This chocolate pie is the perfect combination of summertime sweet and spicy. And we’re not saying it works as a love potion, but we’re also not saying it doesn’t.

Adapted from: Chocolate Pudding Pie by Smitten Kitchen, and before that: Chocolate Pudding Pie by Gourmet Mag.
For the Pie Crust:
- 2 1/2 cups flour
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 sticks (1 cup) butter
- 3/4 cup ice water
For the Pudding Filling:
- 1/4 cup cornstarch
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 3 tablespoons cocoa powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 3 cups whole milk
- 5 ounces bittersweet chocolate (finely chopped)
- 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/8 teaspoon cayenne
For the Whipped Cream:
- 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon sugar
The How To (Pie Crust):
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
- Make your pie dough – we recommend using a 1/2 recipe of Smitten Kitchen’s All Butter, Really Flaky Pie Dough
- Roll pie dough out on a floured surface, place into a buttered 9 inch pie plate, and crimp edges of crust.
- Chill crust in freezer for 20 minutes. Line crust with aluminum foil and fill with pie weights, rice, or dried beans.
- Bake for 25 minutes on a baking sheet; remove foil and pie weights and bake another 15-20 minutes more.
- Remove from oven and let cool completely.
The How To (Chocolate Filling):
- In a heavy saucepan, whisk together cornstarch, sugar, cocoa powder, cayenne, cinnamon, and salt.
- Gradually whisk in the milk.
- Whisk over medium heat until boiling; continue whisking two minutes until mixture thickens slightly.
- Remove saucepan from heat; whisk in finely chopped chocolate and vanilla until smooth.
- Pour pudding into chilled pie crust – don’t worry, it’ll continue to thicken.
- Chill completely (at least an hour and a half, but ideally two hours).
The How To (Whipped Cream+Assembly):
- Make a batch of our Homemade Whipped Cream (but be sure to skip the lemon zest!)
- Spoon whipped cream onto pie and garnish with a few shakes of cinnamon and chocolate shavings.
A Few Notes:
- We recommend using a 1/2 recipe of Smitten Kitchen’s All Butter, Really Flaky Pie Dough for the crust, but you can substitute for another recipe. A pre-made pie crust will also do the trick, but where’s the fun in that?
- Don’t sweat it if your pie crust isn’t perfect (neither was ours)
- Try covering the surface of the pie with wax paper when you put it in the fridge – this will prevent a film from forming
- Chocolate shavings are easy to make, we promise! Just use a vegetable peeler.
Pairs Well With: