Okay so listen, I need to tell you about this chocolate pie that literally saved my reputation at Thanksgiving last year. no joke.

 

so here’s what happened – I volunteered to bring dessert because I was feeling confident or delusional or whatever, and then I completely forgot about it until the night before. like 9pm on Wednesday night I’m watching TikToks and my sister texts me “what pie are you bringing tomorrow?” and I just… panicked. full panic mode.

 

I googled “easy chocolate pie” and found like seventeen recipes that all required fancy ingredients I didn’t have. ugh. but then I remembered my grandma used to make this super simple chocolate pie that was basically just pudding in a pie crust and everyone loved it. so I threw together my own version at 10pm and honestly? it was the first dessert gone at dinner. my aunt literally asked if I’d made it from scratch and I was like “…yes” which was technically true lol.

 

mine definitely wasn’t perfect – the filling had like a tiny crack in it and I tried to cover it with extra whipped cream – but nobody cared because it tasted AMAZING.

Why this actually works

 

it tastes way fancier than the effort you put in which is the dream honestly

you can make it the day before and it just sits in the fridge getting better

the filling is rich enough that people don’t need huge slices so one pie feeds more people than you’d think… I’ve stretched one pie to feed 10 people before when my in-laws surprised us with extra guests

it’s basically impossible to mess up unless you like burn the chocolate or something

you probably have most of these ingredients already which means less grocery store time

What you’ll need

 

 

EDIT: I forgot to mention – if you use dark chocolate chips instead of semi-sweet you might want to add a bit more sugar because it’ll be less sweet. learned this when I accidentally bought the wrong bag at Target.

How to make it without losing your mind

 

Prebake your pie crust according to whatever the package says. usually it’s like 375°F for about 12 minutes or something. you want it golden brown.

 

I ALWAYS forget to poke holes in the bottom with a fork and then it puffs up weird in the middle, so learn from my mistakes and poke some holes. like maybe 10-15 holes? just stab it with a fork a bunch.

 

Let it cool completely while you make the filling. seriously, wait. I didn’t wait once and the filling just melted into a weird mess and I had to start over at 11pm which was NOT fun.

 

Put your chocolate chips in a big bowl and just leave them there for a minute. you’re gonna pour hot cream over them soon and it’s gonna be great. trust me on this.

 

Okay so heat your cream in a saucepan until it’s almost boiling. like you’ll see little bubbles around the edges but it’s not full-on boiling. medium heat works. this takes maybe 5 minutes? I usually scroll Instagram while I wait for it but don’t walk away completely because I’ve boiled it over before and that’s annoying to clean up.

 

Pour the hot cream over the chocolate and let it sit for like 2 minutes without touching it. I know it’s hard but just let it sit.

Then whisk it until it’s smooth and shiny. this is called a ganache apparently but whatever it’s just melted chocolate and cream. takes maybe a minute of whisking.

 

So here’s where it gets slightly annoying but not terrible. whisk your egg yolks and sugar together in a separate bowl until they’re lighter in color. maybe 2 minutes of whisking? my arm always gets tired and sometimes I make my husband do this part.

 

Take some of the chocolate mixture (like maybe ½ cup?) and slowly pour it into the egg yolks while whisking constantly.

 

This is tempering the eggs so they don’t scramble. first time I made this I just dumped it all in and got chocolate scrambled eggs which was… not cute. I literally had to throw the whole thing away and start over.

 

Then pour everything back into the saucepan with the rest of the chocolate mixture. cook it on medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until it thickens up a bit.

 

Maybe 5 minutes? it should coat the back of a spoon. I always think I’m gonna mess this up but it’s actually pretty forgiving. just keep stirring and don’t let it boil.

 

Take it off the heat and stir in the vanilla, salt, and butter. the butter makes it extra glossy and rich. like REALLY glossy.

 

Pour it into your cooled pie crust and smooth out the top. I use a spatula but you can use whatever. mine never looks perfectly smooth and that’s fine because you’re gonna cover it with whipped cream anyway.

 

Stick it in the fridge for at least 4 hours. I usually make this the night before and let it chill overnight. it needs time to set up properly or you’ll cut into it and it’ll be runny which happened to me on Christmas 2024 and I wanted to cry.

Done.

Tips that actually help

• You can add a tablespoon of instant espresso powder to the chocolate mixture if you want that chocolate-coffee thing going on. it doesn’t taste like coffee, it just makes the chocolate taste more chocolate-y somehow. my mom does this every time.
• If you’re feeling extra, crush some Oreos and press them into the bottom of the crust before adding the filling. my nephew requests this version every time now and honestly it’s become the default way I make it.
• The pie cuts cleaner if you dip your knife in hot water and wipe it off between slices. I literally never remember to do this but when I do it looks way better in photos.
• Make the whipped cream yourself okay actually Cool Whip is fine if you’re tired. but if you have 3 minutes, homemade is better – just heavy cream + sugar + vanilla in a bowl, beat it until fluffy.

Storage and my typical chaos

 

This keeps in the fridge for about 4 days covered with plastic wrap or foil. the filling stays firm and honestly it’s sometimes better on day 2 or 3.

 

funny story – I made this for a potluck once and put it in a container without labeling it. came home from the potluck and my husband had eaten like half of what was left at midnight because he thought it was “just chocolate pudding” and didn’t realize it was for my book club the next day.

 

I was SO mad. like I didn’t talk to him for like 3 hours the next morning which is dramatic but whatever I’m still annoyed thinking about it.

 

now I put labels on everything that say “DO NOT TOUCH – FOR [EVENT NAME]” in huge letters. he still ate my leftover birthday cake last month though so clearly the labels aren’t foolproof. thinking about getting a mini fridge with a lock at this point.

 

don’t freeze this. the texture gets weird when it thaws. just eat it within a few days or give slices to your neighbors who will love you forever.

Nutrition info (roughly)

 

 

Listen, it’s dessert. if you’re counting calories maybe have a smaller slice or just enjoy it and move on with your life. I refuse to feel guilty about pie.

Questions people ask me about this

 

Can I use milk chocolate instead of semi-sweet?

yeah but it’ll be sweeter. like really sweet. I did this once because that’s all I had and it was almost too much even for me. maybe use half milk chocolate and half semi-sweet if you want it sweeter but not crazy sweet.

 

What if I don’t have egg yolks?

you could try using 2 whole eggs instead of 4 yolks? I’ve never done it but I think it would work. the texture might be slightly different but probably not enough that anyone would notice… or honestly you could skip the eggs entirely and just make a straight ganache filling but it won’t be as thick. haven’t tried that either though so no promises.

 

Do I have to use heavy cream?

kind of yeah. I tried making this with half-and-half once because I was out of cream and it didn’t set up properly. it was more like chocolate soup in a pie crust. still tasted good but you couldn’t really slice it. so spring for the heavy cream if you can.

 

How do I know when the filling is thick enough?

the spoon test is your friend here. dip a spoon in the mixture and run your finger through it on the back of the spoon. if the line stays clean and doesn’t run back together, you’re good.

 

if it immediately fills back in, keep cooking it for another minute or two. I usually err on the side of cooking it a little longer because runny pie is sad and I’ve learned my lesson multiple times now.

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