When you think of chocolate pie, you're thinking of this pie - decadent, luxurious, fudgey chocolate filling baked into a light and flaky crust, topped with homemade whipped cream and chocolate shavings. This is no meringue, no French silk business, no pudding pie. This is homemade chocolate pie as it was meant to be.

As with all good things, this pie takes time and effort (mostly the effort of waiting for it to chill before serving!), but once you try it, you'll never go back. Accept no imitations, no short cuts, and be prepared to throw all other recipes away.

This is the quintessential chocolate pie recipe you've been dreaming of.

Step 1: Ingredients

Your journey to chocolate pie nirvana begins with:

1 Pre-Baked Pie Crust

Store bought or
Use this recipe!

Filling:

6 oz semisweet chocolate - chips or bar
4 oz (1/2 cup) sweet unsalted butter
3 eggs
1/8 teaspoon salt
4 oz (1/2 cup) sugar

Topping:

12 oz (1 1/2 cups) heavy cream
3 tablespoons sugar
Chocolate shavings (opt)

Step 2: Prep

If using a store-bought crust, pre bake crust according to directions.

If using my pie crust recipe, prick the crust a bunch of times with a fork to prevent it from getting all poofy. Line with foil and weights (I used lag bolts again) and bake crust at 375^oF (190^oC)for 20 minutes.

Remove the foil and weights and bake another 8-10 minutes until golden.

Reduce your oven temp to 325^oF (160^oC) for the impending pie.

Step 3: Melt Chocolate + Butter

In case you missed that last part, make sure you turn your oven down to 325^oF (160^oC) once your crust is baked.

Now you'll want to devise some sort of double-boiler-type rig for this step. You can use a heatproof bowl set over (not in) a saucepan of water, or a pan set over another pan, or an actual double boiler (which I obviously did not have).

Bring the water in the lower pan to a simmer, and add the 6 oz of chocolate and 1/2 cup of butter to the top pan. Stir until melted.

Step 4: Egg Mix

Beat together the three eggs, 1/8 teaspoon of salt, and 1/2 cup of sugar with an electric mixer, until fluffy - about 5 minutes.

Step 5: Chocolate + Eggs

Slowly fold the egg mixture into the chocolate. It will resist cooperation at first. Your persistence will pay off and eventually you will have a beautifully incorporated filling.

Step 6: Bake

Pour the filling mixture into your pre-baked crust.

Bake pie at 325^oF for 20-25 minutes, until the filling is puffy and beginning to crack.

Cool for 1 hour, then place in fridge to chill. This allows the filling to achieve its perfect consistency.

Step 7: Whip Cream

Time to make whipped cream!

You'll want an electric mixer for this step, or your arm will surely fall off.

Beat the 1 1/2 cups of heavy cream with the 3 tablespoons of sugar until light, fluffy peaks appear. This might take longer than you think, but it's worth the wait!

Step 8: Finis!

Top pie with whipped cream and chocolate shavings or other preferred garnish.

Make sure you cut yourself a slice first. It may be considered rude, but once that pie is cut, it's going to go fast. You don't want to miss out!