Table of Contents
- Why I Love This Pumpkin Pie Recipe
- Pumpkin Pie with Chocolate Crust Ingredients
- How to Make Pumpkin Pie with Chocolate Crust
- Pro Tips for Success
- Variations and Substitutions
- Serving and Storage
- Frequently Asked Questions
- More Thanksgiving Recipes
- Watch How to Make This Recipe
- Have I Convinced You to Make This Recipe?
- Pumpkin Pie with Chocolate Crust Recipe
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This modern twist on pumpkin pie with chocolate crust features a cozy spiced filling, rich chocolate crust, and a drizzle of chocolate on top. It perfectly blends nostalgia with a holiday-worthy upgrade!
Why I Love This Pumpkin Pie Recipe
Pumpkin pie is a Thanksgiving classic, bringing all the cozy nostalgia we love. But this version kicks it up a notch with a rich chocolate crust that makes it unforgettable. It’s the perfect mix of tradition and a modern twist and is guaranteed to wow at any gathering.
Baking this pie from scratch isn’t just about the dessert; it’s about the experience! Rolling out the dough, crimping the edges, and mixing the spices is like a little meditation. Every step feels thoughtful and full of love, and that care shines through in every bite.
Pumpkin Pie with Chocolate Crust Ingredients
There are ingredients for two components of this pie: the chocolate pie crust and the pumpkin pie filling. But all of the ingredients are pantry staples or easy to find in the grocery store!
- Flour is essential for the development of the crust and the filling. It provides structure and texture.
- Cocoa powder gives the crust its chocolate flavor and darker color.
- Sugar sweetens the crust slightly and provides sweetness to the filling, balancing out the flavors and giving it structure to form a custard.
- Butter creates the proper consistency for the crust, forming the flakiness needed to make a good consistency.
- Vanilla extract works well with the chocolate and hydrates the crust. If you want to learn to make your own, make sure to check out how to make homemade vanilla extract.
- Ice water creates moisture in the crust, helping to bind it together while maintaining the cool temperature it needs to form properly.
- Eggs allow the filling ingredients to bind properly, ensuring they bake thoroughly.
- Whole milk and heavy cream give the filling the creaminess it needs while simultaneously adding rich flavor.
- Ground ginger provides the pie with a hint of spice and a holiday flavor.
- Cinnamon delivers warmth and a slightly woody taste to the filling, complementing the pumpkin well.
- Cloves bring warmth and holiday spice, and their slight bitterness helps to balance the sweetness in the dish.
- Nutmeg rounds out the holiday spice mix, adding a hint of nuttiness to the filling.
- Kosher salt helps balance the spices and the sweetness in the filling, seasoning it slightly.
- Bittersweet chocolate gets drizzled over the top, finishing off the pie and tying into the chocolate taste of the crust.
How to Make Pumpkin Pie with Chocolate Crust
There are five steps to making pumpkin pie with chocolate crust:
- Create the crust
- Roll out the dough
- Bake the crust
- Create the pumpkin pie filling
- Garnish the pie
Step 1: Create the crust. Mix the flour, cocoa powder, and 2 tbsp of sugar. Cut the unsalted butter into small cubes and add to the dry ingredients. Toss the cubes in the dry mixture, then squeeze into the mixture using thumbs and forefingers. Mix until the mixture sticks together yet remains somewhat crumbly, with small to nonexistent lumps. Add in the vanilla extract and 4 tbsp of water. Toss together. The dough should clump together and form into a ball. If it remains too crumbly, add water, up to 2 more tbsp. Gently form the dough into a disc. Wrap it and place it in the refrigerator to chill for 20 minutes.
Step 2: Roll out the pie dough. On a floured surface, place the disk and roll it into a thin circular crust about 14 inches in diameter. Short rolls with a slight turn in between work best, allowing the dough to maintain a circular shape and not stick to the surface. Fold in half, transfer to a 9-inch pie dish, then unfold, letting the dough fall into the dish. If needed, trim the edges of the dough to create an even circle, leaving 1 inch of excess. Roll the excess under itself along the rim of the pie dish. Crimp the edges of the crust using your thumb and forefinger and knuckle of your other hand. Randomly dock the bottom and sides of the crust with a fork. Let chill in the fridge for 20 minutes.
Step 3: Bake the pie crust. Place a layer of parchment paper in the bottom of the crust. Add pie weights, then bake in a 375°F oven for 20 minutes. Remove the pie weights and finish baking for 15 to 20 more minutes until the bottom of the crust is thoroughly dried.
Step 4: Create the pie filling. Add the eggs, pumpkin puree, whole milk, heavy cream, sugar, flour, ground ginger, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, and kosher salt to a large mixing bowl. Whisk together until evenly combined. Add to the parbaked pie shell and cook for 40 to 50 minutes. Remove when the center is still slightly jiggly, ensuring it won’t crack.
Step 5: Garnish the pie. After the pie has fully cooled, melt the bittersweet chocolate and drizzle over the top. Let it set, then slice and serve.
Pro Tips for Success
- Use cold butter when making the crust. Maintaining the proper temperature is essential when creating the crust; otherwise, the consistency can suffer.
- When making the dough, start with a smaller amount of water. Adding the correct amount is essential to forming a good dough consistency. More can always be added, but it cannot be removed. The humidity and time of year can affect the dough’s hydration, so add little by little until the right texture is achieved.
- Don’t stretch the pie crust when placing it in the dish. A stretched crust can shrink back up while baking. Instead, let the crust fall into the inside corners of the pie dish.
- When you remove the pie from the oven, its center should still be slightly jiggly. You don’t want the pie to overcook; otherwise, it can curdle or crack. So, you want to aim for an internal temperature of 180°F to 185°F.
Variations and Substitutions
There are a few ways this pie can be altered:
- Lard (or a combination of lard and butter) can be used instead of butter in the pie crust. Personally, I think that butter gives better flavor, but lard works well as a substitute. Make sure to check out my recipe for the best pie crust.
- Coconut milk can be used instead of whole milk for variety or a change in flavor.
Serving and Storage
To serve: Let the pie cool fully before cutting and serving. Otherwise, the filling will not be set, and the pie can lose shape. Serve with ice cream, or top each slice with whipped cream, if desired.
To store: Place in an airtight container and refrigerate. This will last up to 7 days in the fridge.
Frequently Asked Questions
The dough should come together to form a ball. If it crumbles apart and doesn’t hold its shape, add water a little bit at a time.
Of course! This dough can be refrigerated and made within a few days or frozen for up to a month. If frozen, just let it thaw overnight in the fridge before using.
I strongly recommend using pie weights. Otherwise, the crust can slump or shrink, and the pie weights allow it to maintain its shape. If weights are not available, dried beans will also work.
Watch How to Make This Recipe
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Pumpkin Pie with Chocolate Crust
Ingredients
For the crust
- 1 ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup Dutch-process cocoa powder
- 2 tbsp granulated sugar
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 10 tbsp unsalted chilled butter cubed into ½-inch pieces
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 5-6 tbsp ice cold water
For the pumpkin filling
- 2 large eggs
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup heavy cream
- ½ cup whole milk
- 1 15 oz can pumpkin puree
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp ground ginger
- ¼ tsp ground cloves
- ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
- ½ tsp kosher salt
- 2 tbsp all-purpose flour
- 2 oz semi-sweet chocolate chopped
Instructions
For the crust
- In a large bowl, combine the flour, cocoa powder, sugar, and salt. Mix together and add the cubes of cold butter. Toss the butter pieces to coat the flour. Using thumb and forefingers, work the butter into the flour mixture by pressing the pieces of butter into the flour. Continue to mix until it resembles a coarse mixture with butter pieces no bigger than a pea and holds together when pressed into a tight fist.1 ¼ cup all-purpose flour, ¼ cup Dutch-process cocoa powder, 2 tbsp granulated sugar, 1 tsp kosher salt, 10 tbsp unsalted chilled butter
- Add the vanilla extract and 4 tbsp of water and toss to combine. Add 1-2 tbsp more water as needed until the dough forms a cohesive mass. Press together into a disk. Wrap tightly in plastic and place in the refrigerator to chill for 20 minutes.1 tsp vanilla extract, 5-6 tbsp ice cold water
- Roll out to a 14-inch circle and fit the dough into a 9-inch pie pan. Trim the dough, leaving 1 inch of overhang. Roll the overhang under and crimp the edge to form a crust. Dock the crust with a fork. Place the prepared pie shell in the refrigerator to chill for 20 minutes. Alternatively, the formed crust can be wrapped and frozen for up to 1 month.
- Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line the pie shell with parchment paper and fill to the top with pie weights or dried beans. Bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes. Remove the weights and bake until the bottom is dry, 15-20 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside. Decrease the oven temperature to 350°F.
For the filling
- In a large bowl, combine the eggs, sugar, heavy cream, milk, pumpkin puree, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, nutmeg, salt, and flour. Whisk until smooth.2 large eggs, ¾ cup granulated sugar, 1 cup heavy cream, ½ cup whole milk, 1 15 oz can pumpkin puree, 1 tsp ground cinnamon, ½ tsp ground ginger, ¼ tsp ground cloves, ¼ tsp ground nutmeg, ½ tsp kosher salt, 2 tbsp all-purpose flour
- Pour the filling into the par-baked pie shell. Bake on the middle rack of the oven for 40-50 minutes until the pie is set. When lightly shaken, the center of the filling should jiggle slightly, and the internal temperature should read 180-185°F. Let cool fully. Melt the chocolate and drizzle over the pie before serving.2 oz semi-sweet chocolate
