Chocolate Pie
Original recipe for chocolate pie posted in November 2014.
Updated with recipe card and new pictures October 2019 as part of the Eat Joyfully Vegetarian Thanksgiving Series.
I must confess– I have never made a pie before. Pie is not really my favorite thing to eat. I have always found the crusts too dry and the fillings too sugary. But, when I woke up on the morning of Thanksgiving and realized that we had not a single dessert planned, I got to work on fixing this.
Thus, I taught myself a little bit about how to make the crust and what options there are for the fillings. As it turned out, I still wasn’t that enthused by my options. So, I took a traditional pie crust recipe and changed it up a bit. I used salted butter because I really wanted the crust to stand out in contrast to the filling, and cut the sweetness of it as well.
The recipe for the filling was inspired from this one, but I used less sugar and salted butter. I knew I wanted something that wasn’t cloyingly sweet and also needed a smooth texture to contrast with the crisp, flakiness of the crust.
Additionally, I gave in and just used cool whip for the topping of this chocolate pie. I know, I know, it’s such a cop out! But homemade pie crusts are time consuming, and I was so done with the pie at this point. After tasting this pie, I will probably just use cool whip again! It was pretty darn good!
I tried to simplify the pie crust instructions as much as possible to make this recipe accessible to beginners. If you’re an expert with pies, I would love to hear about any helpful hints or tips you have!
Chocolate Pie
Ingredients
For the crust
- 7 tablespoons ice water
- 1 cup chilled, salted butter cut into 1" squares
- 2 1/2 cups AP flour, divided
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon sugar
For the filling
- 1 cup sugar
- 1/4 cup cornstarch
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 3 cups whole milk
- 4 egg yolks
- 6 ounces bittersweet chocolate
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons salted butter
To top
- whipped cream
- fresh berries
Instructions
Prepare the crust
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Make a cup of ice water and set it aside. Cube the chilled butter into 1" pieces if not already done.
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Whisk together 1 1/2 cups flour, salt, and sugar.
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Cut in the butter using a pastry blender or food processor until butter is pea-sized and incorporated.
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In a large bowl, add in additional 1 cup flour and stir. Add in ice water (removing any actual ice) and mix until the dough forms a ball.
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Cut in half and shape into 2 discs. Wrap in parchment paper and refrigerate at least 1 hour.
Make the filling
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Whisk together the sugar, cornstarch, and salt in a medium saucepan. Whisk in the milk and egg yolks.
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Measure out the chocolate and chop it finely. Set aside.
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Stir the sugar and milk mixture over medium heat until it begins to become thick and just reaches a boil.
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Remove from heat and add in the chocolate, vanilla, and butter.
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Stir until thick and smooth. Set aside to cool.
Bake crust*
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Preheat the oven to 425F and place a baking sheet on the middle rack.
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Roll out half the dough into a 9" circle.
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Press the dough into the pie time and prick with a fork. Crimp and trim edges if desired.
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Insert parchment paper and pie weights or dried beans.
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Freeze crust for 10 minutes.
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Place pie crust on preheated baking sheet. Turn the oven temperature down to 400F and bake for 30 minutes.
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Let the crust cool prior to adding the pudding.
Assemble
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Fill the crust with chocolate pudding and freeze for at least 4 hours.
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Top with whipped cream and berries and serve cold.
Recipe Notes
- You will have extra dough and filling. I was able to make one 8″ circular pie as well as a cute tart in this 13″ x 4″ rectangular pan with a removable bottom. I highly recommend trying the tart option if you’re a novice with homemade pie crusts! Instructions remain the same for both preparations.
