Grandma’s Chocolate Pie
Decadent, creamy, and perfectly rich, Grandma’s chocolate pie is a real showstopper. It’s a luscious chocolate custard resting on a flaky, almost melt in your mouth crust, topped with whipped cream and shaved chocolate. Your friends and family will be impressed and in love with this irresistible dessert! We often enjoy Grandma’s easy chocolate pie recipe during the holidays and usually make it in addition to pecan pie to satisfy everyone’s cravings.
Have you ever had that one dessert that you just couldn’t stop thinking about until you got another piece? That’s this chocolate pie for me. It’s the perfect amount of chocolate, creaminess, and richness to keep you coming back for more.
Chocolate cream pie is the cure for many things including PMS, homesickness, lovesickness, any sort of sickness. It has the texture of creamy chocolate custard and is poured into a tender, flaky crust. It’s a popular choice for birthdays and other special occasions. A good dessert can take an ordinary gathering and make it something extraordinary. And this chocolate pie is that good! This irresistible, yet super easy dessert is a total crowd pleaser that both the adults and kids will enjoy.
Ingredients for Chocolate Pie
This wonderful chocolate pie recipe is made with simple ingredients that you may already have in your kitchen. Here’s what you’ll need to make it:
- Cocoa. Use a high-quality cocoa for the best flavor of chocolate filling. I highly recommend using Ghirardelli’s 100% cocoa.
- Sugar. To sweeten the pie.
- Flour. Helps to thicken the chocolate filling.
- Salt. To balance the sweetness.
- Egg yolks. Using only the yolk of the eggs gives the chocolate filling the perfect consistency and texture.
- Milk. I recommend using whole milk because it will allow for the most firm set up of the pie. Lower the percentage of fat in milk and the less firm of a pie you’ll get.
- Vanilla. A nice flavor booster!
- Butter. A little bit of butter gives this pie the perfect flavor and texture.
- Whipped cream. I really love the way the whipped cream balances the rich chocolate flavor and shaved chocolate makes the pie look so fancy!
Easy Pie Crust Recipe
For this pie recipe, we’re using a pie crust that my grandma always used. It comes from a VERY old Pillsbury cookbook. This homemade pie crust is the one she most often used and now my mom uses. It’s made with oil, instead of butter or shortening, yet it is the flakiest pie crust ever. After tasting this pie, my husband actually commented on the crust and mentioned that he liked it better than most pie crusts because it was soft and flaky, not as hard as a normal pie crust. This crust is so tender that it almost melts in your mouth when you eat it.
My favorite thing about using an all-oil pie crust is how super simple it is to make. It’s only 5 ingredients, you don’t need a food processor or pastry cutter, and there is no chilling required. You just mix the ingredients and pat the crust into the pie plate. In less than 5 minutes, you have pie crust that is ready to be filled and baked.
How do you make homemade chocolate cream pie?
Chocolate pie looks impressive, but it’s actually a super easy pie to make. It just requires a little patience while waiting for the chocolate filling to thicken on the stovetop.
- Make the crust. This simple crust recipe only requires 5 basic ingredients. Stir them together, pat them into your pie dish and shape the edges as desired. Bake for 10-12 minutes.
- Mix the filling. Stir together the cocoa, sugar, flour, salt, egg yolks, and milk in a saucepan over medium heat. Continue to stir the ingredients until they thicken. This may take up to 15 minutes. Be sure it is as thick as you want because it won’t thicken up much more, once it’s removed from the heat.
- Pour filling into crust. Once the filling is nice and thick, remove it from the heat and stir in the vanilla and butter. Then, pour the filling into the baked crust.
- Cool. If you plan to serve the pie warm, allow it to set for an hour. I personally love this pie when it’s cold. To serve chilled, refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
- Serve. I recommend topping your chocolate pie with whipped cream or Cool Whip topping for the ultimate treat. You can even add chocolate shavings over the top of the pie for aesthetic appeal.
Tips
- If you want an even easier chocolate pie you can use a frozen pastry shell or even a graham cracker crust instead of making your own.
- A flaky, buttery crust is classic with chocolate pie, but feel free to change things up and use a graham cracker crust or an Oreo crust.
- Waiting for the chocolate mixture to thicken takes longer than you think. Give it at least 15 minutes of cooking and stirring – it will eventually thicken.
- To make homemade whipped cream, use an electric mixer to whip 1 cup of heavy whipping cream with 2 tablespoons powdered sugar or granulated sugar and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla. Continue to whip on medium-high speed for about 3-4 minutes and until medium peaks form.
- To make chocolate curls, you’ll need a bar of chocolate and a vegetable peeler. The chocolate needs to be slightly warm – you can hold it in your hand to warm it up. To test if the chocolate is the right temperature to curl, put your finger on it – if a fingerprint is left behind, it’s warm enough that the curls will hold their shape.
Storage Suggestions
One of the best parts about this easy chocolate pie recipe is that you can make it 1-2 days ahead of time.
To store: Cover the pie and store in the fridge for up to about 5 days.
To freeze: You can actually freeze this chocolate pie for up to about 2 months! Once the pie has cooled completely, wrap it tightly with plastic wrap, and store it in a large freezer bag or freezer-friendly storage container. When you’re ready to serve it, simply thaw it in the refrigerator overnight and then take it out of the fridge about 10-20 minutes before serving. Top with the whipped cream and shaved chocolate and enjoy!
More Desserts You’ll Love
If you try this delicious chocolate pie recipe, let me know! Leave a comment and if your family loves it as much as mine does, be sure to give it a five star ⭐️ rating! Also, tag @kimscravings on Instagram with a picture of your creation. It’s so fun to see what you’re cooking! Be sure to subscribe to our mailing list to receive more healthy delicious recipes straight to your inbox.
Grandma’s Chocolate Pie
Ingredients
FOR THE CRUST:
- 1 1/2 cups (188g) all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup vegetable or canola oil
- 2 tablespoons milk
For the pie:
- 1/4 cup cocoa
- 3/4 cups sugar
- 1/4 cup + 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 egg yolks,, lightly beaten
- 1 1/2 cups whole milk
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 tablespoon butter
- whipped cream or Cool Whip and chocolate curls, optional for serving
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425° F.
- For the crust, combine flour, sugar, and salt in a large mixing bowl. Add oil and milk; mix well and pat in 9-inch pie dish, flutting edges if desired. Bake for 10-12 minutes.
- In a saucepan on medium heat, stir together the cocoa, sugar, flour, salt, egg yolks, and milk.
- Stir the mixture constantly as it cooks and until it bubbles and thickens, about 10-15 minutes. If it becomes lumpy, simply beat out the lumps. Be sure it is as thick as you want because it won't thicken up much more. If it's not getting thick that just means you haven't been cooking it long enough.
- Once thick, remove the chocolate filling from the heat and stir in the vanilla and butter.
- Pour the chocolate filling into the baked pie crust and let pie cool for about 1 hour.
- Serve warm, room temperature or refrigerate for 2-4 hours and serve chilled. Top with whipped cream or Cool Whip and chocolate curls, if desired.
Notes
Tips
- If you want an even easier chocolate pie you can use a frozen pastry shell or even a graham cracker crust instead of making your own.
- A flaky, buttery crust is classic with chocolate pie, but feel free to change things up and use a graham cracker crust or an Oreo crust.
- Waiting for the chocolate mixture to thicken takes longer than you think. Give it at least 15 minutes of cooking and stirring - it will eventually thicken.
- To make homemade whipped cream, use an electric mixer to whip 1 cup of heavy whipping cream with 2 tablespoons powdered sugar or granulated sugar and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla. Continue to whip on medium-high speed for about 3-4 minutes and until medium peaks form.
- To make chocolate curls, you’ll need a bar of chocolate and a vegetable peeler. The chocolate needs to be slightly warm – you can hold it in your hand to warm it up. To test if the chocolate is the right temperature to curl, put your finger on it – if a fingerprint is left behind, it’s warm enough that the curls will hold their shape.
Storage
- To store: Cover the pie and store in the fridge for up to about 5 days.
- To freeze: You can actually freeze this chocolate pie for up to about 2 months! When you’re ready to serve it, simply thaw it in the refrigerator overnight and then take it out of the fridge about 10-20 minutes before serving. Top with the whipped cream and shaved chocolate and enjoy!
Did you make this recipe?
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