Chess Pie is a delicious classic that’sec perfect for a celebration or vacation gathering. Its multi-layer decadence, luscious texture as well as sweet, rich flavor is but sublime!
What is Chess Pie?
Chess pie is a popular dessert in the American South that originated from England. It is a custard fashion pie alongside a crisp browned topping.
It is generally made upward of a traditional pie crust piece the filling consists of eggs, milk or buttermilk, flour, saccharide as well as often vinegar or lemon.
You’ll beloved this pie non exclusively for it’s irresistible sugariness season merely as well because it’sec i of the easier pies to brand.
No peeling as well as chopping loads of fruit or making a tricky curd or meringue. Rather here y'all merely blend just about standard baking ingredients and pour into a pie crust too bake.
Why is it called chess pie?
There are really several beliefs as to where the refer originally came from. You can read almost 3 of them hither.
What makes this the best chess pie?
I similar this version best because of the browned butter. This secret element is the ultimate upgrade to chess pie.
It adds a slightly caramel-similar, even nutty flavour to the pie.
And once you effort it this fashion I take the feeling it’second the solely manner y'all’ll make it from hither on out!
Watch the Video!
Chess Pie Ingredients
- Standard pie crust: Homemade is best of course only shop bought will go fine as well to salvage fourth dimension.
- Salted butter: I always thinks salted butter tastes best when browned, addition this pie is rather sugariness and so the salty butter balances that out.
- Granulated carbohydrate: Traditional chess pie uses TWO cups saccharide merely I’ve establish that to be mode also sweetness and so I’ve cut back by iii/iv cup.
- Cornmeal: This adds that traditional golden brown crusted layer on meridian yous’ll find in classic southern chess pie.
- All-function flour: Only a modest amount is needed to assistance inward thickening.
- Salt: This is a critical component to go along the pie from tasting apartment in addition to balancing sweet.
- Milk: I like whole milk for extra richness.
- White vinegar: This offers the pie a real low-cal tang as well as brings a multi dimensional season.
- Vanilla extract: Very often when baking I like to add a fair total of vanilla only hither I intend we don’t want to overdue it too overpower the season of the browned butter. Seeds of ane/ii a vanilla bean would be too live delicious inwards its place.
- Eggs: Unfortunately in that location are no substitutes for this element. Eggs are a must to attain the proper flavor as well as consistency.
How to Make Chess Pie
- Prepare pie crust: Roll pie crust out almost 12-inches, transfer to a touchstone pie plate. Shape into pie plate and decorate edges equally desired.
- Chill crust: Chill until crust is more than business firm, near one 60 minutes.
- Brown butter: Melt butter inward a medium, low-cal-colored skillet. Let cook, stirring often until it has a nutty olfactory property together with has browned (careful not to burn it, it should be an amber brown).
- Cool butter: Pour into a dish in addition to permit cool 1 60 minutes.
- Preheat oven and baking sail: Place a baking sheet inward oven and preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Beat eggs: In a mixing bowl beat eggs lightly to blend.
- Separately mix dry ingredients: In a separate mixing bowl whisk together granulated sugar, cornmeal, flour in addition to salt.
- Blend inwards wet ingredients: Pour inward browned butter, milk, vinegar too vanilla and mix and so add eggs and mix well.
- Bake until about ready: Pour into prepared crust as well as bake on baking sail inwards preheated oven until edges are puffy together with set up but center just wiggles slightly, about 45 – 55 minutes.
- Let cool in addition to piece: Transfer to a wire rack to cool xxx minutes before slicing and serving.
My Favorite Pie Crust Recipe
My favorite pie crust recipe is the ane I’ve used here, omitting the saccharide (since this pie is already plenty sweetness). Prepare through stride ii as directed so follow recipe hither every bit directed.
How to Store
Pie should be stored in refrigerator. Personally I intend it’second best served within two days.
Variations
- Lemon Chess Pie: Use iii Tbsp lemon juice inwards place of vinegar. Add ii Tbsp lemon zest along alongside liquids. Butter does non involve to be browned.
- Chocolate Chess Pie: These ratios are quite a scrap unlike, follow a recipe like this 1.
- Coconut Chess Pie: After adding eggs stir inward ane ane/ii cups shredded kokosnoot together with ane tsp kokosnoot extract. Browning butter is optional for this version.
- Buttermilk Chess Pie: Replace milk with one/ii loving cup buttermilk.
- Honey Chess Pie: Replace i one/iv cups carbohydrate with i cup love.
- Optional garnishing variation: Dust pie with a picayune cinnamon or powdered carbohydrate.
More Classic Southern Pie Recipes You’ll Love
Chess Pie
Ingredients
- i prepared pie crust (homemade* or store-bought, unbaked)
- i/2 loving cup (113g) salted butter, diced into 1-Tbsp pieces
- ane one/iv loving cup (250g) granulated carbohydrate
- two Tbsp (22g) cornmeal
- i Tbsp (10g) all-use flour
- one/iv tsp table salt
- ane/3 loving cup whole milk
- i Tbsp white vinegar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 4 big eggs
Instructions
- Roll pie crust out nearly 12-inches so ringlet upwardly about rolling pivot in addition to transfer to a touchstone pie plate. Unroll together with shape into pie plate as well as decorate edges every bit desired. Chill until crust is house, at to the lowest degree 1 60 minutes.
- Melt butter inward a medium, light-colored skillet. Let make, stirring oftentimes until it has a nutty smell together with has browned (careful not to fire it, it should live an amber dark-brown). Pour into a dish as well as permit cool i hour.
- Place a baking sheet in oven as well as preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- In a mixing bowl trounce eggs lightly to blend.
- In a classify mixing bowl whisk together granulated saccharide, cornmeal, flour together with salt.
- Pour inward browned butter, milk, vinegar as well as vanilla to saccharide mixture in addition to blend. Add eggs as well as mix until well combined.
- Pour into prepared crust in addition to bake on baking sail inwards preheated oven until edges are ready simply heart but wiggles slightly, nearly 45 - 55 minutes.
- Transfer to a wire rack to cool xxx minutes earlier slicing together with serving. Store pie inward refrigerator.
Notes
Amount Per Serving
Calories 452
Calories from Fat 243
% Daily Value*