Chocolate-Pecan Chess Pie

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    A Southern dessert classic, this chess pie is loaded with pecans. Serve it with Texas-size dollops of whipped cream.

    By
    BHG Test Kitchen
    BHG Test Kitchen

    The Better Homes & Gardens Test Kitchen has been in continuous operation for nearly 100 years, developing and testing practical, reliable recipes that readers can enjoy at home. The Test Kitchen team includes culinary specialists, food stylists, registered and licensed nutritionists, and other experts with Bachelor of Science degrees in food science, food and nutrition, or culinary arts. Together, the team tests more than 2,500 recipes, produces more than 2,500 food images, and creates more than 1,000 food videos each year in the state-of-the-art test kitchen.

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    Updated on October 4, 2021
    Chocolate Chess Pie
    Photo: Mike Dieter
    Prep Time:
    25 mins
    Bake Time:
    1 hrs
    Total Time:
    25 mins
    Servings:
    8

    Ingredients

    • 1 recipe Pastry for a Single-Crust Pie

    • 2 cup sugar

    • ¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder

    • 1 tablespoon cornmeal

    • 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

    • ½ teaspoon salt

    • 4 eggs, lightly beaten

    • ½ cup milk

    • ½ cup butter, melted

    • 1 teaspoon vanilla

    • 1 cup chopped pecans

    • Whipped cream (optional)

    Pastry for Single-Crust Pie

    • 1 ¼ cup all-purpose flour

    • ¼ teaspoon salt

    • ⅓ cup shortening

    • 3 tablespoon cold water

    Directions

    1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare Pastry for a Single-Crust Pie; set aside.

    2. For filling, in a large bowl, combine sugar, cocoa powder, cornmeal, flour, and salt. In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, butter, and vanilla. Stir egg mixture into sugar mixture until smooth. Stir in pecans.

    3. Pour filling into pastry-lined pie plate. Bake about 1 hour or until filling is set and crust is golden. If crust begins to brown too fast, reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees F and cover edge of crust with foil. Cool pie on a wire rack. (Filling will fall slightly during cooling.) Chill within 2 hours. If desired, serve with whipped cream. Makes 8 to 10 servings.

    Pastry for Single-Crust Pie

    1. In a medium bowl, stir together the flour and salt. Using a pastry blender, cut in the shortening until pieces are pea-size. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon cold water over part of the mixture; gently toss with a fork. Push moistened dough to the side of the bowl. Sprinkle additional cold water, 1 tablespoon at a time, over mixture until all of the dough is moistened. Form the dough into a ball. On a lightly floured surface, flatten dough. Roll dough from center to edges into a 12-inch circle. To transfer pastry, wrap it around the rolling pin. Unroll pastry into a 9-inch pie plate. Ease pastry into pie plate, being careful not to stretch pastry. Trim pastry to 1/2 inch beyond edge of pie plate. Fold under extra pastry. Crimp edge as desired.

    Cover and chill cooled pie for up to 24 hours.