Chocolate Chess Pie, made with chocolate, butter, sugar and eggs, is a sweet and fudgy variation on the the traditional Southern dessert. I have some similar pies including Frozen Fudge Brownie Pie, but wanted to share a true Chocolate Chess Pie recipe. This one was inspired by a restaurant near us called The Angus Barn.
Jump to Recipe
First, a little about The Angus Barn. It's an iconic steakhouse in Raleigh that's high on my list of places to try. From what I've read, they give out the recipe for their Chocolate Chess Pie at the end of the meal. The Angus Barn's recipe calls for semisweet chocolate, only 2 eggs and slightly less butter and sugar. The recipe here is a little different in that it's made with unsweetened chocolate, more butter and more eggs. It's sweet, but not cloyingly so, and we loved it.
But it is rich! Since it's so rich, I cut it in thin slivers and served with a big pile of strawberries and whipped cream. In other words, the picture above feeds 3 or 4, so you can choose to serve it in big slices or small depending on the occasion.
Chocolate Chess Pie Freezes Well
We found this out by accident, actually. After it had completely cooled and chilled we accidentally put it in the freezer overnight. It was a mistake, but it was good mistake. Once thawed the pie sliced neatly and had a very smooth texture. I'm glad it freezes well because I plan to make The Angus Barn's Chocolate Chess Pie next for comparison.
Recipe
Chocolate Chess Pie
Ingredients
- 8 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold (114 grams)
- 1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour, plus half tablespoon (180 grams)
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ⅓ cup very cold water plus more as needed (120 ml)
Pie Filling
- 4 large eggs room temperature
- 1 large egg yolk room temperature
- 2 oz unsweetened chocolate, chopped (56 grams)
- ¾ cup unsalted butter (170 grams)
- 1 ½ cups granulated sugar (315 grams)
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla
Instructions
Pie Crust
- Mix the flour and salt together in a large bowl. Using a grater, grate butter into flour mixture, tossing occasionally. Mix until coarse, then add 3 tablespoons of cold water. Stir well. Continue adding small amounts of water until mixture holds together when pinched.
- Turn onto a pastry mat and press into a circle. Put a little flour under the circle and on top and roll back and forth. Rotate the circle of pie dough and roll back and forth again. Add more flour if necessary and continue rolling and rotating until you have a large (about 10 inches) circle. Fit into a pie plate. Put in the freezer for 30 minutes, then dock sides and bottom.
- Lay a sheet of parchment over the frozen pie crust and weigh down with pie weights, beans or sugar. Bake at 375 degrees F. for about 15 minutes do that it is partially baked. Let cool slightly while you prepare the filling.
Chocolate Chess Pie Filling
- Bring the eggs to room temperature if you haven't already.
- Combine the chocolate and butter in a microwave safe bowl. Heat on high for 30 seconds. Stir well. Repeat until chocolate is melted and mixture is smooth. Alternatively, you can do this in a double boiler.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the sugar, eggs, yolk, salt and vanilla. Add the slightly cooled chocolate mixture to the egg mixture, then scrape into the partially baked pie shell.
- Set pie on a rimmed baking sheet and bake for 45 minutes or until the center is set. Let cool to room temperature.
- Once cool you can garnish it with confectioners' sugar. We like laying damp strips of parchment over the top, sprinkling powdered sugar around the strips, and making a grid pattern.
Anna says
I definitely want to try the AB recipe soon!
T. Martin says
I would be interested to see The Angus Barn recipe side by side for comparison. Chess pie sounds like a good idea for Easter.