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Slice of chess pie on white plate with green napkin and whole pie in background.
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Old Fashioned Chess Pie Recipe

This Old Fashioned Chess Pie is a simple, classic, authentic Southern custard pie recipe with cornmeal that makes an absolutely delicious dessert.
Course Dessert
Cuisine American, Southern
Keyword Chess Pie, Old Fashioned Chess Pie
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Cool 1 hour
Total Time 2 hours 5 minutes
Servings 8
Calories 405kcal

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
  • In a stand mixer, or mixing bowl using a hand mixer, beat the butter and sugar together.
  • Add eggs, vanilla, cornmeal, milk, vinegar, and salt and mix until smooth.
  • Pour into a prepared 9-inch pie shell and bake in a preheated oven at 325 degrees F for about 55 - 65 minutes.  
  • Watch the edges of the pie crust to make sure that they don't brown too quickly. If needed, shield the edges of the pie crust by covering them with strips of aluminum foil.
  • After the pie has finished baking, remove it from the oven onto a wire rack and let it cool at room temperature for 1 hour.

Video

Notes

  1. I used a refrigerated pie crust for my pie.
  2. Amount of Sugar. Chess Pie is a very sweet pie by design. If you have never had chess pie before, I recommend starting out with a lower amount of sugar, like 1 cup of sugar and see if that is sweet enough for you. If not, gradually increase the sugar by 1/4 cup until you get the desired level of sweetness. You can always add more sugar, but you can't remove sugar once it has been added.
  3. Variations of Chess Pie
    • Chocolate Chess Pie - Add 4 tablespoons cocoa powder to the pie filling.
    • Lemon Chess Pie - Add 1/4 cup lemon juice to the pie filling.
    • Coconut Chess Pie - Add 1 cup of flaked coconut to the pie filling.
    • Eggnog Chess Pie - Replace whole milk and vinegar with 1/3 cup eggnog.
  4. More Southern Pie Recipes
    • Crustless Pumpkin Pie - This pumpkin piekeeps only the best part of the pumpkin pie, the pumpkin pie filling, and is so delicious that you won’t miss the crust.
    • German Chocolate Pecan Pie - This German Chocolate Pecan Pie combines German Chocolate Cake and Pecan Pie into one fabulous holiday dessert!
    • No Bake Banana Pudding Cream Pie - This easy No Bake Banana Pudding Cream Pie recipe is super easy to make and requires no baking!

Nutrition

Calories: 405kcal | Carbohydrates: 52g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 20g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Cholesterol: 113mg | Sodium: 310mg | Potassium: 71mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 38g | Vitamin A: 486IU | Calcium: 29mg | Iron: 1mg