In my book, simple is good and simply chocolate is even better. This chocolate chess pie is chocolately enough for chocolate addicts and special enough to serve when brownies just wouldn’t suffice, but super easy to make – even by folks who swear that they absolutely cannot bake.

Chess pie is a Southern American specialty that includes butter, sugar, eggs, and flavoring, sometimes with a tad of flour, but not much else. I came upon a chocolate version, first published by Nancie McDermott, a true expert on Southern cooking and later adapted by TheKitchn and The Accidental Southerner. All three of those sources use unsweetened chocolate, while I use a mix of semi-sweet and bittersweet. The bottom line is that the pie looks rustic and crackly on the top and tastes delicious all the way through.

Think of a chocolate cheesecake without the cheese or a not-too-sweet chocolate pecan pie, without molasses or pecans. Neither analogy is perfect, but you get the picture – slightly dense and rich without being overly sweet. Serve chocolate chess pie with a dollop of whipped cream or a small scoop of high quality vanilla ice cream and you’ve got a dessert has a high “wow factor”.

Chocolate Chess Pie

Servings – 8      Cost – $5

Ingredients

Crust

• 1½ cups graham crackers (1 sleeve + 2 extra)
• 5 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into chunks
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• Pinch of salt (not pictured)

Filling

• 7½ tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into chunks
• 2½ ounces semi-sweet and/or bittersweet chocolate (I use half and half), in chips or chopped into small pieces
• ¾ cup + 1 tablespoon sugar
• 2 eggs at room temperature, lightly beaten
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• Optional topping: 1 cup whipping cream (whipped with 2 tablespoons of sugar and a dash of vanilla or vanilla ice cream

Preparation

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
• Melt the butter for the crust. (I microwave it for about 2 minutes on medium, checking and stirring during that time.)
• Crush the graham crackers in tightly closed ziplock plastic bag, using a rolling pin or a wine bottle. Don’t worry about mashing each bit to smithereens, but the crumbs should be small. Add the crumbs, salt, and sugar to the melted butter and stir them together to moisten all the crumbs. Press the mixture into the pie pan, beginning with the fork, but ending with your fingers, so that the mixture is pressed down. For the sides, put the side of your second finger on one hand on the top of the side and the other hand’s second finger just below it, so that the sides are pressed into the pan and adhere to the sides.

• Place the pie pan on the cookie sheet and bake for 8-19 minutes. (Moving the cookie sheet is easier than moving the pie pan and the sheet helps prevent burning on the bottom of the pan.) If bubbles have formed in the crust, gently burst them with the tines of the fork. Let the crust cool before filling it.
• Lower the heat on the oven to 325 degrees F.
• For the filling, melt the butter and chocolate together. Again, I use the microwave. If you melt them on the stovetop, be careful not to burn the chocolate. Using a double boiler helps. (A double boiler includes a pot with a few inches of water simmering below the pot with the ingredients. That way, the butter and chocolate never touch the flame.) Whether microwaved or melted on the stovetop, gently stir the butter and chocolate to smoothly combine them.

• Add the eggs, vanilla and salt to the melted butter and chocolate and spread the filling in the pie pan, on top of the crust.

• Bake the pie (again on top of a cookie sheet), for 40-50 minutes. If the edges of the crust begin to get dark, cover them with a ring of tin foil or a pie shield. (The foil or shield protects the crust from further baking while the pie continues to bake.) At 40 minutes the pie is a bit gooey. I prefer the longer cooking time until the middle will be set when cooled.

• Remove the pie from the oven and set on a wire rack to cool completely. Do not cut the pie until the bottom of the pie pan feels about room temperature.

If you are eating the pie more than 2 hours after it comes out of the oven, refrigerate it. Here’s why I recommend refrigerating the pie instead of keeping it on the counter.

Serve with whipped cream or rich vanilla ice cream (optional) for a marvelous contrast in textures and tastes.

Chocolate Chess Pie

Servings – 8      Cost – $5

Ingredients

Crust

• 1½ cups graham crackers (1 sleeve + 2 extra)
• 7 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 tablespoon less than a stick), cut into chunks
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• Pinch of salt (not pictured)

Filling

• 7½ tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into chunks
• 2½ ounces semi-sweet and/or bittersweet chocolate (I use half and half), in chips or chopped into small pieces
• ¾ cup + 1 tablespoon sugar
• 2 eggs at room temperature, lightly beaten
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• Optional topping: 1 cup whipping cream (whipped with 2 tablespoons of sugar and a dash of vanilla or vanilla ice cream

Preparation

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
• Melt the butter for the crust. (I microwave it for about 2 minutes on medium, checking and stirring during that time.)
• Crush the graham crackers in tightly closed ziplock plastic bag, using a rolling pin or a wine bottle. Don’t worry about mashing each bit to smithereens, but the crumbs should be small. Add the crumbs, salt, and sugar to the melted butter and stir them together to moisten all the crumbs. Press the mixture into the pie pan, beginning with the fork, but ending with your fingers, so that the mixture is pressed down. For the sides, put the side of your second finger on one hand on the top of the side and the other hand’s second finger just below it, so that the sides are pressed into the pan and adhere to the sides.
• Place the pie pan on the cookie sheet and bake for 8-19 minutes. (Moving the cookie sheet is easier than moving the pie pan and the sheet helps prevent burning on the bottom of the pan.) If bubbles have formed in the crust, gently burst them with the tines of the fork. Let the crust cool before filling it.
• Lower the heat on the oven to 325 degrees F.
• For the filling, melt the butter and chocolate together. Again, I use the microwave. If you melt them on the stovetop, be careful not to burn the chocolate. Using a double boiler helps. (A double boiler includes a pot with a few inches of water simmering below the pot with the ingredients. That way, the butter and chocolate never touch the flame.) Whether microwaved or melted on the stovetop, gently stir the butter and chocolate to smoothly combine them.
• Add the eggs, vanilla and salt to the melted butter and chocolate and spread the filling in the pie pan, on top of the crust.
• Bake the pie (again on top of a cookie sheet), for 40-50 minutes. If the edges of the crust begin to get dark, cover them with a ring of tin foil or a pie shield. (The foil or shield protects the crust from further baking while the pie continues to bake.) At 40 minutes the pie is a bit gooey. I prefer the longer cooking time until the middle will be set when cooled.
• Remove the pie from the oven and set on a wire rack to cool completely. Do not cut the chocolate chess pie until the bottom of the pie pan feels about room temperature.