Chocolate Pie With Press-In Crust

There may never be a dessert so inviting as a chocolate pudding pie. This version, from chef Elizabeth Falkner, is intensely chocolaty, comes with a cloud of whipped cream, and sports a press-in crust so easy you could assemble it with your eyes closed. Faulkner gilds her chocolate pie recipe with an optional cacao nib praline (that, shh, is also extremely easy to make) for a garnish that’ll make your homemade pie look like you got dessert catered from a swanky restaurant.

Since the creamy chocolate pie filling will never see the glow of the oven, you’ll have to blind-bake the pie shell until it’s golden brown. We like a metal pie plate for its superior ability to conduct heat. You don’t actually need pie weights for this pie crust recipe, but if you want extra insurance that the dough won’t slump, the best pie weights are also made from metal.

The pie filling gets its rich chocolate flavor from unsweetened cocoa powder and good-quality semisweet or bittersweet chocolate chips, disks, or chopped bars. Remember to temper the egg yolks so they don’t curdle by slowly pouring the hot milk mixture while whisking (enlist a friend to hold the bowl in place if you’re having trouble).

We love the juxtaposition of dense chocolate pudding and fluffy whipped cream, but you will have some leftover egg whites; if you prefer a stiff-peaked meringue topping, by all means switch it up (follow the directions in our Lemon Meringue Pie recipe). And about that praline: If you’d rather skip it, top the pie with simple chocolate shavings, crushed chocolate cookies, or absolutely nothing at all.