German Chocolate Pie

Total Time Prep: 40 min. + chilling Cook: 30 min. + cooling
Yield 8 servings
Contest Winner
Test Kitchen Approved
This German chocolate pie is decadent, just like the original cake version. It boasts a creamy filling, buttery crust and pecan topping.

Ingredients

  • Dough for single-crust pie
  • FILLING:
  • 4 ounces German sweet chocolate, chopped
  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/3 cup sugar
  • 3 tablespoons cornstarch
  • 1-1/2 cups whole milk
  • 2 large egg yolks
  • TOPPING:
  • 2/3 cup evaporated milk
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1/4 cup butter, cubed
  • 1 large egg, lightly beaten
  • 1-1/3 cups sweetened shredded coconut, toasted
  • 1/2 cup chopped pecans, toasted

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 400°. On a lightly floured surface, roll dough to a 1/8-in.-thick circle; transfer to a 9-in. pie plate. Trim crust to 1/2 in. beyond rim of plate; flute edge.
  2. Line unpricked pastry with a double thickness of foil or parchment paper. Fill with pie weights, dried beans or uncooked rice. Bake 25 minutes. Remove foil and weights; bake until golden brown, 4-6 minutes longer. Cool on a wire rack.
  3. For filling, in a microwave, melt chocolate and butter; stir until smooth. Stir in vanilla. In a small heavy saucepan, mix sugar and cornstarch. Whisk in whole milk. Cook and stir over medium heat until thickened and bubbly. Reduce heat to low; cook and stir 2 minutes longer. Remove from heat.
  4. In a small bowl, whisk a small amount of hot mixture into egg yolks; return all to pan, whisking constantly. Bring to a gentle boil; cook and stir 2 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in chocolate mixture. Pour into crust.
  5. For topping, in a small saucepan, combine evaporated milk, sugar and butter. Cook and stir until butter is melted and mixture just comes to a boil. Remove from heat.
  6. In a small bowl, whisk a small amount of hot mixture into egg; return all to pan, whisking constantly. Bring to a gentle boil; cook and stir 2 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in coconut and pecans. Pour over filling.
  7. Cool pie 30 minutes on a wire rack. Refrigerate, covered, until cold, at least 3 hours.

Nutrition Facts

1 piece: 549 calories, 34g fat (17g saturated fat), 117mg cholesterol, 265mg sodium, 58g carbohydrate (40g sugars, 1g fiber), 8g protein.

Thanksgiving dinner at our house includes an average of 25 guests and a dozen different pies. This one has all the luscious flavor of German chocolate cake. A friend who tried it told me he wanted it to be his birthday pie from now on.—Debbie Clay, Farmington, New Mexico
Recipe Creator

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