Finally, A Chocolate Pie That Can Satisfy Even The Biggest Chocoholic's Craving

People typically think that pies are a dessert where fruit should be the star. And sure, I adore a good apple pie or strawberry rhubarb as much as the next pie-obsessed person. But there’s something about a richer than rich, super-unctuous chocolate pie that can really take a dessert spread from good to incredible.

Though most chocolate pies use an Oreo crust, I wanted a buttery flaky crust with a hint of cocoa so you get that slight bittersweetness you come to crave from something chocolatey. The filling is a decadent custard that comes together super-quickly and is essentially foolproof.

Some folks might use a water bath to ensure they have a pristine, clean top of their pie. I find them kind of fussy, and I figured we were going to slather on whipped cream anyway, so why bother!

Speaking of whipped cream, the one on this pie is made slightly tangy and tart with the addition of sour cream. It adds a bit of bite that helps to cut through the richness of the chocolate. If this isn’t your cup of tea, feel free to just sub in regular whipped cream. If you don’t manage to eat it all on the first go round, you can store it in the fridge for up to 5 days.

Yields: 8-10

Prep Time: 15 mins

Total Time: 4 hours

Ingredients

Crust

• 1 c.

  (120 g.) all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting

• 3/4 c.

  unsweetened cocoa powder

• 1/2 c.

  (55 g.) powdered sugar

• 1/2 tsp.

  kosher salt

• 1/2 c.

  (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/4″ pieces

• 3 tbsp.

  (or more) ice water

Custard & Sour Cream Whipped Cream

• 3/4 c.

  whole milk

• 3 1/4 c.

  heavy cream, divided

• 4 oz.

  semisweet chocolate, finely chopped

• 2 oz.

  unsweetened chocolate, finely chopped

• 6

  large egg yolks

• 1/4 c.

  granulated sugar

• 1/4 tsp.

  kosher salt

• 2 tbsp.

  powdered sugar

• 3 tbsp.

  sour cream or crème fraîche

Chocolate shavings, for serving

Directions

Crust

1. In a large bowl, whisk flour, cocoa powder, powdered sugar, and salt. Using your fingers or a pastry blender, work butter into dry ingredients until small, pea-size pieces form.
2. Add water, 1 tablespoon at a time, until dough starts to come together and is moist but not wet and sticky (test by squeezing some with your fingers). If dough isn’t coming together, add 1 tablespoon more water.
3. Turn out dough onto a lightly floured surface. Roll to a disk about 1″ thick. Wrap with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 1 hour or up to 3 days.
4. On floured surface, roll dough to a 12″ circle, then unfurl into a 9″ pie plate. Press dough into bottom and up sides of dish. Trim excess dough, then crimp edges. Refrigerate until cold, about 25 minutes.
5. Preheat oven to 400º. Place parchment over dough, then add pie weights or dried beans.
6. Bake crust until set and slightly darker in color, about 15 minutes. Remove pie weights and let cool.

Custard & Sour Cream Whipped Cream

1. Preheat oven to 325º. In a large pot over medium-high heat, combine milk and 2 1/4 cups cream. Bring to a boil, then remove from heat. Whisk in semisweet and unsweetened chocolates until melted and smooth.
2. In a large bowl, mix egg yolks, granulated sugar, and salt. Temper yolks by adding a few ladles of chocolate mixture into yolk mixture and whisking to combine. Continue to gradually add chocolate mixture until combined.
3. Strain chocolate mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into a large measuring cup or bowl. Pour custard into crust.
4. Bake pie until custard is mostly set with a bit of a jiggle in the center (some slight cracking is fine), 35 to 40 minutes. Let cool to room temperature, then refrigerate at least 1 hour or up to overnight.
5. Right before serving, in the large bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment (or in a large bowl using an electric mixer), on medium-high speed, beat powdered sugar and remaining 1 cup cream until stiff peaks form. Fold in sour cream.
6. Top cooled pie with whipped cream and chocolate shavings.

Chocolate Pie