Chess pie is a holiday tradition in my husband’s family. It was his grandmother’s specialty, and now his brother bakes it for family dinners.
For years, I never made it myself since I didn’t think I could duplicate or compete with their original version. But my kids, husband, and I like it so much that I decided to finally give it a try. Not their classic buttermilk version, though. I’ll leave that to my brother-in-law. I’ve decided to master the chocolate version.
I found several recipes online for chocolate chess pie. I started with the recipe from Gooseberry Patch, but somehow I didn’t have unsweetened baking chocolate on hand so I altered it just a bit. I used miniature semi-sweet chocolate chips instead and reduced the sugar a bit – see below. (No time for a trip to the store – the picture looked good and I wanted to make it immediately!)
Everyone agreed that it turned out great! I consider my husband an expert chess pie taster, and he gave it two thumbs up.
Chocolate Chess Pie
1 stick butter (1/2 cup)
3 tablespoons semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/3 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 tablespoon milk
1 teaspoon all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
9-inch pie crust
Melt butter and chocolate together in a small saucepan over low heat. In a medium bowl, mix sugars, eggs, milk, flour, and vanilla. I added a dash of cinnamon since I think it enhances everything! Add melted chocolate mixture gradually and beat until smooth. Pour the filling into an unbaked pie crust. (It may look like there’s not enough filling, but it bakes up.) Bake at 325° for 40-45 minutes. Cool and serve. It’s great topped with whipped cream!
