Southern chess pie is a classic dessert with a rich, gooey custard filling topped with a hint of caramelized goodness. Fortunately, this pie is very easy to make. This recipe is a must pie crust And a few other ingredients you probably already have on hand, so you'll be able to whip up this pie in no time! It has such a delicious sweetness and unique taste that everyone will be begging you for the recipe!
For more easy pie recipes, try ours Easy PC Pumpkin Pie or us Old Fashioned Strawberry Pie.
Why our recipe?
- The perfect gooey custard filling that's rich and sweet with cornmeal to provide texture.
- A caramelized layer on top provides the perfect finish.
- It's so easy to make that anyone from a novice to a pie pro can enjoy it.
Southern Chess Pie is sweet, indulgent, and downright delicious! The filling is similar to custard, but the cornmeal gives it more texture than custard. As it bakes, the sugar on top of the pie caramelizes, making it even tastier. A good comparison is the taste of pecan pie if you just remove the pecans!
Material notes
- Pie Crust: This recipe doesn't teach you how to make a pie crust, but fear not! We have ours Full proof pie crust Recipes we swear by. If you're in a pinch, you can use store-bought pie crust, but make sure you don't skip the freezing step in this recipe! Otherwise, your crust won't achieve that perfect texture as it bakes.
- Cornmeal: This small amount of cornmeal in the recipe is the key to chess pie's traditional flavor and texture.
- Milk: Whole milk works best, but you can always use 2%.
- Lemon juice: You can use bottled lemon juice for this recipe if you want, but fresh is always best. The lemon juice cuts the sweetness of the pie, giving it a more complex flavor.
Recipe source
Chess pie has been around for a long time—some say it dates back to the 18th century in England! It is not clear where exactly the name Chess Pie comes from, but no theory suggests that it is named after the game of chess. Some sources say that a baker of this pie served it, “It's just pie,” but his Southern accent makes the word “just” sound like “chess.”
Others say that the name refers to the chests that people used to store their food to keep it fresh, and that it was again misunderstood and became “chess pie” instead of “chest pie”. We may not know why it was ever considered a chess pie, but we do know one thing—it's still a perfectly delicious dessert!
Prevent cracking
If you take this pie out of the oven too quickly, you risk cracking the top! One way to prevent pies from cracking is to place the pie dish on a cookie sheet before placing it in the oven. This will make it much easier to take out of the oven, and you won't have to worry about your oven spilling!
Serving advice
You can always serve plain slices of chess pie, but you can dress them up with a little something extra. giving pie Powdered sugar is a dust Above is the easiest way to glam it up. And, of course, pie is always great served with one A dollop of whipped cream or a scoop Vanilla ice cream. If you want to get fancy, you can top with fresh berries Or add a little Orange or lemon juice above
Storage instructions
Store at room temperature Cover the pie with plastic wrap or foil for up to 2 days.
Keep in fridge Store leftovers in an airtight container or cover with plastic wrap or foil for up to 5 days.
to freeze Individual slices are then wrapped tightly in plastic wrap and placed in a resealable freezer bag. Store in the refrigerator for up to 2 months. Thaw in refrigerator before serving.
More delicious pie recipes. . .
Watch the video below Where Caytlin walks you through each step of this recipe. Sometimes it helps to have a visual, and we've always got you covered with our cooking show. You can find the complete collection of recipes YouTubeour Facebook pageOr here on our website with their respective recipes.
