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Old-Fashioned Chess Pie

1 review
Contest Ribbon Contest Winner
Test Kitchen Approved
Total Time

Prep: 30 min. + cooling Bake: 55 min. + cooling

Makes

8-10 servings

Updated: Sep. 24, 2022
This recipe dates back many years and has certainly stood the test of time. It's very rich, so small servings might be in order.
Old-Fashioned Chess Pie
Old-Fashioned Chess Pie Recipe photo by Taste of Home
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Ingredients

  • 1 cup butter, softened
  • 2 cups sugar
  • 6 egg yolks
  • 1 egg
  • 1/3 cup cornmeal
  • 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1/3 cup 2% milk
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 unbaked deep-dish pastry shell (9 inches)
  • TOPPING:
  • 2 cups sugar, divided
  • 2/3 cup 2% milk
  • 1/2 cup butter, cubed

Directions

  1. In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in egg yolks and egg. Add cornmeal and flour until well blended. Beat in milk and vanilla (do not over beat). Pour into the pastry shell.
  2. Bake at 325° for 55-65 minutes or until the filling is almost set. Cool on a wire rack.
  3. For topping, heat 1/2 cup sugar in a small heavy saucepan over low heat without stirring until partially melted, about 5 minutes. Cook and stir with a metal spoon until syrup is completely melted and golden, about 5 minutes. Stir in the milk, butter and remaining sugar (mixture will be lumpy). Cook over medium heat, stirring until a candy thermometer reads 234° (soft-ball stage). Remove from the heat.
  4. Pour into a small bowl without stirring. Cool, without stirring, to 190°. Beat on high speed until mixture turns light brown and creamy and a candy thermometer reads 130°-137°, about 5 minutes. Immediately spread over pie. Store in the refrigerator.

Nutrition Facts

1 piece: 710 calories, 36g fat (19g saturated fat), 226mg cholesterol, 365mg sodium, 96g carbohydrate (79g sugars, 0 fiber), 5g protein.