Contest-Winning German Chocolate Pie

Name: Contest-Winning German Chocolate Pie
Prep time: 40 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 1 h 10 min
Yield: 8 servings.
Ingredients: Pastry for single-crust pie (9 inches); 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

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

Ingredients

Pastry for single-crust pie (9 inches)
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

Preheat oven to 400°. On a lightly floured surface, roll pastry dough to a 1/8-in.-thick circle; transfer to a 9-in. pie plate. Trim pastry to 1/2 in. beyond rim of plate; flute edge.
Line unpricked pastry with a double thickness of foil. Fill with pie weights, dried beans or uncooked rice. Bake 25 minutes. Remove foil and weights; bake 4-6 minutes longer or until golden brown. Cool on a wire rack.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Cool pie 30 minutes on a wire rack. Refrigerate, covered, until cold, at least 3 hours.

Pastry for single-crust pie (9 inches): Combine 1-1/4 cups all-purpose flour and 1/4 tsp. salt; cut in 1/2 cup cold butter until crumbly. Gradually add 3-5 Tbsp. ice water, tossing with a fork until dough holds together when pressed. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate 1 hour.

Nutrition Facts

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

Originally published as German Chocolate Pie in Country Woman November/December 2005

Reviews

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Average Rating:

Michelle

Jul 30, 2017

Great pie, easier to skip steps 1 and 2 by substituting graham cracker crust (a chocolate one if you can find it). I toasted the coconut but not the pecans. I think that was a mistake as the pecans got a little soggy after sitting overnight. In the future I'd also reduce the amount of pecans by 25%. Also I forgot to add vanilla and it was fine.Tempering the eggs with the hot liquid is a MUST. About 3-4 tablespoons worth I used and whisked well. Even with that I had a little cooked egg, but not too much.
avassalo

Apr 17, 2017

I love regular German chocolate cake and was intrigued by the idea of a pie. I unfortunately could not find real German chocolate so I had to use semi-sweet squares plus extra sugar. The filling is pudding-like in texture and the frosting layer is nice and thick. Yum!
Queenlalisa

Nov 29, 2016

My cousin and I made this delicious pie for Thanksgiving. It is a very rich pie and I did cut it into smaller pieces. The coconut topping was so scrumptious!
donnajean72

Oct 12, 2016

I made this for my boyfriend's birthday because he missed having it at Baker's Square. One bite and he said it was the best pie he's ever eaten <3 that being said, be careful when mixing the topping with the egg....I had to strain the cooked egg out of mine haha. I'm not a chef...
Jujaju1

Jul 28, 2016

This recipe lives up to its name.I won grand prize tonight at a cooking contest with it!
Katydidd76

Mar 19, 2016

Incredibly delicious. I've made this several times now and it's always a huge hit. This pie is also very good with a graham cracker crust (you can use the premade kind). I've also substituted toasted walnuts for the pecans and that was pretty tasty too. Two forks up and five yummy stars for this recipe!
Kelly_m14

Dec 2, 2015

My family and I decided this is a keeper! Chocolate, toasted coconut, and pecans, what's not to like? Nothing too complicated and I had no issues with the recipe, but you do end up with a bunch of dirty dishes. Kind of to be expected with any layered dessert though, and I did make my own crust which added to this.
phyllistawater

Nov 13, 2015

unbelievable!!!
JWJIII

Nov 6, 2015

VERY Rich, but FANTASTIC!!! Made good Christmas gifts.
kcheekers

Oct 24, 2015

I was so happy with this pie - and so were my dinner guests! Great recipe; I'll definitely be making this one again.