There’s nothing more comforting than a slice of Old Fashioned Chocolate Pie served with a good story. This classic Southern dessert is simple, quick, and undeniably delicious. The filling comes together with pantry staples, and you can finish the pie with whipped cream, meringue, or serve it plain.
This recipe comes from Pulitzer Prize winner Rick Bragg, a fellow Southerner from Alabama known for his vivid, true-to-life storytelling. It appears in his book The Best Cook in the World: Tales from My Momma’s Southern Table.
Ingredients
Simple ingredients make this pie shine. For a 9″ pie you’ll need cocoa, sugar, flour, egg yolks, milk, butter, vanilla, a pinch of salt, and a prepared pie crust.
I use Pillsbury roll-out pie dough, though a ready-made pie shell works fine. Note that some pre-made crusts are 8″ inch; if you use an 8″ shell you may have a bit of filling left over.
How to make it
- This vintage recipe keeps the crust straightforward: thaw refrigerated roll-out dough until pliable, then roll it onto an ungreased pie plate and press into place. Crimp the edges if you like and set aside.
- Separate the eggs. In one bowl whisk the egg yolks with the milk and vanilla.
- In a separate bowl combine the dry ingredients: cocoa, sugar, flour, and salt.
- Pour the wet mixture into the dry ingredients and stir until smooth.
- Transfer to a deep saucepan and cook over medium-high heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens—about 5 minutes. Add the butter in thirds, stirring well after each addition. When large bubbles form and pop, the filling is nearly done.
- Pour the thickened filling into the prepared pie shell and bake uncovered on the middle rack at 350ºF.
Expert tips
Here are a few practical notes from my experience making the pie using Ada’s directions:
- Rick Bragg’s original instruction says to bake “until the top starts to crack” (10–15 minutes). Oven differences matter—my pie required about 25 minutes at 350ºF, so check for doneness rather than relying on time alone.
How to know when it’s done
If the center jiggles when you pull the pie from the oven, it likely needs more time.
Test by inserting a toothpick in the center. If it comes out clean and the surface shows small cracks, the pie is done.
Allow the pie to cool before slicing. If you need to serve it quickly, chill it in the refrigerator to speed setting.
Ada didn’t add a topping to her pie; I like mine with homemade whipped cream, but you can serve it plain or dress it up — either works well.
Let the pie rest before slicing or adding whipped cream. This straightforward, old-fashioned chocolate pie is a timeless favorite.
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Old Fashioned Chocolate Pie
Ingredients
- 1 stick butter , room temperature
- 2½ tablespoons cocoa powder
- 3 tablespoons flour , all-purpose
- 1 cup sugar , granulated
- ¼ teaspoon salt , table salt
- 3 large egg yolks
- 2 cups milk , 2% or whole
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 pie shell 9″ inch; I use one 9″inch Pillsbury roll-out pie dough
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 350ºF
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Thaw refrigerated pie dough at room temperature for 15 minutes; once thawed, roll onto ungreased pie plate; set aside1 pie shell
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In a medium bowl, combine flour, sugar, salt and cocoa
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In a second bowl, add lightly beaten egg yolks, milk and vanilla extract; combine well
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Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients; stir until smooth
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Pour mixture into a medium to large saucepan and cook on medium-high, stirring constantly
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Add butter in thirds, stirring after each addition, until filling thickens and big bubbles form and pop
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Pour thickened filling into pie shell
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Bake at 350ºF for 15 minutes on the middle rack, uncovered. Check the center with a toothpick. If still jiggly, bake an additional 10 minutes and re-check.
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Allow pie to cool before serving or adding whipped cream
Notes
- The original recipe suggests 10–12 minutes of baking, but depending on your oven the pie may take closer to 25 minutes total.
- No need to grease the pie pan.
- You don’t need to prebake the pie shell; pour the filling into the unbaked shell.
- A few small cracks on the surface are normal.
- If the crust begins to brown too quickly, move the pie to the top rack and continue until the center is set.
CREDIT LINE: “Old Fashioned Chocolate Pie” from THE BEST COOK IN THE WORLD: TALES FROM MY MOMMA’S TABLE by Rick Bragg, copyright © 2018 by Rick Bragg. Used by permission of Alfred A. Knopf, an imprint of the Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group, a division of Penguin Random House LLC. All rights reserved.