Chess Pie Recipe

This pie is still in the oven as I write this, but after all the recipes Ive tried I have yet to come along one that resembled the pies my grandmother used to make. One of the reasons I searched for so long was that I didnt realize the one very simple fact that set my family pies apart from the "recipe pies" - the commotion. There was always so much going on in our house during the holidays that this pie was made, that the pie always fell. Every Chess pie (we call it Vinegar Pie) Ive ever had in 22 years has been flat! I would recommend stomping to anyone else who has this same tradition. Also, leaving your pie in the oven while the oven cools is truly the best way to set the center, and the top is SUPPOSED to be brown and cracked.

This is an excellent recipe and very easy to make. I am a little surprised at some of the negative comments. This pie recipe is very typical and delicious for one of the custard-type pies. Try using heavy whipping cream rather than evaporated milk, this will help with the texture and the cracking. Also, PRE-HEAT your oven to 450 degrees, place pie plate on a cookie sheet, place in oven and immediately turn oven down to 350 degrees and bake 45-50 minutes. The top will be a medium brown as the cornmeal surfaces and browns, and the pie should be set. I had no problems with it and my family absolutely loves it. Thanks for the great recipe!

It can look like this and still turn out! As with any recipe online, definitely scroll through these reviews: I used 3 eggs + 1 yolk, and half a cup less of sugar (used 1c white sugar, 1/4c Splenda brown sugar mix), and it turned out great. Next time I'll use HALF the stick of butter because it's too greasy for my preference. Flavor's fantastic though and if you let it set in the oven as it cools, you'll have a perfect pie every time! Oh, and I used Jiffy cornbread instead of cornmeal because that's what I had. 😂 It worked!

Wonderful and festive pie! we made it for dessert after our Christmas dinner. I made some changes after reading the reviews and the pie turned out beautifully. I used one cup white granulated sugar and one cup brown sugar. I used three whole eggs and one yolk. I also made a homemade crust. I left it in the oven after baking to cool with the oven and it was perfectly set with no cracks. It was fun to try something new!

This recipe was great! I ended up making two different pies. The first pie I followed the recipe as written but baked it for about an hour and moved it to the top rack during the last 10 mins. The pie was wonderful but a bit too sweet. So on the second pie i used 1 1/2 cups of sugar and PERFECT. Hope this helps!

Pie is still in the oven. I made this pie because the word “chess” was in my NYT Wordle, free line, and I looked it up as I had no idea it was a pie. I used whipping cream, and reduced the sugar, and baked it with an oven heated to 450f then lowered to 350f, as suggested by Crivvy1. Picture out of oven after 50 minutes.

Make sure you use a deep 9-10” dish! I baked my crust for 4 minutes before filling. Over all, rich, nice tasting chess pie. I like using heavy cream vs evaporated milk. I tweaked recipe one time to include orange vs vanilla then added tablespoon triplesec. My hubby loved it!

I had more than 1/4 cup of filling left over even after overfilling my pie shell. Naming a deep dish shell would be more suitable for this quantity of ingredients.

Very simple and easy to make. I put my oven on 350 and put the pies(I made two) on the middle rack. I let it bake for about 40min then moved it to the top and broiled it for it become a little more brown. I then turned off the oven and let it sit for another 15min. I would advise to use half the sugar and I also added very little all purpose flour.

I followed the recommended steps: Preheat your oven to 450°F, place the pie on a cookie sheet, and put it in the oven. Immediately reduce the temperature to 350°F and bake for 45-50 minutes. Once done, turn off the oven, crack the door open, and let the pie cool inside for about 15 minutes. I used 3/4 cup brown sugar and 3/4 cup white sugar, along with melted butter. The result? A perfectly set custard pie!

I don't think a full stick of butter is needed. i added 1T flour & extra T of corn meal. wasn't set so I turned it back up to 350 for an extra 10 min. got it to set but its really oily on the bottom. I think 1/2 a stick or maybe even no butter would be better.

Well I followed directions to the letter (which I don't ever do). I had to leave it to cool while I went to work. Was dreaming about chess pie all day! I even took pictures. It was pretty. Got home last night and first thing through the door...ran to the cabinet and got my plate. Stuck a knife in...and it was soup. Cue the crying face. I'm no cook but come on...that bad?

My pies were still runny! I normally cook them on 400 I should have went with my first mind

I don't think a full stick of butter is needed. i added 1T flour & extra T of corn meal. wasn't set so I turned it back up to 350 for an extra 10 min. got it to set but its really oily on the bottom. I think 1/2 a stick or maybe even no butter would be better.

I've made this recipe 3 times now, and I'm about to do it again lol

I decided to make this today after playing NYT connections and had never heard of their solution, “Chess” Pie. My friend hadn’t either. So, I surprised her with a pie for me and one to share. I think it turned out well but next time I think I’ll try the 450 degrees to 350 degrees. Oh, and buy the deeper dish pie crusts to avoid overflow.

Tasted so fresh and homemade.

Just like I remember my grandmother's.

Followed the recipe exactly — perfection!

Found the recipe to be very easy to use. I've loved chess pie ever since I was very young. My Nana's chess pie was absolutely a Sunday must have after church lunch at our house. Fried chicken, mashed potatoes and gravy, corn, green beans, yeast rolls, and to top the meal off, chess pie with whipped cream. No whipped cream for me. Just the pie.