My Mini Chocolate Chess Pie will be the most decadently, dangerously delicious little thing you will ever put into your mouth. You have been officially warned.
Mini Chocolate Chess Pie Recipe
Chocolate Chess Pie is a popular dessert in Southern part of the U.S. Today, we are going to make mini versions of this good-old southern pie. To say I am excited is an understatement.
Chocolate desserts might not be the best thing for the waistline, but it is good for the soul. It’s a good solution to a bad day, and has the uncanny ability to make me smile. I am certain heaven is drenched in chocolate.
My love for Chocolate Chess Pie developed (and exploded like crazy) during my years living in Memphis, Tennessee. I am a homebody at heart, and my idea of a good Friday is coming home from work after a long day, get take out, decompress by watching tv, and end the night with Muddy’s Bake Shop‘s Coco Chanel Chocolate Chess Pie.
Oh my goodness. Muddy’s might be famous for their cupcakes, but they have the most amazing Chocolate Chess Pie.
It took me many years to make one that taste just as delicious as theirs, and after I succeeded, I started making mini ones recently because why not?
They are cute, fun, just as delicious, and from a practical standpoint…portion control.
How to make Mini Chocolate Chess Pie
For the pie crust, you can make your own, or use a store-bought one. For this recipe I am using the classic Pillsbury pie crust. One box, with two round crusts in it, is plenty enough to make a dozen little pies (one muffin pan).
Use a 4 inch cookie cutter to cut out circles…
Then roll circles out to ~5 inches in diameter. Alternatively, you can use your palms or fingers to press and flatten it out.
The rolled-out mini pie crust might be bigger than what the muffin cups looks to fit, but that is okay. Fold the sides of the mini crusts all around and gently push the crusts into the cups if needed – and it doesn’t have to be perfect. A little bit of imperfection gives the pies a bit more character. I also think it’s neat when they look slightly different from one another.
The secret in these little pies is the fabulous melted dark chocolate, in addition to cocoa powder, in the filling. Melted dark chocolate. Yum. It intensifies the chocolate flavors in the filling, bringing the yummy factor up ten notches. I think my stomach just made a hungry sound.
Mix wet ingredients together – melted butter, melted dark chocolate, vanilla extract, evaporated milk and eggs. And then mix the dry ingredients together – sugar, unsweetened cocoa powder and sugar. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and mix it up well. Then put your nose to the bowl and take a deep breath. The filling smells so…darn…good.
I always make my husband smell it and he would say he doesn’t smell anything. One of the things I learned from being married is that we all have different levels of ability to smell things. So if you are like my husband, hang tight, even if you can’t smell it, I promise you the best is yet to come.
After all the smelling, or not smelling 🙂 , fill up the mini pies with the chocolate filling.
Bake on 350 degrees F for 25 minutes. Let it cool in the muffin tin for about 15 minutes, and gently lift these pretty little pies out.
They are beautiful to look at, but even better when you put it into your mouth. Warm, gooey, melt-in-your-mouth rich chocolate filling wrapped around with a thin layer of flaky crust.
I keep leftovers in the fridge and heat it up in the microwave for about 15-20 seconds to warm up the chocolaty goodness when I want to serve them again. It taste just as good as it is fresh off the oven.
Don’t forget to top these little cuties with some whipped cream.
I’m telling you – you need this in your life. Try it out, enjoy it, and then share the goodness with someone!
ENJOYED THIS RECIPE? Let us know how it was by leaving a rating and review below! 🤍
More Chocolate Goodness on the blog!
- Molten Chocolate Lava Cake
- Caramel White Chocolate Chip Chocolate Cookies
- Homemade Hot Chocolate
- Chocolate Cherry Brownies
- Chocolate Marshmallow Cookies
- Chocolate Mug Cake
- S’mores Ice Cream
- No Bake Oreo Truffles
- No-Bake Chocolate Tart
Mini Chocolate Chess Pie
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2/3 cup unsalted butter
- 2 oz dark chocolate 60%-70%
- 1/2 cup evaporated milk
- 1 large egg
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 cup sugar
- 3 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 1/2 tbsp flour
- 2 pre-made unbaked pie crusts
- 1/2 cup whipped cream
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Make sure pie crust is completely defrosted if it was frozen. Using a 4-inch cookie cutter, cut out circles.
- Using a rolling pin, roll each small pie crust out to ~5 inches in diameter. Or, use fingers/palms to press and flatten dough. This is to slightly thin out dough and to fit the dough into muffin tin.
- Insert small pie crusts into muffin cups. Fold the sides of the crusts and fit crusts into each muffin cup .
- Bring unsalted butter and dark chocolate to a bowl. Melt unsalted butter and dark chocolate together by microwaving them at 50% power at 30 seconds intervals. Every 30 seconds, bring bowl out and stir – repeat until all the chocolate is melted. Do not short cut this to avoid burning chocolate.
- Add evaporated milk, vanilla extract, and egg. If mixture is too warm, wait to let it cool before adding eggs (to avoid making scramble eggs! 🙂 )
- Mix dry ingredients together – sugar, flour, unsweetened cocoa powder
- Combine dry ingredients into wet ingredients. Mix well
- Add filling into each muffin cup.
- Bake for 25 minutes. Let it cool for 15 minutes. Remove pies.
- Serve with whipped cream and enjoy!
Nutrition Information
This post was originally published on December 14, 2017 and updated on February 25, 2019.
the chocolate chess pies are so beautifully crafted! cant help gazing at the pictures and wanting to grab one of them.
Yes! They are beautiful to look and and so good too! 🙂
Made this pie this weekend and I can’t get enough! It really does melt in your mouth!
Thank you for trying the pie, Lisa! And I’m so glad you enjoyed it!! 🙂
Can you make these ahead and freeze?
That should be fine!
When you say “mini pies” are you using mini muffin pans or regular size muffin pans? Thanks!
Good question! I used the standard (regular) 12-cup muffin pans!
Thanks!
Hi! Can this recipe be used for a whole pie and if so, what degrees to set the oven and how much longer to bake? Thanks!
You should be able to! I have not tried it but try at 350 degrees F for 40-50 minutes. Check at the 40 minute mark and leave it in for longer if needed. Good luck!
Made this for pi day! So good!
Yay! Happy Pi Day!!
I made these for Thanksgiving and they were a huge hit! Easy to make and sooooo delicious!!!
Thanks so much Jan! It’s one of our favorites too! 🙂
Hi! I’m going to try this with a mini muffin pan! Do you think I could just bake a little less time for these?
I think that should be fine! Let me know how it goes!
Made the minis but added some red pepper flakes for a little spice. If you like a little kick, I would suggest it. About a 1/2 tablespoon.
Such an interesting combo! Thanks for sharing!
This was a hit last year so I’m making it again this year!
Woohoo!! That’s awesome! ENJOY!
These would not last a minute in my house, wait, they didn’t last a minute! So deliciously decadent and easy to make! I made for a party and had to make another batch because the family ate the first one!
Haha! Remember to away some the next time before you serve them!! 😉 Thanks for sharing the great feedback.
I made these for a family birthday celebration. It was great to get an individual pie that I didn’t have to share! And everyone loved them!
Love hearing that everyone loved them!
I’d never had chess pie and loved these mini pies. It’s so delicious and will be making them for the holidays!
That’s great! They make the perfect holiday treat! 🙂
I wanted to serve just a little sweet treat after dinner for a party I had, and these mini pies were perfect! Just the right about of chocolate goodness. I’ll make these again.
That is great! Thanks for sharing, Sandra!
OK, I have a few things to say.
Seriously contemplating bringing these to Thanksgiving as an alternative pie because YUM.
I love that you are from Memphis! 🙂 Muddy’s Chocolate Chess Pie is definitely a hidden gem of theirs! I hope they still have it! And YES GIRL you need to make it. I think you will love it!! Let me know what you think when you do please!
Cannot get over how beautiful and delectable these chocolate chess pies look! I image a guaranteed crowd-pleaser. Can’t wait to try!
It’s always a hit at our household! Please let me know how it turns out!
Made these for a luncheon last week and everyone loved them! They are super cute to plate too!
Yay! Love it when everyone enjoys them! Thanks for sharing!
I made these for Friendsgiving and they were a hit! I halved the recipe because I was making 4 different flavors of mini pies and it worked out fine. (I weighed the whisked whole egg and added half to the batter.)
Yay! Love hearing that everyone enjoyed it! Thanks for sharing, Melanie! 🙂