The best part, though, is how dang easy it is to make. You literally mix all the ingredients together and pour them into a prepared pie crust.
Now, when it comes to the crust, I like to use the pre-made, rolled-up pie crusts that you find in the refrigerated section of the grocery store over by the canned biscuits and cinnamon rolls. It allows me to use my own pie plate but doesn’t have me making a homemade crust – which I appreciate. That said, the preformed frozen crusts work just as well. And all you overachievers can make a crust from scratch if you have some extra time. 🙂
Regardless of what kind of crust you bake it in, this pie is destined to be a new family favorite. My folks just love it – and always have. It’s one of those classic southern recipes that has been around for ages. In fact, the original recipe I have made two pies – like many old pie recipes do – so I just cut everything in half to make one. As a result, this doubles beautifully if you need two pies. 🙂 And, I mean, who DOESN’T need two pies? Ha! Y’all enjoy!
Chocolate Chess Pie
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons cocoa powder
- 1 1/2 cups sugar
- 3 tablespoons corn starch
- 2 large eggs, beaten
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- 1 (5-ounce) can evaporated milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 (9-inch) unbaked pie crust (homemade or store-bought is fine)
- whipped cream, if desired
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325°F. In a large bowl, whisk together the cocoa powder, sugar, and corn starch. Add in the beaten egg, melted butter, milk, and vanilla. Stir well to combine.
- Pour the mixture into the unbaked pie shell and bake for 35 to 40 minutes or until a crust has formed completely across the top of the pie and is mostly set. Allow to cool completely before slicing and serving. Serve with a dollop of whipped cream, if desired.
Deanna MCK says
This looks like a winner to me…. I think I’ll make it this week. Thanks for your recipes. I’ve saved quite a few of them. All delicious!
Stacey says
Love hearing that!! Thanks, Deanna!
Brooks Finch says
Hello. I followed the recipe 100%. I did use a frozen deep dish crust, but mine did not set up. Even over night in the fridge, it was a cold mess. Any suggestions??
Stacey says
With 3 tablespoons of cornstarch, I just can’t imagine why it didn’t set up.
Kristina says
OOooh! I can’t wait to make this for my family for Valentine’s Day! Happy Hearts Day!
Stacey says
Sure hope they’ll love it!
Kristina says
Everyone DID love it, Stacey. You rocked our Valentine’s dessert! I just mistakenly added a whole 11 ounce can of Evaporated Milk instead of 5 ounce. I had to bake it a bit longer, but the flavor was milk chocolate goodness!
Stacey says
Awesome!! So glad y’all enjoyed it!!!
WWZ says
Did you really mean a 5 ounce can of evaporated milk or should it be 15 ounces?
Stacey says
No, it’s a 5 ounce can.
Emily says
As good as this pie is, you will probably need the rest of that can of evaporated milk to make more!
Stacey says
Love that idea!!
Teena says
Hey y’all, can you make this without the crust? Just bake it in the pie shell? Has anybody tried that?
Stacey says
I can’t say I’ve ever tried it that way. Is there a particular reason you want to bake it that way?
Lynn Rickman says
Oh my goodness, this sounds like one everyone’s gonna have to try and love! Thanks for sharing!
Stacey says
Sure hope you’ll enjoy!!
Janice Nebgen says
Do you have to use unsalted butter?
Stacey says
It’s best to control the salt content in the pie, but salted will work just fine.
Pat says
Can you use a deep dish pie crust for 1 pie or do you just need to use the regular pie crust? I’m using frozen ones in the tin pies.
EileenWest says
I just put mine in the oven in a frozen pie crust, and it filled fine, and doesn’t look too skimpy. My question is does a frozen crust need to be parbaked for this pie?
Stacey says
No, there’s not need to par bake, but you can. You just might need to shield the edges with some aluminum foil to keep it from getting too brown when baking the pie.
Stacey says
Deep dish will work, it will just not fill it all the way up.
Pilar says
Would it work the same if you add pecans?
Stacey says
I’m not sure. I’ve not tried that.
Hope says
Have you ever tried it with a graham cracker crust or Oreo crust?
Stacey says
I haven’t, but it sounds like something worth trying!
L. Almond says
Love this recipe! I made this yesterday and it was a hit with my family.
Stacey says
So glad y’all enjoyed it!!
Elsa Tanner says
Thank you for this recipe. It is the closest anyone has came to my Aunt Bessie’s pie. This is going to be a family favorite and staple for special occasions! Bless you.
Stacey says
Nothing makes me happier than hearing things like that. So glad you enjoyed it!
Judith Fox says
I have printed off some of your recipes that I am going to make, especially the peach chess pie. Looks really good. Your chocolate pie recipe looks like the one I make, so I dug out my recipe. It’s exactly the same except for the corn starch. My pie is one I’ve made many times for church dinners and funerals and I never bring home any left overs. I wonder why you use corn starch? Also I bake mine at 350 instead of 325. I will try your recipe, will you try yours w/o corn starch?
Stacey says
The corn starch is like an insurance policy to make sure it’s going to thicken up the way it should.
Christopher E Crabtree says
I made this tonight. I did add a pinch of salt. Perfection. Thanks for the great classic.
Stacey says
Awesome! Glad it turned out great for you!
Amy says
Could I use something else instead of corn starch?
Stacey says
You can use flour, but the result may not be quite the same.
Jenna Ward says
Hi! So if I want the consistency to be a little thicker and fudgy (is that even a word lol), would I add in a little more corn starch or maybe cook it a little longer? I’ve attempted to make this pie about 10 times now (not this particular recipe, but similar) and every single time it comes out just a little runny. Still good and still edible, but too thin and not completely set. Although I’ve followed the recipes exactly. Any suggestions?
Stacey says
Hi Jenna!
Being that you’ve had trouble with several different recipes, have you checked to ensure your oven is heating to the correct temp?
Jenna Ward says
Hmmm, no I haven’t ever checked that . How would I check that? My pie is in the oven as we speak. Fingers crossed! I didn’t add anything. I followed your recipe exactly!
Stacey says
You can grab an oven thermometer in most big box stores and on Amazon and you can just hang it on one of the racks and compare the temp it reads with the oven set temps to make sure they match. Let me know how it turned out! 🙂