How do you make a pie even better? Bake it in a chocolate pie crust, of course! This fun recipe make the perfect chocolaty and flaky pastry for all of your favorite pies.
This pie crust pastry has chocolate baked right in. It is perfect for a variety of pie fillings, just imagine the possibilities.
MiMi originally shared this recipe with use back in May of 2015. She was making grandma’s oatmeal pie recipe and that particular recipe makes enough filling for two pies.
So she made one in a standard flaky pie crust and the other in this chocolate pie crust. We were instantly hooked.
Now you can make this pie crust too. The process is about the same as making a standard pastry, just with cocoa goodness baked inside.
MiMi said that if you like chocolate you may be tempted to eat the dough. Popping a piece of gum in your mouth while preparing this pie crust is strongly encouraged. And if MiMi says its ok, it must be!
Tips for a Flaky Crust
Pie crust recipes are usually pretty simple, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t intimidating. There are a few tricks that will help you get a flaky pie crust without too much stress.
The first is the temperature of your ingredients. Using cold lard and water will help keep the fat from melting before you are ready.
Chilling the dough before you roll it and again before you bake it also helps. I like to pat it into disks before I chill it.
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That makes it chill more evenly and you have a head start on rolling it out vs. chilling it as a ball. Of course working it as little as possible will help as well.
The notes on my great grandma’s recipe say to preheat a cookie sheet with the oven. Put the pie pan on the hot sheet pan.
The pan will not only catch any drips, but will also apply even heat across the bottom of the pie. It will help prevent that dreaded soggy bottom.
It’s Pie Time
Now that we have our pie crust figured out, what should we put in it? Of course, I think the oatmeal pie is a great option.
Baked peanut butter pie is another fabulous choice to go with your chocolate crust. Or try making a condensed milk pecan pie in this crust, yum!
A deep dish Toll House pie would be lovely with a chocolate pie crust. I even think it would be a fun twist on a classic banana cream pie if you wanted to do something a little different.
Check out my collection of pie recipes for more tasty inspiration.
What is the secret to a good pie crust?
There are two secrets that make a super tender crust. The first is keeping it nice and cold.
Start with cold water and butt, then refrigerate the crust again before you bake it. The second is to work the dough as little as possible.
MiMi’s Chocolate Pie Crust
Ingredients
- 1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup cocoa powder
- 1½ teaspoon granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup ice water
- 1 Tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 8 Tablespoons unsalted butter cold
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, cocoa and salt. Set aside.1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour, 1½ teaspoon granulated sugar, ½ teaspoon salt, ¼ cup cocoa powder
- In a measuring cup or small bowl, combine water and apple cider vinegar. Set aside.½ cup ice water, 1 Tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- Cut the butter into 1 inch cubes.8 Tablespoons unsalted butter
- Toss the butter into the flour mixture to gently coat it. Then use a pastry blender to cut the butter into the flour. You should have various sized pieces of butter, ranging from sandy patches to pea sized hunks, with some larger bits as well.
- Add about half of the ice water mixture and stir lightly with a fork until the flour is evenly moistened and the dough begins to come together into a ball. If the dough seems dry, add a little more ice water, 1 to 2 Tablespoons at at time.
- Flatten the dough into a disk and wrap it in plastic. I like to put mine in a ziploc bag and flatten it a bit more so that it is quick to roll out. Refrigerate for at least one hour or overnight. (This dough can be stored in the refrigerator for up to three days or in the freezer for a month. If frozen, defrost in the refrigerator overnight before using)
- Lightly dust your rolling pin with flour. Put the dough on a lightly floured surface, or parchment paper dusted with flour and dust the top of the dough with a little flour as well. Roll out the dough until it is one and a half to two inches larger than your pie pan. The pastry should be about ⅛-inch thick.
- Place the dough in a pie pan, tuck the edges under and crimp the edges.
- Cover the crust with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes. Flaky pie crust is always the best when they have been chilled before baking. (You can also refrigerate the dough at this point for 3 days or freeze for a month)
- Once the pie crust is fully chilled, prick the bottom of the crust all over with a fork.
- It is now ready to bake in the way suggested in your recipe.
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I've never heard of chocolate pie crust before! I think I've been missing out!
@Big Rigs 'n Lil' Cookies, You have been! It is so good.
That looks great – love chocolate and love pie!
Me too! This is a game changer for me!
Thank you for sharing this, it sounds delicious and would make the perfect base to so many things – the first thing that came to mind is a cherry tart mmmmm.
Kathryn | nimblenote.blogspot.com
Yes! A cherry tart would be so good in a chocolate crust! Thanks for stopping by.