Chocolate Meringue Pie Recipe
Old-Fashioned Chocolate Meringue Pie
Ultimate Chocolate Meringue Pie
Grandma’s chocolate meringue pie recipe is one of the most popular desserts at our house, and now I’m going to share it with you! This easy pie recipe has an amazing meringue topping that gets extra fluffy from being baked at low heat in the oven – but don’t let that fool you, the hot chocolate filling will melt-in-your-mouth! I hope you enjoy this delicious classic dessert as much as we do around here!
Grandma’s chocolate meringue pie recipe
There are few desserts that excite me more than a chocolate meringue pie. I have only tried to make it twice in my life, so I figured that it was time to share a pie recipe with you. Don’t worry, it’s super easy! If you can follow a simple recipe and whisk some eggs, then you can do it too. I’ve included every step of our best chocolate meringue pie recipe below for your enjoyment. Enjoy!
Ingredients:
Pre-made or homemade pie crust, pre-baked
Filling:
1 cup sugar
¼ cup + 1 teaspoon cornstarch
¼ cup unsweetened cocoa
¼ teaspoon salt
1 ½ cups milk
½ cup evaporated milk
4 egg yolks
2 tablespoons butter, room temperature
1 tablespoon vanilla
Meringue:
5 egg whites, room temperature
¼ teaspoon cream of tartar
¼ cup sugar
Preparation Instructions:
In a saucepan over medium high heat whisk sugar, cornstarch, cocoa, salt, milk, and evaporated milk, bring to a boil and cook for 1 minute
Remove from heat and gradually stir ¼ of the mixture into the egg yolks
Then whisk the egg mixture back into the pot
Return to the heat and cook for 3 minutes, whisking constantly
Remove from heat again and whisk in butter and vanilla
Cover to keep warm
Preheat oven to 325 degrees
Make the meringue by beating egg whites with the cream of tartar on high until foamy
Gradually add in the sugar and beat until stiff peaks form and sugar if fully dissolved
Pour chocolate mixture into pie shell
Spoon meringue over chocolate
**** Be sure that meringue covers the entire surface of the pie and is sealed around the edges to prevent shrinkage and weeping.****
Bake for 20 minutes – or use a blow torch on the meringue to brown.
Cool completely (at least, slice, serve, and enjoy!
Tips for making grandma’s chocolate meringue pie
I remember eating grandma’s chocolate meringue pie when I was a kid and still do today. Back then I didn’t understand that making grandma’s chocolate meringue pie was an art. These days, I make sure to keep notes so that my family can enjoy these desserts as well. This is what makes it possible for me to share grandma’s chocolate meringue pie recipe with you today. Make sure you follow along step by step to avoid costly mistakes!
If you liked this recipe, have a look at a few of our other pie recipes:
Key Lime Pie
Blueberry Hand Pies
Cranberry Hand Pies
Individual Raspberry Pies
Cherry Almond Cake
![Chocolate Meringue Pie Recipe - Grandma's Meringue Recipe (16) Chocolate Meringue Pie Recipe - Grandma's Meringue Recipe (16)](data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==)
Chocolate Meringue Pie Recipe - Grandma's Meringue Recipe
Yield: 1 pie
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Additional Time: 3 hours
Total Time: 3 hours 50 minutes
Grandma’s chocolate meringue pie recipe is one of the most popular desserts at our house, and now I’m going to share it with you! This easy pie recipe has an amazing meringue topping that gets extra fluffy from being baked at low heat in the oven – but don’t let that fool you, the hot chocolate filling will melt-in-your-mouth! I hope you enjoy this delicious classic dessert as much as we do around here!
Ingredients
- Premade or homemade pie crust, pre baked
- Filling:
- 1 cup sugar
- ¼ cup + 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- ¼ cup unsweetened cocoa
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 ½ cups milk
- ½ cup evaporated milk
- 4 egg yolks
- 2 tablespoons butter, room temperature
- 1 tablespoon vanilla
- Meringue:
- 5 egg whites, room temperature
- ¼ teaspoon cream of tartar
- ¼ cup sugar
Instructions
In a
saucepan over medium high heat whisk sugar, cornstarch, cocoa, salt, milk, and evaporated
milk, bring to a boil and cook for 1 minute
Remove
from heat and gradually stir ¼ of the mixture into the egg yolks
Then
whisk the egg mixture back into the pot
Return
to the heat and cook for 3 minutes, whisking constantly
Remove
from heat again and whisk in butter and vanilla
Cover
to keep warm
Preheat
oven to 325 degrees
Make
the meringue by beating egg whites with the cream of tartar on high until foamy
Gradually
add in the sugar and beat until stiff peaks form and sugar if fully dissolved
Pour
chocolate mixture into pie shell
Spoon
meringue over chocolate
Bake
for 20 minutes
Cool
completely, slice, serve, and enjoy!
Did you make this recipe?
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FAQs
Weeping and shrinking (when the meringue pulls away from the crust) are two common problems, but they are avoidable. Refrigeration makes meringue weep more quickly, so let the pie stand at room temperature in a draft-free spot before serving it.
Why does my chocolate meringue pie get runny? ›
Why Meringue Pies Weep. As it turns out, undercooking and overcooking can both cause weeping meringue and unwanted moisture on top of your pie (aka beading). Overcooking meringue causes those little sugary drops of moisture on top of baked meringues.
What makes a good meringue? ›
How to Make Meringue Successfully
- When making meringues, always cook egg whites to avoid salmonella poisoning.
- Don't use packaged egg whites to make meringue. ...
- Use fresh egg whites. ...
- Use eggs at room temperature. ...
- Never let any yolk get into the whites.
- Don't overbeat egg whites.
How can you help prevent weeping and beading from forming in meringue? ›
Add cornstarch to the meringue to stabilize it.
Add about 1 tablespoon (15 ml) of cornstarch into the meringue as you're whipping it so it will absorb some of the extra moisture. If you're making more than one batch of meringue, add more cornstarch to balance it out.
Does cream of tartar keep meringue from weeping? ›
The bottom line: For smooth, stiff beaten egg whites that keep their shape, don't skip the cream of tartar. If you don't have cream of tartar, substituting 1/4 teaspoon lemon juice or white vinegar per egg white works almost as well. To avoid meringues that weep, don't skip the cream of tartar...
Can you over beat meringue? ›
You can't overbeat meringue - It's true! You can't ruin it by mixing too much, so once all of the sugar is added, be sure that your meringue is glossy and that you have super firm, stiff peaks when you remove the beater from the mixer. Don't be afraid to mix a little longer if it appears too soft.
How do you fix a weeping meringue after baking? ›
If your meringue does weep, you can try to absorb some of the moisture by gently blotting it with a paper towel. This works especially well for removing beads of moisture on top of your meringue.
Do you put cream of tartar in meringue? ›
cream of tartar is your meringue “MVP”!
A good rule of thumb is to add 1/4 teaspoon of cream of tartar for every 2 egg whites, and add it just before you add your sugar!
What must be avoided when making meringue? ›
Meringue rules: The final verdict
Abide — Avoid yolks; use a non-plastic bowl; add sugar slowly, and bake low and slow. Let slide — Don't pull your hair out if your eggs are cold, you don't have superfine sugar, or it's a humid day.
Should you whisk meringue fast or slow? ›
Slow and steady is the fast and hard rule for any meringue. Start slow when whipping the whites for small and stable bubbles, slowly up the tempo so you don't over beat and then slowly add the sugar. This goes for your oven too. We're not cooking, so much as drying out the meringue.
Never use a plastic mixing bowl – Choose a glass, ceramic, or stainless steel bowl (and make sure it is 100% clean and dry) to whip up your meringue. Plastic bowls might have traces of oil from previous recipes or foods, and that can keep your meringue from setting up!
What is the liquid at the bottom of the lemon meringue pie? ›
Water seeping from meringue is practically always coming from the egg whites. There are a few standard things you can do to reduce it. First, do not overbeat. For some reason, recipes love to direct people to beat egg whites "to stiff peaks".
What is the main ingredient in meringue which makes it light and fluffy? ›
There are three main ingredients in a meringue recipe that interact to form the foam structure: egg whites, sugar, and cream of tartar or acid. The backbone of the foam structure is made up of proteins, amino acid chains. Egg whites provide the meringue with necessary proteins that form the meringue foam.
How do you stop a pie from leaking? ›
After blind baking the crust, we brush the baked crust with a lightly beaten egg white before adding the filling. The egg white seeps into the crevices, and the residual heat from the hot crust cooks the egg to create a seal.
How do you keep chocolate pie crust from getting soggy? ›
Sprinkle dried breadcrumbs or crushed cornflakes, or other types of cereal, on the bottom crust before filling and baking in the oven.
Does lemon juice stabilize meringue? ›
Acid. Whether it be vinegar, lemon juice, cream of tartar, or a combination, an acid will greatly improve the structure of meringue. Acid not only helps meringue whip up and aerate more quickly, it also keeps it stable. Without acid, meringue is more likely to collapse either during or after mixing.
How to stabilize meringue? ›
One of Rose's most important contributions to baking is for stabilizing egg white meringue beaten to stiff peaks using the ideal amount of cream of tartar. The correct amount is so effective, you can even overbeat the egg whites for several minutes after reaching the stiff peak stage without risk of breaking them down.