Chef notes
Chocolate meringue pie is our idea of a good time. The combination of a crispy pie crust, a creamy, rich chocolatey filling and a towering mountain of toasted meringue are the makings of the perfect pie. But in addition to how joyfully delicious it is, how texturally flawless it is (crunchy, fudgy and billowy), and how gorgeous it is to behold, a chocolate meringue pie is really, really easy to make.
Yes, we’re calling for a store-bought pie crust here, but here’s the thing: if you have a homemade pie crust you love and that you make on the regular, go ahead and make it. And the beauty of topping your pie with meringue is that you do not need to top it with an additional layer of pie dough. But whether you make the single crust from scratch or stick to store-bought, the filling and topping are easy-peasy. The filling calls for six ingredients and is whipped up in the food processor in about 2 minutes. The meringue topping calls for five ingredients and takes about one minute of hands-on work. In short, you’ll make this once and will have it on rotation for the foreseeable future.
Leftover pie will keep for two days in the refrigerator, lightly wrapped in plastic wrap, but is best the day it is made, as the meringue begins to weep after the pie is sliced.
Technique Tips:
Make sure the cream cheese is at room temperature before making the filling, so it remains smooth and creamy.
Watch the meringue topping closely when broiling it; it can go from nicely bronzed to burnt very quickly.
To remove the pie slices easily from the pan, slice one piece, but do not remove it from the pan. Then slice a second piece right next to the first. Cutting two slices before removing one makes it much easier to get both of them out of the plate intact.
To parbake the crust, preheat the oven to 425 F. Line the pie plate with the dough, crimp the edges, dock the bottom and sides, drape with a piece of crumpled parchment paper and fill with pie weights (I like rice). Bake for 20 minutes, remove the paper and weights and bake for another 5 minutes until nicely browned.
If you do not want to broil your meringue for fear of burning it, you can heat your oven to 350 F and bake the meringue topped pie for 10 to 15 minutes.
Ingredients
- 1 store-bought pie crust for a single crust pie
- 1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, room temperature
- 3/4 cup confectioners' sugar
- 1/2 cup Dutch process cocoa powder
- 1⅓ cups heavy cream
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 5 egg whites, room temperature
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
- 1 cup granulated sugar
Preparation
1.Roll out the pie dough, transfer it to a 9-inch pie plate and decoratively crimp the edges. Follow the package instructions for par baking the crust. However, if the instructions do not include par baking with pie weights, please see above technique tip. Let cool to room temperature before filling.
2.Make the filling: add the cream cheese and sugar to the bowl of a food processor and process until smooth.
3.Add the cocoa powder, heavy cream, salt, and vanilla and blend until smooth and creamy, scraping down the bowl as necessary.
4.Transfer the filling to the cooled crust, using an offset spatula to smooth the top, and chill in the refrigerator for 6 to 8 hours, or up to overnight, until firm.
5.Make the meringue topping: in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, add the egg whites, salt, vanilla and cream of tartar and beat on medium speed until frothy, about 3 minutes.
6.Add the granulated sugar in a slow and steady stream and continue to whisk on high speed until stiff, glossy peaks form, about 5 minutes.
7.Turn your oven to the broiler setting. Place a rack in the upper third of the oven.
8.Spoon the meringue over the chocolate filling, swirling it decoratively and spreading it to the edges.
9.Broil the meringue for 30 seconds to 1 minute, until the topping is nicely bronzed. Serve immediately.
