully drape the crust over the rolling pin and transfer it to the pie plate. Press the crust into the plate and crimp the edges. Refrigerate while you make the filling.
- For the Filling
- Whisk the sugar, cocoa powder and salt together in a large bowl. Add the eggs, melted butter and vanilla and stir until completely combined and smooth. Stir in the cornmeal until combined. Pour the filling into the crust and bake for 30 – 40 minutes until the pie is firm, with just a teeny jiggle and the top has formed a crust. Cool the pie completely. The pie can be wrapped in plastic wrap and kept on the counter for one day, or refrigerated for two days, or wrapped in plastic and then foil and frozen for up to two months. Thaw in the fridge before serving.
- 1 cup plus 2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2 Tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
- 2 Tablespoons granulated sugar
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ cup (1 stick) cold unsalted butter
- 3 – 4 Tablespoons ice water
- ¼ cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled
- 1 ½ cups granulated sugar
- ¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- a pinch of kosher salt
- 3 eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 Tablespoon cornmeal
- Place the flour, cocoa powder, sugar and salt in the bowl of a food processor and pulse a few times to blend completely. Cut the butter into small pieces and drop into the food processor. Process until you have a crumbly mixture with the butter distributed evenly. With the motor running, add the water a little at a time, just until the dough starts to come together. Dump the dough onto a large piece of plastic wrap and knead a few times into a cohesive ball. Flatten the dough into a disk, wrap it in the plastic and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, but overnight is fine.
- When ready to assemble the pie, remove the dough from the fridge and let it sit at room temperature for about 5 minutes. Lightly flour a work surface and roll the dough into a round large enough to fit into a 9-inch pie plate (about 12 inches around). Spray the pie plate with cooking spray. Carefully drape the crust over the rolling pin and transfer it to the pie plate. Press the crust into the plate and crimp the edges. Refrigerate while you make the filling.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Whisk the sugar, cocoa powder and salt together in a large bowl. Add the eggs, melted butter and vanilla and stir until completely combined and smooth. Stir in the cornmeal until combined. Pour the filling into the crust and bake for 30 – 40 minutes until the pie is firm, with just a teeny jiggle and the top has formed a crust. Cool the pie completely. The pie can be wrapped in plastic wrap and kept on the counter for one day, or refrigerated for two days, or wrapped in plastic and then foil and frozen for up to two months. Thaw in the fridge before serving.
No oven temperature is given!
350 degrees!