This Chocolate Meringue Pie is one of my favorite recipes. I can’t really tell you where it came from, who invented it, or who it “belongs” to (a big deal in the food blogging world), but what I can tell you is that it’s magic.
Magic in that it can disappear. Right before your eyes. Before you know it, it’ll be completely gone without a trace. Except for maybe the telltale smudges around a few little mouths :-)
This was my Uncle Bud’s favorite pie. His wife, my Aunt Marjorie, was one of the best cooks I’ve ever known. Aunt Marjorie taught me Chemistry and maybe Biology, I forget, in high school, but I believe she was actually a home economics major.
She was an absolute whiz in the kitchen and a wonderful homemaker along with being a professional, career woman. I have to believe she would thoroughly approve of my chocolate pie recipe. And I have no doubt you will, too!
Fair warning – this pie is very sweet and very, very rich. You’ll only need a small slice (yeah, right). It easily serves 8 and could stretch to 10.
Chocolate Meringue Pie - an old fashioned, rich, and deliciously indulgent dessert. Click To Tweet
How to Make Chocolate Meringue Pie:
In a medium bowl, whisk the 3 egg yolks until thick and lemon colored. Set aside.
In a medium saucepan, combine sugar, cocoa, salt, and cornstarch.
Stir in about one cup of the milk. Place over medium high heat and with a large whisk, gradually add the remaining milk, whisking constantly until well blended.
Bring to a low boil. Cook for about 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Add a small amount of the hot mixture to the egg yolks, stirring well, then add the egg mixture back to the cocoa mixture in the saucepan. Cook for about 2 minutes, stirring constantly.
Remove from the heat and stir in the butter and vanilla.
Pour into the cooked, cooled pie shell.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Add the egg whites to a large mixing bowl. Beat on medium speed until foamy. Gradually add the 1/4 cup sugar. Increase speed to high and continue to beat until stiff peaks form.
Spread immediately on hot filling and bake for 12 to 15 minutes until golden brown on top.
Makes 8 servings.
Enjoy!
Chocolate Meringue Pie
Ingredients
- 3 eggs, separated
- 1 1/4 cups sugar
- 1/2 cup cocoa powder
- 1/4 tsp. salt
- 1/3 cup cornstarch
- 3 cups milk
- 3 tblsp. butter, softened
- 1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 9-inch baked and cooled pie shell
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, whisk the 3 egg yolks until thick and lemon colored. Set aside.
- In a medium saucepan, combine sugar, cocoa, salt, and cornstarch. Stir in about one cup of the milk. Place over medium high heat and with a large whisk, gradually add the remaining milk, whisking constantly until well blended. Bring to a low boil. Cook for about 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat.
- Add a small amount of the hot mixture to the egg yolks, stirring well, then add the egg mixture back to the cocoa mixture in the saucepan. Cook for about 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from the heat and stir in the butter and vanilla. Pour into the cooked, cooled pie shell.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Add the egg whites to a large mixing bowl. Beat on medium speed until foamy. Gradually add the 1/4 cup sugar. Increase speed to high and continue to beat until stiff peaks form.
- Spread immediately on hot filling and bake for 12 to 15 minutes until golden brown on top.
Notes
All text and photographs on Never Enough Thyme are copyright protected. Please do not use any material from this site without obtaining prior permission. If you'd like to post this recipe on your site, please create your own original photographs and either re-write the recipe in your own words or link to this post.
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More Pie Recipes on Never Enough Thyme
More chocolate pie recipes you might enjoy:
- Chocolate Pecan Pie from Handle the Heat
- Chocolate Chess Pie from Add a Pinch
- Mile High Chocolate Stout Pie from The Beeroness
- Chocolate Cream Pie from Tide and Thyme
- Chocolate Dream Pie from Taste and Tell
PJ Copeland says
atMy husband doesn’t like meringue. Much prefers whipped cream. Would the pie still need to be baked if I do not use the meringue?
Lana Stuart says
atPJ – no, you would not bake it if not topping with meringue. The baking is for cooking the meringue. Just cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.
Dianne Evans says
atWhen I had my little Home Sweet Home Bakery in NC, I sold hundreds of this pie…one of the favorites. This exact recipe is in my cookbook, “Turnip Greens, Ham Hocks & Granny’s Buns” ! I take it to family gatherings…a favorite! I compared our recipes and they were exactly the same…South Georgia girls!!!! Love your site…Dianne
Lana Stuart says
atYes, this recipe has been around for a long time! I have a feeling it was developed by Hershey to sell cocoa powder :-)
Denisa says
atHi Lana… I just had to tell you that I made this pie last night and it literally is the first of who knows how many failed attempts that it set up and worked! They always tasted and looked fantastic but practically needed a straw to eat it. I thought I had tried every variation but seems I have barely scratched the surface. I am making 2 more today as I am so excited to show any and everyone that’s had mine in the past.
Anyway – thanks so very much for posting this and making such a large part of my youth back to life. Sincerely- denise
Lana Stuart says
atI’m so happy to know that the recipe worked out well for you! It’s definitely a good one.
Miss P says
atOooooh…. when I saw the picture, I immediately said “Uncle Bud.” He would have loved it. And, Aunt Margie was hands down a fantastic cook, especially sweets.
Thanks for the memory.
Miss P
Lana Stuart says
atI know. I was thinking of him the whole time I was making this pie. And Aunt Margie was something else in the kitchen!
Rocquie says
atMy Mother used to make this when I was a girl. My Dad absolutely loved it. Thanks for the memory. –Rocquie
Penny Hein says
atMy momma made the best chocolate meringue pie,but every time l have tried the bottom of crust is soggy,l always wanted for pudding to cool completely before putting in cooled baked pie shell,then l put meringue on and put in oven to brown.Is that the problem ,should l put pudding in shell as soon as it cooks,without cooling it then put meringue on and put in oven,my mom is no longer with us and my son’s miss her chocolate pie so much,please help what am l doing wrong.
Lana Stuart says
atIt’s always hard to say what might be wrong without being in the kitchen with someone, but a couple of things you can try to prevent a soggy crust are 1) brush the crust with beaten egg and 2) bake on a hot baking sheet (heat the sheet in the oven while it preheats). Hope that helps!
Anonia Tutor says
atI’m a student at South Pontotoc Middle School in Mississippi I love this recipe and was going to use this picture in a website of mine but i have one question what is the copyright?
Lana Stuart says
atHi Anonia. Thanks very much for asking. All images on my site are protected by copyright. However, I would give you permission to use it on your web site so long as you are not using it for profit. I’d like to see how you’ve used it if you’d could send me a link when you’ve placed it in your web site.