The Southern classic chess pie has a custard filling made from humble ingredients— sugar, butter, eggs, flour, cornmeal, and vinegar. Our chocolate version doesn’t use cornmeal or vinegar—just a bit of unsweetened cocoa powder.
Ingredients
Pastry for Single-Crust Pie
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1½ cups all purpose flour
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1/2 teaspoon salt
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1/4 cup lard
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1/4 cup butter, cut up (or shortening or lard)
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1/4 to 1/3 cup water
Chess Pie Filling
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2¼ cups granulated sugar
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1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
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1 cup evaporated milk
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3 large eggs, lightly beaten
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1/3 cup butter, melted
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1½ teaspoons vanilla
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1/4 cup semisweet chocolate, chopped
Chocolate Whipped Cream
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1 cup heavy cream
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3 tbsp powdered sugar
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2 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
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1/2 tsp vanilla
Directions
Pastry for Single-Crust Pie
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In a medium bowl stir together flour and salt. Using a pastry blender, cut in shortening and butter until pea-size. Sprinkle 1 Tbsp. of the ice water over part of the flour mixture; toss gently with a fork. Push moistened dough to side of bowl. Repeat moistening flour mixture, gradually adding ice water (¼ to ⅓ cup total) until mixture begins to come together. Gather pastry into a ball, kneading gently just until it holds together.
Chess Pie Filling
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Preheat oven to 350°F. On a lightly floured surface, use your hands to slightly flatten ball of Pastry for Single-Crust Pie. Roll pastry into a 12-inch circle. Transfer to a 9-inch pie plate. Trim and flute edge.
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In a large bowl combine sugar and cocoa powder. Add evaporated milk, eggs, butter, vanilla, and ¼ tsp. salt. Stir just until combined. Pour mixture into pastry shell.
Test Kitchen Tip
Evaporated milk has been concentrated to remove about 60% of its natural water content. If you don’t have a can in your pantry, substitute an equal amount of half-and-half.
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Bake until top is puffed and a knife comes out clean, 50 to 55 minutes. (Pie won't appear set but will firm up during cooling.) Cool 1 hour on a wire rack. Cover and chill 2 to 24 hours. Before serving, top with Chocolate Whipped Cream and chopped chocolate.
Chocolate Whipped Cream
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In a chilled bowl combine heavy cream, powdered sugar, unsweetened cocoa powder, and vanilla. Beat with a mixer on medium until soft peaks form (tips curl).
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
| 709 | Calories |
| 37g | Fat |
| 88g | Carbs |
| 9g | Protein |
| Nutrition Facts | |
|---|---|
| Servings Per Recipe 8 | |
| Calories 708.5 | |
| % Daily Value * | |
| Total Fat 37g | 47% |
| Saturated Fat 20.9g | 104% |
| Cholesterol 154mg | 51% |
| Sodium 308.2mg | 13% |
| Total Carbohydrate 87.6g | 32% |
| Dietary Fiber 1.9g | 7% |
| Total Sugars 66.3g | |
| Protein 9g | 18% |
| Vitamin D 1.6mcg | 8% |
| Vitamin C 0.8mg | 1% |
| Calcium 122.6mg | 9% |
| Iron 3.3mg | 19% |
| Potassium 201.3mg | 4% |
| Fatty acids, total trans 0.9g | |
| Vitamin D 65.5IU | |
| Alanine 0.3g | |
| Arginine 0.4g | |
| Ash 2g | |
| Aspartic acid 0.6g | |
| Caffeine 3.4mg | |
| Carotene, alpha 0mcg | |
| Choline, total 80mg | |
| Copper, Cu 0.1mg | |
| Cystine 0.1g | |
| Energy 2963.9kJ | |
| Fluoride, F 11.2mcg | |
| Folate, total 56.6mcg | |
| Glutamic acid 1.8g | |
| Glycine 0.2g | |
| Histidine 0.2g | |
| Isoleucine 0.4g | |
| Leucine 0.7g | |
| Lysine 0.5g | |
| Methionine 0.2g | |
| Magnesium, Mg 23.9mg | |
| Manganese, Mn 0.2mg | |
| Niacin 1.5mg | |
| Phosphorus, P 154.8mg | |
| Pantothenic acid 0.8mg | |
| Phenylalanine 0.4g | |
| Phytosterols 0mg | |
| Proline 0.7g | |
| Retinol 281.1mcg | |
| Selenium, Se 16.1mcg | |
| Serine 0.5g | |
| Starch 0g | |
| Theobromine 26.5mg | |
| Threonine 0.3g | |
| Vitamin E (alpha-tocopherol) 1mg | |
| Tryptophan 0.1g | |
| Tyrosine 0.3g | |
| Valine 0.5g | |
| Vitamin A, IU 1023.2IU | |
| Vitamin A, RAE 285.3mcg | |
| Vitamin B-12 0.3mcg | |
| Vitamin B-6 0.1mg | |
| Vitamin K (phylloquinone) 2.7mcg | |
| Water 70.7g | |
| Zinc, Zn 0.8mg | |
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.