Dark Chocolate Chess Pie

With a crackly top and a flaky crust, this Dark Chocolate Chess Pie is a Southern classic that melds the flavors of fudge brownie and rich, chocolaty custard into one unbelievably delicious dessert.

I don’t always play chess, but when I do I always lose. My brain isn’t built for abstract strategy, it’s wired to make hasty decisions that quickly result in defeat. Plus, when you add horses that jump at right angles and queens that move like parlor magic tricks, its only a matter of time before I hear the inevitable chuckle of checkmate. From a child. Seriously, I’m such a crappy player that I can’t even win against a kid.

It’s sad because 90% of the game is just blank staring and blinking. That I can totally do like a pro, but the 10% requiring mental exertion is where I check out versus checkmate. Every time my bishops and rooks start blending together into a numbing blur I’m reminded that my game is not chess. But this girl’s got grandmaster potential when it comes to chess pie.

If, like me, you’d rather play musical chairs than chess, don’t let the name of this dessert put you off. Nobody knows for sure how such a great pie became associated with such an excruciating game, but a floating theory suggests it tastes so amazing that it makes people forget their next move. I’m sold; from here on out I’m blaming my losing streak on this luscious dessert. With a velvety chocolate filling and a perfectly flaky crust, a slice of Chocolate Chess Pie makes defeat taste sweet.

Before sharing the recipe for Chocolate Chess Pie, here are a few baking tips to help you out:

Ingredient Tips

For best results, eggs need to be at room temperature before beginning.

This recipe was tested with a Lindt Dark Chocolate (70% cocoa) but any quality dark-chocolate bar can be substituted. Chocolate chips are not recommended due to their high wax content.

Preparation Tips

Homemade pie dough can be pre-made prior to blind baking. Store covered dough in the refrigerator up to 2 days or freeze up to 3 months.

Homemade pie crust can be blind baked up to 2 days before adding the chocolate filling. Cover and store the crust in the refrigerator until ready to use.

Peek through your oven window after the first 30 minutes of baking. If the crust edges are overbrowning, cover with aluminum foil (or pie shield) for the remaining baking time.

How to Store Chocolate Chess Pie

Can chess pie be left out? Yes, chess pie can be stored up to 2 days room temperature.

Does chess pie have to be refrigerated? No, it does not. Chess pie can be stored at room temperature or refrigerated, whichever you prefer. If you love cold pie, this recipe will keep up to 4 days in the refrigerator.

I hope you enjoy this Dark Chocolate Chess Pie recipe. Please leave a rating and review below when you try it out. And, while you’re at it, sign up for my weekly Recipe Newsletter so you never miss a tempting recipe!

Finally, if you like chocolate pie recipes then you’ll love this Chocolate Chip Pecan Pie. Toasted pecans, brown sugar, a splash of bourbon and dark chocolate give this classic pie a modern twist.

Dark Chocolate Chess Pie

Heather Wolf

With a crackly top and a flaky crust, this Dark Chocolate Chess Pie is a Southern classic that melds the flavors of fudge brownie and rich, chocolaty custard into one unbelievably delicious dessert.

5 from 8 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 1 hour hr 10 minutes mins

Chill Dough 1 hour hr 30 minutes mins

Total Time 2 hours hrs 55 minutes mins

Course Pies and Tarts

Cuisine American

Servings 8

Ingredients

  

Pie Crust

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour unbleached
• 1/2 tsp sea salt fine
• 8 tbsp unsalted butter cold and cubed
• 1/2 tsp granulated sugar
• 2 tbsp ice cold water

Filling

• 4 tbsp unsalted butter cubed
• 3.5 ounces dark chocolate bar (70% cacao) chopped
• 1/2 cup dark brown sugar
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 3 tbsp Dutch-process cocoa powder
• 1 tbsp cornstarch
• 1/4 tsp sea salt fine
• 3 tbsp heavy cream
• 1 tsp vanilla extract pure
• 3 large eggs room temperature

Instructions

 

Pie Crust

• Grease the bottom and sides of a 9-inch pie plate with butter or spray with nonstick baking spray. Set aside.
• Add flour, salt, and sugar to a food processor. Pulse to combine.
• Add chilled butter then pulse until butter is reduced to the size of small peas.
• Drizzle in ice cold water then pulse until mixture begins to clump.

  Note: if dough is too crumbly add a bit more water.
• Remove dough from food processor and place on a floured surface. Flatten into a disk then cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for a minimum of 1 hour or up to 2 days.
• Remove dough from refrigerator and let it sit at room temperature for 15 minutes.
• Roll out dough on a floured surface, rotating a quarter turn after each roll of the rolling pin until dough is 11-inches in diameter.
• Gently drape dough into pie dish then trim edges leaving a 1-inch overhang. Tuck excess dough under itself then pinch to crimp edges around the rim.
• Using a fork, prick the bottom and sides of the pie dough multiple times. This will help prevent the dough from puffing up as it bakes.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place pie plate in the freezer to chill for 30 minutes while the oven gets hot.
• Remove pie crust from the freezer and line completely with aluminum foil. Next, fill foiled crust to the top with pie weights (dried beans or dried rice also work well).
• Bake pie crust for 15 minutes.
• Remove pie from the oven. Carefully lift aluminum foil by the edges to remove both foil and weights from the crust.
• Return pie crust to the oven and bake for 5 more minutes
• Allow crust to cool on a baking rack while you prepare filling.

Filling

• Reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees.
• Place butter and chocolate in a heat-safe bowl. Microwave in 20 second increments, stirring after each, until melted and smooth. Set aside to cool.
• In a separate bowl, whisk together both sugars, cocoa powder, cornstarch and salt.
• Add heavy cream, vanilla and eggs to the bowl. Whisk vigorously until eggs are incorporated and batter is glossy.
• Last, but not least, whisk in melted chocolate.
• Pour filling into pie crust, level batter with a spatula then bake for approximately 50 – 55 minutes. Pie is done when the edges are set and the center is no longer jiggly.

  Note: Peek through your oven window after the first 30 minutes of baking. If the crust is browning too quickly, cover with strips of aluminum foil (or pie shield) for the remaining baking time.
• Place pie on a baking rack and cool to room temperature (approximate 2 hours) before slicing. Pie will crack and sink as it cools.
• Cover and store pie at room temperature up to 2 days or refrigerate up to 4 days.

Keyword chess pie, chocolate