Old Fashioned Chocolate Meringue Pie

The best Old Fashioned, Diner Style Chocolate Meringue Pie. A Rich homemade chocolate pudding pie filling topped with a fluffy meringue. 

Thanksgiving is right around the corner, and everyone loves a good homemade pie for the dessert. I love pumpkin and pecan pie, but my favorite holiday pie is an Old Fashioned Chocolate Meringue Pie. 

This Old Fashioned Chocolate Pie is rich, creamy, thick and chocolaty just like an old fashioned chocolate pie should be. The chocolaty pudding filling is so good and just like the way mom and grandma used to make it. Well not my mom, but my friends mother. That's where I got this recipe about about 15 years ago. 
 
I was looking for an good old fashioned, diner style chocolate pie and her mother had the perfect recipe. I made it for the first time and I've been making it ever since. Old Fashioned Desserts have to be my absolute favorite. Ya know the ones, old fashioned cream pies like chocolate, coconut or banana, lemon ice box pie or homemade banana pudding from scratch.

Red velvet cakes, coconut cake, marble cake, sock it to me cake, sunshine cake and homemade puddings. My list could go on forever. All those homemade desserts from scratch they hold a special place in my heart.

I think my most favorite spot after our Thanksgiving meal is hanging out at the dessert table. Um mm it's so fun to stand over all those goodies just trying to decide what I want first. I'm so bad I usually end up taking a bit of everything cause I just cant decide on one thing. I know I am a sucker for sweets.

I will probably more than likely be making this pie to take to Thanksgiving. My sister in law loves it as much as I do, so I cant disappoint. This year I made a slight change in my chocolate pie recipe. Carnation sent me some free coupons for their evaporated milk and challenged me to make a dish using their milk. 

This recipe was the first one that came to mind. I wanted to see if my original chocolate pie recipe would be better using carnation evaporated milk or regular whole milk. I was a bit nervous changing up a already great recipe, but I gave it a try. Well the verdict is.............. I like it way better using the Carnation Evaporated Milk. 

Why? because it made the homemade pudding so much richer than before. I will be substituting evaporated milk in this recipe from now on. Thank You Carnation!!!!
If you want a old fashioned favorite I highly recommend serving or taking this pie on Thanksgiving. Everyone will L♥VE you for it. What's your favorite holiday dessert from the Dessert Table?

Let's start by getting our pie crust prepared. Place one pie crust in the bottom of a 9 inch pie plate. Prick the bottom and sides of your pie crust and bake until golden brown. Remove from oven and let cool while you prepare the filling. Mix the sugar, cornstarch and cocoa together in a medium size pot.

Add the 2 cups evaporated milk or whole milk. If using evaporated milk I used a 12 oz can, measure one cup evaporated milk add to the pot and then measure one more cup evaporated milk. You will be a bit short it comes to more like 3/4 cup so fill the rest of the measuring cup with water to make a full cup.

Using a wire whisk blend together and stir constantly over medium high heat. When the mixture is heated through add the 3 egg yolks. You will need to temper the egg yolks so add a bit of the pudding mixture to the egg yolks and blend before adding to the pudding mix. (you don't want scrambled eggs). 

Stir constantly until thickened and bubbly and the mixture looks like a thick pudding. Remove from heat and add the vanilla and the butter. Let cool pudding mixture cool while you prepare the meringue topping.

The Meringue topping can be made two ways. One using the reserved egg whites from the pudding recipe. Or you can use Meringue Powder which is my choice. The reason I like to use Meringue powder is because it turns out perfect every time.

Sometimes when using eggs whites they wont set up or you get a bit of the yolk in them and it ruins the meringue and it separates all over your pie. No one wants that, so to prevent that I use Meringue Powder for perfect meringue every time.

I purchased the Meringue Powder at Walmart for $4.50 for the small can or the large can is $14.50. I never need quite that much. I found it in the cake decorating isle in the craft and floral department.

If using Meringue Powder save the reserved egg whites for another recipe. Follow the directions on the back of the can of the Meringue Powder for Meringue Pies. I doubled the meringue recipe. It was the perfect amount for my chocolate pie.

If using the Egg white method, mix the 3 egg whites with a dash of cream of tarter along with 2 Tablespoons sugar. Whip the egg whites till stiff and soft peaks form. Here is the meringue using the meringue powder. Nice pretty peaks and it smells so heavenly!!!!

Add pudding to cooled pie shell and top with meringue making sure the meringue touches the sides of the pie crust to prevent shrinking. Broil till lightly golden brown on top. After baking, cool on the counter one to two hours and then place in the refrigerator uncovered for at least 3-6 hours before serving. 

Yum!  There's nothing better than a old fashioned chocolate pie just like granny used to make.

Yield: 8

Author: Tina Butler | Mommy's Kitchen

Old Fashioned Chocolate Meringue Pie

The best Old Fashioned, Diner Style Chocolate Meringue Pie. A Rich homemade chocolate pudding pie filling topped with a fluffy meringue.

Prep time: 30 MinCook time: 15 MinTotal time: 45 Min

Ingredients

• 1 homemade or store bought pie crust (single crust)
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• ¼ cup cornstarch
• pinch of salt
• 1  heaping tablespoon of unsweetened baking cocoa (about 2 tablespoons)
• 2 cups evaporated or whole milk
• 3 eggs, separated - reserve egg whites
• 1 tablespoon vanilla
• 2 tablespoons butter

Meringue Topping

• 3 reserved egg whites
• dash cream of tarter
• 2 tablespoons sugar or use Meringue Powder

Instructions

1. Preheat Oven to 350. Place one pie crust in the bottom of a 9 inch pie pan. Prick the bottom and sides of your pie crust and bake until golden brown. Remove from oven and let cool while you prepare the filling.
2. Mix the sugar, cornstarch and cocoa together in a medium size pot. Add the 2 cups evaporated milk or whole milk.
3. If using evaporated milk I use a 12 oz can, measure one cup evaporated milk add to the pot and then measure one more cup evaporated milk.
4. You will be a bit short it comes to more like 3/4 cup so fill the rest of the measuring cup with water to make a cup.
5. Using a wire whisk blend together and stir constantly over medium high heat. When the mixture is heated through add the 3 egg yolks.
6. You will need to temper you egg yolks so add a bit of the pudding mixture to the egg yolks and blend before adding to the pudding mix. (you don't want scrambled eggs).
7. Stir constantly until thickened and bubbly. Remove from heat and add the vanilla and the butter.
8. Let cool pudding mixture cool while you prepare the meringue topping. Mix the 3 egg whites with a dash of cream of tarter along with 2 Tablespoons sugar.
9. Whip the egg whites till stiff and soft peaks form. Add pudding to cooled pie shell and top with meringue making sure the meringue touches the sides of the pie crust to prevent shrinking.
10. Broil till lightly golden brown on top. After baking, cool on the counter one to two hours and then place in the refrigerator uncovered for at least 3-6 hours before serving.

Notes:

If using Meringue Powder omit the egg whites and sugar. Follow the directions on the back of the can of the Meringue Powder for pies. I doubled the meringue recipe.

https://www.mommyskitchen.net/2009/11/old-fashioned-chocolate-pie-for.html

Images and text © Mommy's Kitchen

Did you make this recipe?

Tag @mommyskitchen on instagram and hashtag it #mommyskitchen