An Old-Fashioned Chocolate Meringue Pie with a rich custard filling, a light and airy meringue and a tender pie crust always brings back memories of childhood. Nothing beats homemade pie just like grandma’s pie.
One of my great grandmother’s specialties was chocolate meringue pie. She would tirelessly whip those egg whites by hand. Thank goodness, I can let my Electric Mixer do the work! That takes some serious forearm strength.
Unfortunately I don’t have my great-grandmother’s recipe, but this one is very similar. It’s a recipe from Charlotte’s Eats & Sweets in Keo, Arkansas that was published in Southern Living Off the Eaten Path: Favorite Southern Dives and 150 Recipes that Made Them Famous
. I’ve altered the recipe just a little, reducing the vanilla extract and adding an extra egg white to the meringue.
This is a really solid recipe that produces a super-sweet chocolate filling that is balanced out by a meringue with just a touch of sweetness.
The cornstarch really helps the chocolate filing set up so that it holds its form when sliced and doesn’t make a soupy mess all over the plate. Don’t be intimidated by the meringue. It’s super easy. Just remember that eggs are easier to separate when they are cold but egg whites should be at room temperature when you make a meringue. And make sure to use a very clean and dry bowl. Just a tad of oil or grease will prevent the egg whites from whipping up nicely.
Once baked, cool the pie at room temperature for 1 hour and then refrigerate uncovered for 3 to 6 hours. To slice the pie, dip a knife in water before cutting each slice and don’t wipe the knife dry. The water will help prevent the pie from clinging to the knife.
To store leftovers, gently place a few toothpicks in the meringue and cover with plastic wrap. The toothpicks will prevent the plastic wrap from clinging to the meringue and messing it up.
Below are a few pictures from my weekend getaway in Beaufort, SC. Beaufort is the second oldest city in South Carolina and has a very rich and interesting history. And I feel quite sure there have been more than a few Chocolate Meringue Pies made in Beaufort through the years.
Historic home on Bay St.
Unlike many southern cities, Beaufort was not burned during the Civil War and there are still block after block of beautiful antebellum homes. Beaufort was one of the first southern towns to be captured by Union forces and many of the homes were used as hospitals during the war.
The stone home pictures above is next to the white one in the first picture and it is for sale for just under $1.2 million. All that stone looks rather foreboding doesn’t it?
If you sit on the front porch of either house you have this beautiful view of the Beaufort River.
Just a few blocks away on Craven St is the house pictured below which is one of my favorite in Beaufort. The house is so big, only part of it can be seen in the picture.
Known as “The Castle”, this home was used as a hospital during the war and an outbuilding out back was used as a morgue. The home is now said to be haunted. Like almost all of the historic homes in Beaufort, it is still a private residence. The wedding scene from the movie Forces of Nature was filmed in the front yard.
Walking the historic streets of Beaufort, lined with live oaks draped in Spanish moss, is one of my favorite things to do to unwind. With the breezes of the water and the sound of the seagulls, it’s hard not to relax. I’m hoping it won’t be long before I get to go back.
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Old-Fashioned Chocolate Meringue Pie
Ingredients
Pastry
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/3 cup shortening
- 3 to 4 tablespoons ice water
Chocolate Filling
- 1 cup sugar
- 1/4 cup plus 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/2 cups whole milk
- 1/2 cup evaporated milk
- 4 extra-large egg yolks,, beaten
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
Meringue
- 5 extra-large egg whites,, room temperature
- 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
- 1/4 cup sugar
Instructions
- Prepare Pastry. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Combine flour and salt in a large bowl. Cut shortening into flour with a pastry blender until mixture resembles small peas. Push mixture to one side of bowl.
- Drizzle 1 tablespoon water along edge of flour mixture. Use a fork to toss some of the flour mixture into water. Move mixture to opposite side of bowl and repeat with 2 more tablespoons of water.
- Gather the dough together with your hands. You can add a little more water if the mixture is too dry, but it is best to add as little water as possible. Shape dough into a disk and place on a lightly floured work surface.
- Roll dough to 1/8-inch thickness and place in a 9-inch pie plate. Trim excess pastry and fold edges under and crimp. Prick bottom and sides with a fork and bake for 9 minutes, until golden brown. Set pie crust aside to cool and reduce oven to 325 degrees.
- Prepare Chocolate Filling. In a medium saucepan, combine sugar, cornstarch, unsweetened cocoa, and salt. Gradually whisk in both milks.
- Cook, whisking constantly, over medium-high heat until mixture comes to a boil. Boil for 1 minute whisking continuously.
- Remove from heat and gradually whisk a small amount of hot mixture into egg yolks. Continue to add hot mixture to egg yolks while whisking constantly until approximately 1/4 of the mixture has been added to the egg yolks.
- Pour egg yolk mixture into the saucepan and whisk well.
- Cook mixture, stirring constantly, over medium heat for 3 minutes.
- Remove from heat and whisk in butter and vanilla extract. Cover with plastic wrap and keep warm.
- Prepare meringue. Using an electric mixer, beat egg whites and cream of tartar at high speed until foamy. Gradually add sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time. Beat until stiff peaks form and sugar dissolves.
- Pour chocolate filling into pie crust. Spread meringue over filling, sealing the edges. Bake at 325 degrees for 20 minutes, or until meringue is golden. Cool completely before slicing.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Linking up with the Weekend Potluck at The Country Cook.
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Thanks so very much for this recipe , my mom made a pie just like this and i have looked forever for something close to her, this was it exactly. It turned out perfect. Thanks Again
So happy you found one like your mother’s pie Debbie!
I have been looking for an old fashioned chocolate pie recipe for years that resembled our great aunt’s recipe. This is the closest I’ve found. I made it yesterday and the taste was spot on but sadly it was more like soup. I know I didn’t let it sit for an hour on the counter or 3-6 hours in the fridge but I’m curious if lactose free milk could also cause problems. Thoughts? I’m determined to make this again because the taste was so good but I messed up the consistency. I’m lactose intolerant so I’m hoping my lack of patience caused the problem.
I don’t think lactose-free milk should have had an effect. Make sure you cook the filling for a full three minutes. It’s the cooking part that really gets it to thicken up. Also, definitely take the time to let it cool, and refrigerate it for at least 3 hours. Hope you have success!
I also am lactose intolerant. I recently used lactose free milk in a chocolate pie recipe & it turned out great. You probably cut it too soon.
If you use powdered sugar when making meringue,
The meringue will not weep. I am 70 yes old and have used this swap since I learned to cook from my dad!
He was a baker and had many tips he passed on to me. Roll your dough over your pin and unroll over pie pan. Easy transfer!
That is such a great tip about using powdered sugar for a meringue. Thank you Linda. I will give it a try next time I make one. 🙂
What does weep mean? How much powdered sugar
It’s technically called syneresis. It when the meringue starts to break down and releases a watery looking sticky substance (usually after about 12-24 hours). When swapping the sugars, would start by using about 1/2, which would be 2-3 Tbsp of powdered sugar
Do you mean do 1/2 cup sugar and 2-3 tbsp of powdered sugar instead of 1 cup sugar as the recipe calls for?? I am making this for my husbands grandmother this weekend and I really want to get this right!! She will know if somethings up, hahahaha. Thanks in advance!
I cannot thank you enough. We have been searching for our grandmother’s recipe for years. They lived on my father’s farm and things had to be quick, easy, foolproof and delicious. She made this chocolate pie a lot and it was always my brother’s favorite. I can see the two pies (she always made two) sitting on the shelf in the utility room right now just begging to be eaten.
We have tried many recipes before and they were never quite right. My brother made this recently and it is spot on. Bravo! I can’t wait to try it myself.
Thank you for giving us back a part of our culinary heritage.
How sweet! Recipes that remind us of family members are the best. This one seems to have just the right chocolate flavor doesn’t it? I wish my brother baked pies 🙂
My hubby’s favorite pie is chocolate with meringue top. His Grandma made it for him all the time when he was small. always scared me, but I think I can do this. Your recipe is very detailed, thank you. Will let you know how it turns out.
Hope it turns out wonderfully for you Linda!
Wonderful recipe. Cannot wait to make it, but I always have trouble with my meringue weeping, any suggestions. By the way love the pics of the old historical homes, one of my passions, visiting those
Historic homes are so much fun to visit aren’t they? Here’s a link to a good discussion on meringue weeping that may help you Betty- http://www.thefreshloaf.com/node/18837/why-does-my-meringue-weep
Thank you for the information. Will try the cornstarch. After readings all the comments, I think this is a common problem. One review said eat the whole pie, that would solve the problem , that is the best answer.
Haha! Yes, eating the whole pie right away ids the simplest way to solve it!
My mom used to make chocolate pies like this every Thanksgiving and Christmas. They’re still her favorite, but she lost her recipe and I’ve been too intimidated to try to make one myself. Your recipe looks a lot like hers though, so I think I’m going to give it a whirl! I’ve made a lot of your recipes and you never disappoint!
Good luck with the pie and I hope it tastes like the recipe your mother lost! 🙂
I just made this and it is absolutely delicious. Don’t think I’ll ever need another chocolate pie recipe. This one is too good to pass up!!!
So glad you enjoyed it Sarah!
I have been looking for a chocolate pie recipe, the kind my lovely grandmother used to make. I made this pie this morning and it turned out wonderful!!!! I “licked” the pan before I washed it………..mmmmmmmmm 🙂
Made it today, and was absolutely perfect. I love it!
So glad you loved it! Thanks for taking the time to let me know and hope you had a wonderful Easter!