Chocolate Chess Pie in our Cartoon Gift Box

Ingredients

Sugar, eggs, butter (pasteurized cream, natural flavorings), organic wheat flour (organic wheat, malted barley), butter (cream, cultures), milk, unsweetened chocolate, organic unsweetened cacao, egg yolks, vanilla extract, sea salt

Contains: Milk, Egg, Wheat

Shelf life & storage

All of our pies are baked without preservatives, so you’ll want to eat it soon. The pie will have an “eat or freeze by” sticker that is about two weeks from when the package started its lucky journey from us to you.  

If you’ll be enjoying the pie soon, it can be kept at room temperature in the packaging it arrived in. There’s no need to refrigerate it, but you certainly can if you have room in the fridge!

If enjoying later, keep it in the freezer. You can keep the pie in the freezer for a couple months. Defrost in the fridge or on the counter.

For more than 20 years, our Chocolate Chess Pie has quietly grown into one of the Zingerman’s Bakehouse’s most beloved desserts. As The New York Times once described it, chocolate chess pie is “the perfect move for a gathering where some people want pie, some want chocolate, and everyone wants something sweet.” Closer to home, it’s also a longtime favorite of Bakehouse manager Jake Emberling.

The History of Chocolate Chess Pie

Traditional chess pie recipes date back to the 18th century, with early versions appearing in Hannah Glasse’s The Art of Cookery Made Plain and Easy (1747). Those original recipes focused on lemon, creating what we might think of today as a lemon curd-style pie. The chocolate version came later, after chocolate became more widely used in everyday cooking during the late 19th century. By the early 20th century, chocolate chess pie had found its place as a beloved American dessert.

Our version combines a rich, silky chocolate custard filling with a flaky crust made using Vermont Creamery Cultured Butter. The result is a deeply satisfying chocolate pie with layers of flavor and a beautifully tender texture.

Why Cultured Butter Makes a Difference

This cultured butter is made using traditional methods inspired by the way exceptional butter was produced in the early 1800s. Before modern processing, fresh cream was allowed to naturally ripen for several days as beneficial cultures developed, much like the process used in making cheese and yogurt. That slow ripening created butter with remarkable depth, aroma, and flavor.

Once people try cultured butter, they often become devoted fans. Now, the Bakehouse uses it throughout many of our pastries and baked goods, including scones, Sour Cream Coffee Cake, and pie crusts. The difference is easy to taste.

A Chocolate Chess Pie Made with Local Chocolate

The finishing touch is a special dark chocolate from Mindo Chocolate Makers in Dexter, Michigan. Its rich flavor takes this dessert to another level. Some have described our Chocolate Chess Pie as “a brownie in a pie shell,” which captures its dense, fudgy, chocolate-forward character.

I love serving it topped with toasted walnuts or hazelnuts and a generous spoonful of homemade whipped cream. For an extra indulgent dessert, add a small scoop of chocolate or vanilla ice cream on the side.

However you enjoy it, this artisan chocolate pie is luscious, creamy, sweet, and wonderfully rich. It’s a dessert that proves chocolate and pie were always meant to be together.