Dark Chocolate Meringue Pie

hello beautiful! a slice of dark chocolate meringue pie

You’ve had Chocolate Cream Pie but have you had a Chocolate Meringue Pie that tastes like chocolat pot de creme with marshmallow fluff? This easy-to-make, decadent yet light chocolate custard pie will have everyone asking for seconds. 

This pie is inspired by my fellow KCRW Pie Pageant winner Evin Spain’s story about his family’s Chocolate Meringue Pie. (My Seville Orange Marmalade Pie won “Prettiest Pie.”) His story was so compelling that after hearing him share about it on KCRW Good Food I had to make this magical Chocolate Meringue Pie for myself. This is NOT his recipe. I made my own mashup after imagining what I’d want a Chocolate Meringue Pie to taste like. I’ve never tasted one before! 

It’s like chocolate pudding meets s’mores, but not overly sweet like pudding cups from your childhood. This is a grownup version with better taste. Imagine the best chocolate pot de creme you’ve ever had, topped with a cloud of toasted marshmallow fluff... in a PIE! 

dark chocolate pie with toasted meringue swirls

How to Make Chocolate Meringue Pie from Scratch

Pre-bake a pie crust of your choosing.

• I used a Salty Cardamom Pie Crust from leftover pie dough from my Seville Orange Marmalade Pie.

• But you could use any basic pie crust recipe, a dash of extra salt helps balance the sugary flavor of the pudding and meringue.

• If you want to get fancy, pretzel crust, graham cracker crust, potato chip crust, even an Oreo cookie crust would be SOLID here. 

Make chocolate pudding from scratch.

• No instant pudding or Jell-O here, you’re going to make your own. It’s not difficult, you’d be surprised!

• You’ll need milk, corn starch, cocoa powder, eggs, sugar, salt, butter, and vanilla.

• I’m a dark chocolate fan and find milk chocolate to be too sweet. You could make this using either regular cocoa or dark cocoa powder. 

Swiss meringue topping for that marshmallow-y texture.

• I am a big fan of Swiss meringue for its silky texture that tastes and feels more like marshmallow fluff than meringue.

• It’s worth the extra four minutes to heat your egg whites and sugar over a pan with simmering water. 

Common FAQs

Why is my chocolate meringue pie runny?

If your chocolate is runny and not holding its shape when you cut into it the custard needed to be cooked longer to solidify, or wait for it to cool/chill completely. 

Why is the meringue weeping liquid?

Meringue weeps when it’s unstable. Either the sugar wasn’t incorporated and dissolved properly, or it’s too wet or humid in the air. Don’t rush the double boiler step of melting the sugar into your egg whites. 

Does it need to be refrigerated? Can it be left out? 

Let it cool completely before refrigerating it. Refrigeration makes meringue weep more quickly, so let the pie stand at room temp before serving it. If not serving until next day, it should be refrigerated after it’s cooled to store until ready to eat. 

Can I use whipped cream instead of meringue? 

Of course you can. You can do whatever you want, it’s your pie! But then I will be a Chocolate Cream Pie rather than a Chocolate Meringue Pie. Whip heavy cream with sugar and vanilla extract until you get beautiful cream clouds. Spread or pipe on top of your pie and enjoy! 

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Get the Recipe

Dark Chocolate Meringue Pie 

Time to prepare: 30-40 minutes

Imagine the best chocolate pot de creme you’ve ever had, topped with a cloud of toasted marshmallow fluff... in a PIE. A Baking With Chickens Original Recipe

INGREDIENTS:

9-inch pre-baked pie shell 

Try my Salty Cardamom Pie Crust recipe!

Chocolate Filling: 

• 3 egg yolks

• 1 cup sugar

• 1/2 cup cocoa powder

• 1/4 tsp. salt

• 1/3 cup cornstarch

• 3 cups milk

• 3 tbsp. butter

• 1 1/2 tsp. vanilla

Meringue:

• 3 egg whites (room temperature)

• 1/2 cup sugar

• 1/4 tsp. salt

• 1/8 tsp. cream of tartar

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. In a medium bowl, whisk the 3 egg yolks together. Set aside.

2. In a medium saucepan, combine sugar, cocoa, salt, and cornstarch. Whisk in one cup milk. 

3. Heat on medium-high, gradually whisk in the remaining milk, whisking constantly until well blended. Bring to a low boil. Cook for one minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat.

4. Add a small amount of the hot mixture to the egg yolks, whisk together, then add the egg mixture back to the mixture in the saucepan -- this is called tempering and it warms the eggs so it won't cook into scrambled eggs when it goes into the saucepan. Cook for 2 minutes while whisking constantly. As you're whisking, you'll see and feel it transform from a thin liquid into a thick pudding. When it turns into thick pudding and starts to bubble, cook it for one minute longer while still whisking.

5. Remove from the heat and stir in butter and vanilla until the butter has melted and is completely combined. Pour the custard into the pre-baked, cooled pie shell. Set pie aside to cool. 

6. Make Swiss Meringue Topping: Combine egg whites, sugar, salt, and cream of tartar in the bowl of a stand mixer or another large heatproof bowl.

7. Set over a large saucepan filled with simmering water (bowl shouldn’t touch the water). Heat, whisking constantly, until sugar is dissolved, about 4 minutes.

8. Remove from heat and fit bowl onto mixer fitted with whisk attachment (or use an electric mixer) and beat on medium-high speed until meringue stiff peaks form, about 4 minutes. 

9. Spread meringue on top of cooled pie, or transfer to a piping bag fitted with a large piping tip -- for the design of your choosing -- (or a resealable plastic bag with the corner snipped off).

10. Pipe meringue over pie and torch it to golden brown with a culinary torch or under the broiler on high.

Where are the Chickens?

I forgot to photoshoot this pie with the chickens because it was so damn delicious I did not want to sacrifice a single slice to the chickens. This is seriously one of the best pies I've ever eaten. We scarfed the entire pie down in two days. Not exaggerating. This slice for the photo is the last piece. Don't judge me, it's my blog I'll do what I want!

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