French Silk Pie features an Oreo cookie crust, rich and creamy chocolate filling, and is topped with homemade whipped cream and chocolate shavings! No raw eggs. Perfect holiday recipe!
Yield:
8 servings
Prep Time:30minutes
Cook:20minutes
Tessa's Recipe Rundown...
Taste: Tons of deep chocolate flavor without any cloying artificial sweetness like the pre-made frozen silk pies from the store. Texture: The filling is so rich, creamy, and decadent and pairs perfectly with the slightly crunchy crust and ultra light whipped cream. Ease: This recipe does make a bit of a mess, but the good news is that it’s made ahead of time so perfect for entertaining or bringing to a party. Pros: A classic recipe without any raw eggs that your family will request for every holiday. Cons: A bit involved and messy to make, but one bite of the final pie will convince you it was all worth it. Would I make this again? Absolutely!
Growing up it wasn’t a holiday without a French Silk Pie with those chocolate curls on top.
Whether it was Easter, Thanksgiving, or Christmas, we always had to have something chocolate. You see, I come from a long line of chocoholics. My dad and his mom, my grandma, love chocolate and sweets just as much as I do.
However neither of them bake, so we always got those frozen silk pies from the grocery store. Last year I decided to finally make a chocolate French silk pie from scratch for Thanksgiving and it was the most popular pie of the evening! So I knew I had to share the recipe with you asap.
I hope it becomes a family favorite and maybe even a holiday tradition in your home as well. This pie would even be perfect for Valentine’s Day!
French Silk Pie Recipe Tips
The Crust
I love an Oreo crust for this recipe! It’s so much easier than traditional pie dough and adds an extra dose of CHOCOLATE! Use regular-stuff Oreos with the filling in tact.
If you’d prefer to use a pastry crust, check out my Best Ever Pie Crust recipe here and follow the directions for pre-baking.
The Filling
Since this recipe doesn’t use raw eggs it’s safe to serve to everyone.
However, there are a few extra steps and bowls you will dirty while making this recipe. It’s SOOO worth it. I’d highly recommend reading the recipe through completely before you get started. You’ll need an electric mixer (hand held or stand) and an instant read thermometer for best results.
The Chocolate
The filling does have an intensely rich chocolate flavor. If you’d prefer something more mild, feel free to swap in semisweet chocolate for the bittersweet chocolate.
How to Make Chocolate Curls
Taking the time to make chocolate curls, instead of just shaving a block of chocolate or garnishing with a dusting of cocoa powder, really makes this French Silk Pie look gourmet. Here’s a super helpful step-by-step video on how to make chocolate curls.
French Silk Pie features an Oreo cookie crust, rich and creamy chocolate filling, and is topped with homemade whipped cream and chocolate shavings! No raw eggs. Perfect holiday recipe!
10tablespoons(142 grams) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 1/3cupsheavy cream
4teaspoonspowdered sugar
For the topping
1cupheavy cream
2tablespoonspowdered sugar
1teaspoonvanilla extract
Chocolate shavings or cocoa powder,for garnish if desired
Directions
Make the crust:
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray a 9-inch deep pie dish with cooking spray.
Place the Oreo cookies in the bowl of a food processor and pulse until finely ground. Add in the melted butter and pulse until moistened. Press the mixture into the bottom and up the sides of the prepared pie dish. Bake for 10 minutes, or until fragrant and set. Let cool completely on a wire rack.
Make the filling:
In a small saucepan, whisk together the granulated sugar and eggs. Set over medium-low heat and cook, whisking constantly, until the mixture reaches 160°F and coats the back of a metal spoon. Remove from heat and stir in the melted chocolate and vanilla until smooth. Cool to just warm, stirring occasionally.
Use an electric mixer, beat the butter until light and fluffy, about 2 to 3 minutes. Gradually add in the cooled chocolate mixture then beat on high speed for 5 minutes, or until light and fluffy.
In a clean bowl use an electric mixer to beat the cream until it begins to thicken. Add the powdered sugar and beat until stiff peaks form. Fold into the chocolate mixture.
Pour the mixture into the pan, smoothing evenly. The pie will be tall with filling. Chill for 6 hours. At this point the pie can be stored for up to 2 days ahead of time.
Make the topping:
Use an electric mixer to beat the cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla on high speed until stiff peaks form. Top pie with whipped cream and garnish with chocolate shavings or dust with cocoa powder.
Recipe Video
Course :
Dessert
Cuisine :
French
Keyword :
french silk pie, pie
Photos by Ashley McLaughlin.
December 2020 Baking Challenge
This recipe was the December 2020 pick for our monthly baking challenge! Every month you can join the challenge by baking the recipe and snapping a photo for a chance to win prizes! Learn more about my monthly baking challenges here. Check out everyone’s pies:
I share trusted baking recipes your friends will LOVE alongside insights into the science of sweets. I'm a professionally trained chef, cookbook author, and cookie queen. I love to write about all things sweet, carb-y, and homemade. I live in Phoenix, Arizona (hence the blog name!)
About Tessa...
I share trusted baking recipes your friends will LOVE alongside insights into the science of sweets. I'm a professionally trained chef, cookbook author, and cookie queen. I love to write about all things sweet, carb-y, and homemade. I live in Phoenix, Arizona (hence the blog name!)
This pie is dangerously good. Not many recipes make it in our “vault”, but this one did immediately. We all love it and it is officially replacing our old favorite chocolate pie.
The recipe was very easy to follow. My ten and three year old helped and it still ended up being a quick recipe too.
I’m so happy to have found this recipe. My foodie heart is so delighted.
My son and I made this today for pi day. The recipe was easy to follow and turned out beautifully. The texture is lovely and smooth with a creamy mouth feel. The flavors are well balanced. This is the best tasting chocolate pie I’ve ever eaten.
Junior in high school and made this for my culinary class…in the topping, i added an oreo and some extra powder sugar to give it some texture. i added in some extra whipping cream in the pie filling itsself, and added half a chocolate bar on the top for show. everyone loved it- it was a hit!!
Kiersten @ Handle the Heat
— February 17, 2023 at 11:07 am
Hi Susan! We haven’t tried that, and while I think it would work fine to top the pie with (as long as you don’t mind the additional sweetness), I wouldn’t recommend adding that inside the pie, as it wasn’t designed for that and will alter the flavor, consistency/texture and sweetness greatly. I hope that helps! Happy baking 🙂
Amazing recipe but your website is terrible… you have SO many ads you can’t even read the recipe without it jumping all over the place. Even while writing this ads pop up and shoot me to the top of the website every few seconds.
Kiersten @ Handle the Heat
— February 15, 2023 at 9:36 am
Hi Acacia! I’m so glad to hear that you loved this pie, but I’m sorry to hear that you’re experiencing so many ads! This is something we’re currently working to improve! There should be a small “x” to close some of the ads. If this happens again, please take a screenshot of what you’re seeing and email me at [email protected] so I can share it with our tech team. In the meantime, if you click on the print icon for any of our recipes, it will “reformat” the recipe without ads. Here is a link for the French Silk Pie in this ad-free, printable format. I hope that helps!
as a novice, i made the pie a few times to get it right. everybody I’ve made it for LOVES this french silk pie. it even goes over well without the whipped cream topping.
This is a go to recipe! Absolutely delicious. We sometimes double the crust but that’s the only variation. Crowd pleaser, everyone raves when I make this!
Kiersten @ Handle the Heat
— January 26, 2023 at 8:36 am
Hi Samantha! While we haven’t specifically tested this method ourselves, plenty of our readers have with success! We recommend thawing before you plan to serve the pie by placing the pie in the fridge overnight, and then topping with fresh whipped cream within a few hours of serving, for best results. I hope that helps! Let us know what you think of this pie, once you have given it a try! 🙂
Alot of flavor but the texture seems off like it didnt fully set maybe it was the type of chocolate i used (tonychocolony) but would make again i just prefer a firmer texture like a moussee
Kiersten @ Handle the Heat
— February 22, 2023 at 5:58 am
Hi Gus! I’m sorry to hear that your pie didn’t set up properly. I’m not familiar with that type of chocolate, so it’s possible that is what prevented it from fully setting, but there are other possibilities, too. Did you use a digital instant-read thermometer when cooking the egg/sugar mixture? It can be difficult to tell if the mixture reached the correct temperature without a thermometer, unfortunately. Issues can also arise if the sugar/egg/chocolate mixture wasn’t cooled enough when added to the whipped butter, as the butter can melt and lose the air we just whipped into it. Also, if your whipped cream doesn’t fully reach stiff peaks the mixture won’t be thick enough. I hope something here helped! If not, feel free to reach back out and we can continue to troubleshoot together 🙂
This pie is wonderful! Followed the directions to the letter and it was perfection. My entire family now has the link to this pie and your site.
I can’t wait to check out your other recipes.
Thanks so much
I have made this pie twice now, it has become a family favourite. It’s rich and full of flavour but still light enough to have after a big meal. Thanks Tessa for yet another phenomenal recipe
Thank you so much for sharing this recipe!!! I have made French silk pies in the past using raw eggs and didn’t really feel comfortable with this. This was fantastic!!! I also used the Oreo crust and it brought the pie to a whole new level of deliciousness!
My neighbor said this was the best pie she ever ate. It was sooooo delicious!!! I did add a pinch of salt to the filling. I also sprinkled some crumbs from some coffee toffee I previously made on top.
Excellent pie!
Made it once for Thanksgiving and now for Christmas. My family loved it and I will be making it for many occasions in the future.
Merry Christmas! Daniela
I am thankful! I found this recipe to help my first ”French Silk” pie be a success. A plus+ everyone said it was delicious!!
I gave it 4 stars because the prep time & cook times were a bit off. Overall the prep time took longer to make than anticipated. I recommended
So delicious! I followed the recipe exactly and the pie turned out amazing! The amount of chocolate was perfect for anyone that’s a chocolate lover. I held off making the whipped topping until an hour before we were going to eat it and that was fine. It is a bit messy as you have a number of bowls to clean up afterward, but that’s a minor issue. Definitely a winner!
I made this pie and it looked great when I took it out of the fridge. For some reason the filling did not set even though it was refrigerated for almost 20 hours 🙁
Luckily people thought it was a chocolate dip with how liquid it was and nobody complained but I can’t figure out why I wouldn’t become stiff.
Kiersten @ Handle the Heat
— December 21, 2022 at 9:40 am
Hi Emilia! Oh no! I’m sorry to hear that your pie didn’t set up properly. Did you use a digital instant-read thermometer when cooking the egg/sugar mixture? It can be difficult to tell if the mixture reached the correct temperature without a thermometer, unfortunately. Issues can also arise if the sugar/egg/chocolate mixture wasn’t cooled enough when added to the whipped butter, as the butter can melt and lose the air we just whipped into it. Also, if your whipped cream doesn’t fully reach stiff peaks the mixture won’t be thick enough. I hope something here helped! If not, feel free to reach back out and we can continue to troubleshoot together 🙂
All of those ideas are helpful, and I appreciate you taking the time to give me these tips! I am no expert at making pies and had never made a French Silk pie before. I kept scratching my head trying to figure out what went wrong and that maybe I was supposed to freeze the pie instead.
I will try again with your suggestions in the coming weeks and hopefully have better success :).
BOOKMARKED! I made this recipe for a potluck and it was a BIG HIT!!! I made a few modifications: I used 2 eggs and 2 egg yolks, used an electric hand mixer and, in a double boiler, beat the eggs and sugar on high until fluffy and eggs coated the back of a spoon, added the vanilla while mixer is still going, slowly added in melted chocolate while mixer is still going on low now (also melted in another double boiler). After that was all mixed together, I removed it from the heat. Then I mixed the room temperature butter with the same hand mixer on low until fluffy and with the mixer still going I added in the chocolate egg mixture to the butter. After that was finished I mixed up the heavy cream and powdered sugar until stiff peaks formed with the hand mixer on high. After the chocolate stuff had cooled some, I placed the hand mixer back into the chocolate and, while on low speed, I added in the whipped cream until it was all homogenized. I filled the pie crust and placed in the refrigerator. I had enough left over filling to make 2 pies, so I took the left over filling and made mini pies that I froze and ate frozen. It was delicious – had the texture of frozen custard! This week I am going to try this same recipe but with white chocolate peppermint bark for a holiday party!
Loved this pie! I was looking for a recipe but did not like using raw eggs. This came out perfect and everyone enjoyed it! Next time I am going to make with a graham cracker crust as not everyone is quite the chocolate lover that I am! Thank you for posting!
This turned out really good, my first try at making a French Silk! I did use the bittersweet chocolate but I want more of intense chocolate flavor so next time I’m going to add 3 Tbls of cocoa with the heavy cream to see if that will do it. I did cheat and bought a pre-made Oreo pie crust but next time I’ll make it. My husband loved it!
Tessa’s photo appears that she either froze or refrigerated the pie after she put on the whipped cream. Can you top it then refrigerate it to be served a few hours later?
Kiersten @ Handle the Heat
— December 19, 2022 at 1:11 pm
Hi Eileen! This pie needs to be refrigerated for at least 6 hours (preferably overnight) to cool down and set, and at that point, it can then be topped with whipped cream. We recommend serving the pie within a few hours of topping with the whipped cream for freshest tasting and best-looking results, but it will keep for a day or two just fine if needed once topped, too. I hope that helps! Happy baking 🙂
The recipe steps were clear but this just tasted like whipped buttercream frosting pie. It was too sweet and I even used 70% cocoa baking bars. i think it need a tang from cream cheese or something to add more flavor or maybe a reduction in sugar.
Kiersten @ Handle the Heat
— December 19, 2022 at 1:29 pm
Hi Sue! I’m sorry to hear that your pie didn’t turn out quite as you’d hoped. If you ever wish to give this pie another try, I would recommend using a darker chocolate (even an unsweetened chocolate) in the pie. You can also skip the powdered sugar and vanilla in the whipped cream topping, as this will give you a less-sweet result, without messing with the consistency of the pie or preventing it from setting. Learn more about the role sugar plays in baking here! I hope that helps, Sue! Happy baking 🙂
Super delicious and what a showstopper! Made this for a family get-together and because my grandson loves chocolate. It is so much better than any bought pie and pretty quick and easy too. No hard steps, just make sure you follow the recipe. It is a requested pie now from our family for special occasions.
Kiersten @ Handle the Heat
— December 15, 2022 at 8:44 am
Hi Ceciley! At the beginning, it specifies this pie does not contain raw eggs. Some pies do, and it’s not totally safe it eat when the eggs are not cooked properly. This pie most definitely contains eggs, but they are cooked in the process of making the pie. Let us know what you think if you give this pie a try 🙂
Way to rich. I couldn’t even eat it. So disappointed. I choose this recipe from the great star rating but wish I had read a few others to see that most only put 2 oz of chocolate where this one puts a whole 8ozs! I’m so upset. I don’t even want to serve this.
Kiersten @ Handle the Heat
— December 9, 2022 at 12:46 pm
Hi Amber! I’m sorry to hear that you found this pie to be too rich! When combined with the whipped cream topping, it should all balance out to be a deliciously decadent but not-overly-sweet dessert. Were any ingredients altered from the recipe? Feel free to reach back out and we can try to troubleshoot together 🙂 In any case, I’m sure your guests will love it!
I would like to make mini pies for my neighbors for Christmas. I’ve made similar French silk, but very excited about the oreo crust. So my question is when you make the whipped topping as directed how well does it hold up? I’d like to make them complete with whipped topping and chocolate curls and freeze to give out around Christmas. I know store-bought whipped cream wouldn’t hold up.
Kiersten @ Handle the Heat
— December 9, 2022 at 12:39 pm
Hi Cindy! We haven’t tested making these pies more than a couple days ahead, but several of our readers have had success making the pies and freezing them, and just topping with whipped cream before serving. Whipped cream always looks and tastes best the day it’s whipped, and it can take on a strange texture when frozen, so I’d recommend whipping and topping the pies no more than a day before gifting, if possible. Let us know how it goes 🙂
I am always looking to cut back on sugar in recipes so when I saw that the entire crust was nothing but Oreos, although a good idea, I used about 100 grams of Oreos, and then used some ‘Oreo’ cookies (without filling; I can’t remember the name, but it’s meant for these crusts) and used the same amount of butter. I would like to know how to do it without Oreos but still keep the same moisture that the filling in the cookies bring to keep it together. So, if I didn’t use Oreos, and didn’t have the filling of the cookies to help the moisture in keeping the crust together, how much butter should I use instead?
Okay, this was insane! Touching it after letting it cool in the fridge, feels solid; but eating this is anything but–this was so airy and light, it was like eating a cloud! when it came to folding the filling together, I got nervous because I haven’t been successful at folding. You have to be careful, and do it till its mixed but not more than that otherwise you can kill the air you whipped into the cream and everything, and it won’t come out as airy. I was actually able to fold this right! I felt so good afterwards. There were some streaks of white in it as I was worried about over mixing, but it didn’t hinder the flavor or anything.
Kiersten @ Handle the Heat
— November 29, 2022 at 1:03 pm
Hi Stephanie! The filling should set up more as it chills down in the fridge. If the egg/sugar mixture wasn’t heated long enough to reach the correct temperature, or if it was too hot when added to the butter, it might not be as thick/set as it should be – but it will definitely set more in the fridge as everything cools down and the butter firms back up 🙂
I have returned from my holiday party and would like to report that this recipe is foolproof. As in, I was the fool, and it did not fail me.
1) My first time constantly whisking eggs and sugar over heat. My arm felt like it was going to fall off. My pan was too short for my cheap thermometer to clip onto, so I had to hold it the whole time. Still managed to get 160F without making scrambled eggs.
2) I ran out of granulated sugar and had to use half powdered sugar for the chocolate filling. Did not affect taste or texture.
3) Also did not have vanilla (where was my head? I don’t know. I’ve been baking cookies, brownies, and cakes for half my life). Filling still tasted delicious.
4) Had to use gluten-free Oreos, just added a bit more butter to hold them together. Also did not bake the crust, but decided to chill. Crust was still fab and held together perfectly.
5) Ran out of bowls (and patience) when it came to whipping the heavy cream and powdered sugar (and obviously vanilla that we established I did not have), so I just dumped it into the whipped chocolate mixture and beat it on high for probably 3x as long. Filling was still perfectly light and set after sitting in the fridge.
6) Wanted to make mini pies instead, used muffin cups that I coated lightly with baking spray (oil+flour kind). With a tiny bit of wiggling with a knife, they popped right out and still held their shape.
7) Used store-bought whipped cream instead of whipping my own, half because I was just done and half because I expected them to not set correctly (spoiler: they did) due to my shortcuts and missing ingredients. Still tasted fab.
This recipe is amazing and delicious and 100% my new go-to pie recipe. Thank you!!
Everyone loved this at Thanksgiving, and I was thrilled! My chocolate didn’t curl like Katie’s in the video, but it did well enough – a neat little trick. Plus, a little dusting with cocoa and no one notices.
Absolutely no complaints on this recipe, but I do wonder what folks would think of a little cinnamon. Perhaps in the crust or filling, or just dusted on top. I find the added flavor intriguing, but the French may be a little particular.
Simply the best French Silk Pie recipe out there. This will be my new go-to pie recipe. I made this and a couple other pies for a thanksgiving get-together and this was by far the crowd favorite! 10/10.
I just made this for Thanksgiving and it was absolutely delicious! Everyone loved it. I have a question though – it took me almost 2 hours to make because it took 1.5 hours for the egg/sugar/chocolate mixture to cool enough to the point that I could add it to the butter. Next time, could I put it in the fridge for a little bit to speed up the cooling process? I didn’t want to try because I didn’t want to screw anything up. I definitely want to make it again so I hope that’s an option. Thanks!
Kiersten @ Handle the Heat
— November 28, 2022 at 2:28 pm
Hi Ann! You could probably pop the bowl in the fridge to assist with quicker cooling, but we haven’t tested that, so I can’t say for sure. I definitely recommend removing the mixture from the saucepan you heated the sugar/eggs in, and placing it in a metal bowl (glass will retain the heat) and stir occasionally until cooled. I hope that helps 🙂
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This pie is dangerously good. Not many recipes make it in our “vault”, but this one did immediately. We all love it and it is officially replacing our old favorite chocolate pie.
The recipe was very easy to follow. My ten and three year old helped and it still ended up being a quick recipe too.
I’m so happy to have found this recipe. My foodie heart is so delighted.
10/10, 5 stars, highly recommend.
My son and I made this today for pi day. The recipe was easy to follow and turned out beautifully. The texture is lovely and smooth with a creamy mouth feel. The flavors are well balanced. This is the best tasting chocolate pie I’ve ever eaten.
Junior in high school and made this for my culinary class…in the topping, i added an oreo and some extra powder sugar to give it some texture. i added in some extra whipping cream in the pie filling itsself, and added half a chocolate bar on the top for show. everyone loved it- it was a hit!!
Does it work to substitute Cool Whip instead of homemade whipped cream?
Hi Susan! We haven’t tried that, and while I think it would work fine to top the pie with (as long as you don’t mind the additional sweetness), I wouldn’t recommend adding that inside the pie, as it wasn’t designed for that and will alter the flavor, consistency/texture and sweetness greatly. I hope that helps! Happy baking 🙂
Amazing recipe but your website is terrible… you have SO many ads you can’t even read the recipe without it jumping all over the place. Even while writing this ads pop up and shoot me to the top of the website every few seconds.
Hi Acacia! I’m so glad to hear that you loved this pie, but I’m sorry to hear that you’re experiencing so many ads! This is something we’re currently working to improve! There should be a small “x” to close some of the ads. If this happens again, please take a screenshot of what you’re seeing and email me at [email protected] so I can share it with our tech team. In the meantime, if you click on the print icon for any of our recipes, it will “reformat” the recipe without ads. Here is a link for the French Silk Pie in this ad-free, printable format. I hope that helps!
as a novice, i made the pie a few times to get it right. everybody I’ve made it for LOVES this french silk pie. it even goes over well without the whipped cream topping.
Easy and delicious! My little girl has been begging for a French silk pie. Glad I found this recipe!
This is a go to recipe! Absolutely delicious. We sometimes double the crust but that’s the only variation. Crowd pleaser, everyone raves when I make this!
Hi! Would this recipe be okay to make ahead and freeze and then put the whipped cream on it after letting it thaw?
Hi Samantha! While we haven’t specifically tested this method ourselves, plenty of our readers have with success! We recommend thawing before you plan to serve the pie by placing the pie in the fridge overnight, and then topping with fresh whipped cream within a few hours of serving, for best results. I hope that helps! Let us know what you think of this pie, once you have given it a try! 🙂
Alot of flavor but the texture seems off like it didnt fully set maybe it was the type of chocolate i used (tonychocolony) but would make again i just prefer a firmer texture like a moussee
Hi Gus! I’m sorry to hear that your pie didn’t set up properly. I’m not familiar with that type of chocolate, so it’s possible that is what prevented it from fully setting, but there are other possibilities, too. Did you use a digital instant-read thermometer when cooking the egg/sugar mixture? It can be difficult to tell if the mixture reached the correct temperature without a thermometer, unfortunately. Issues can also arise if the sugar/egg/chocolate mixture wasn’t cooled enough when added to the whipped butter, as the butter can melt and lose the air we just whipped into it. Also, if your whipped cream doesn’t fully reach stiff peaks the mixture won’t be thick enough. I hope something here helped! If not, feel free to reach back out and we can continue to troubleshoot together 🙂
My family loved this! Delicious!
This pie is wonderful! Followed the directions to the letter and it was perfection. My entire family now has the link to this pie and your site.
I can’t wait to check out your other recipes.
Thanks so much
Most amazing recipe ever! I made it for Christmas and got rave reviews. Thank you so much!!
I have made this pie twice now, it has become a family favourite. It’s rich and full of flavour but still light enough to have after a big meal. Thanks Tessa for yet another phenomenal recipe
Wonderful recipe. My first time making a French silk pie and it turned out perfect. Thank you for the great recipe.
Thank you so much for sharing this recipe!!! I have made French silk pies in the past using raw eggs and didn’t really feel comfortable with this. This was fantastic!!! I also used the Oreo crust and it brought the pie to a whole new level of deliciousness!
My neighbor said this was the best pie she ever ate. It was sooooo delicious!!! I did add a pinch of salt to the filling. I also sprinkled some crumbs from some coffee toffee I previously made on top.
Do you serve this right from the fridge or does it need to warm up a little?
Either way is fine, Jane! 🙂
Excellent pie!
Made it once for Thanksgiving and now for Christmas. My family loved it and I will be making it for many occasions in the future.
Merry Christmas! Daniela
Awesome!!!!!!
I am thankful! I found this recipe to help my first ”French Silk” pie be a success. A plus+ everyone said it was delicious!!
I gave it 4 stars because the prep time & cook times were a bit off. Overall the prep time took longer to make than anticipated. I recommended
So delicious! I followed the recipe exactly and the pie turned out amazing! The amount of chocolate was perfect for anyone that’s a chocolate lover. I held off making the whipped topping until an hour before we were going to eat it and that was fine. It is a bit messy as you have a number of bowls to clean up afterward, but that’s a minor issue. Definitely a winner!
Decided to bake up this amazing Silk Pie for Christmas Eve! It set up beautiful! Can’t wait to share it
can i use heavy wipping cream instead of heavy cream?
Yes, they are basically the same thing 🙂
I made this pie and it looked great when I took it out of the fridge. For some reason the filling did not set even though it was refrigerated for almost 20 hours 🙁
Luckily people thought it was a chocolate dip with how liquid it was and nobody complained but I can’t figure out why I wouldn’t become stiff.
Hi Emilia! Oh no! I’m sorry to hear that your pie didn’t set up properly. Did you use a digital instant-read thermometer when cooking the egg/sugar mixture? It can be difficult to tell if the mixture reached the correct temperature without a thermometer, unfortunately. Issues can also arise if the sugar/egg/chocolate mixture wasn’t cooled enough when added to the whipped butter, as the butter can melt and lose the air we just whipped into it. Also, if your whipped cream doesn’t fully reach stiff peaks the mixture won’t be thick enough. I hope something here helped! If not, feel free to reach back out and we can continue to troubleshoot together 🙂
All of those ideas are helpful, and I appreciate you taking the time to give me these tips! I am no expert at making pies and had never made a French Silk pie before. I kept scratching my head trying to figure out what went wrong and that maybe I was supposed to freeze the pie instead.
I will try again with your suggestions in the coming weeks and hopefully have better success :).
No problem at all, Emilia! Good luck with Round 2 🙂
BOOKMARKED! I made this recipe for a potluck and it was a BIG HIT!!! I made a few modifications: I used 2 eggs and 2 egg yolks, used an electric hand mixer and, in a double boiler, beat the eggs and sugar on high until fluffy and eggs coated the back of a spoon, added the vanilla while mixer is still going, slowly added in melted chocolate while mixer is still going on low now (also melted in another double boiler). After that was all mixed together, I removed it from the heat. Then I mixed the room temperature butter with the same hand mixer on low until fluffy and with the mixer still going I added in the chocolate egg mixture to the butter. After that was finished I mixed up the heavy cream and powdered sugar until stiff peaks formed with the hand mixer on high. After the chocolate stuff had cooled some, I placed the hand mixer back into the chocolate and, while on low speed, I added in the whipped cream until it was all homogenized. I filled the pie crust and placed in the refrigerator. I had enough left over filling to make 2 pies, so I took the left over filling and made mini pies that I froze and ate frozen. It was delicious – had the texture of frozen custard! This week I am going to try this same recipe but with white chocolate peppermint bark for a holiday party!
What chocolate do you recommend for making the chocolate curls??
Hi Susie! Any good quality dark chocolate baking bar (such as Ghirardelli) will work great 🙂
Loved this pie! I was looking for a recipe but did not like using raw eggs. This came out perfect and everyone enjoyed it! Next time I am going to make with a graham cracker crust as not everyone is quite the chocolate lover that I am! Thank you for posting!
This turned out really good, my first try at making a French Silk! I did use the bittersweet chocolate but I want more of intense chocolate flavor so next time I’m going to add 3 Tbls of cocoa with the heavy cream to see if that will do it. I did cheat and bought a pre-made Oreo pie crust but next time I’ll make it. My husband loved it!
Tessa’s photo appears that she either froze or refrigerated the pie after she put on the whipped cream. Can you top it then refrigerate it to be served a few hours later?
Hi Eileen! This pie needs to be refrigerated for at least 6 hours (preferably overnight) to cool down and set, and at that point, it can then be topped with whipped cream. We recommend serving the pie within a few hours of topping with the whipped cream for freshest tasting and best-looking results, but it will keep for a day or two just fine if needed once topped, too. I hope that helps! Happy baking 🙂
The recipe steps were clear but this just tasted like whipped buttercream frosting pie. It was too sweet and I even used 70% cocoa baking bars. i think it need a tang from cream cheese or something to add more flavor or maybe a reduction in sugar.
Hi Sue! I’m sorry to hear that your pie didn’t turn out quite as you’d hoped. If you ever wish to give this pie another try, I would recommend using a darker chocolate (even an unsweetened chocolate) in the pie. You can also skip the powdered sugar and vanilla in the whipped cream topping, as this will give you a less-sweet result, without messing with the consistency of the pie or preventing it from setting. Learn more about the role sugar plays in baking here! I hope that helps, Sue! Happy baking 🙂
Super delicious and what a showstopper! Made this for a family get-together and because my grandson loves chocolate. It is so much better than any bought pie and pretty quick and easy too. No hard steps, just make sure you follow the recipe. It is a requested pie now from our family for special occasions.
In the beginning it says egg free but it’s definitely made with eggs. Which is it? Eggs or no eggs??
Hi Ceciley! At the beginning, it specifies this pie does not contain raw eggs. Some pies do, and it’s not totally safe it eat when the eggs are not cooked properly. This pie most definitely contains eggs, but they are cooked in the process of making the pie. Let us know what you think if you give this pie a try 🙂
Way to rich. I couldn’t even eat it. So disappointed. I choose this recipe from the great star rating but wish I had read a few others to see that most only put 2 oz of chocolate where this one puts a whole 8ozs! I’m so upset. I don’t even want to serve this.
Hi Amber! I’m sorry to hear that you found this pie to be too rich! When combined with the whipped cream topping, it should all balance out to be a deliciously decadent but not-overly-sweet dessert. Were any ingredients altered from the recipe? Feel free to reach back out and we can try to troubleshoot together 🙂 In any case, I’m sure your guests will love it!
I would like to make mini pies for my neighbors for Christmas. I’ve made similar French silk, but very excited about the oreo crust. So my question is when you make the whipped topping as directed how well does it hold up? I’d like to make them complete with whipped topping and chocolate curls and freeze to give out around Christmas. I know store-bought whipped cream wouldn’t hold up.
Hi Cindy! We haven’t tested making these pies more than a couple days ahead, but several of our readers have had success making the pies and freezing them, and just topping with whipped cream before serving. Whipped cream always looks and tastes best the day it’s whipped, and it can take on a strange texture when frozen, so I’d recommend whipping and topping the pies no more than a day before gifting, if possible. Let us know how it goes 🙂
I am always looking to cut back on sugar in recipes so when I saw that the entire crust was nothing but Oreos, although a good idea, I used about 100 grams of Oreos, and then used some ‘Oreo’ cookies (without filling; I can’t remember the name, but it’s meant for these crusts) and used the same amount of butter. I would like to know how to do it without Oreos but still keep the same moisture that the filling in the cookies bring to keep it together. So, if I didn’t use Oreos, and didn’t have the filling of the cookies to help the moisture in keeping the crust together, how much butter should I use instead?
Hi Vanessa! I’m sorry, but since we haven’t tried that, we really can’t say! Feel free to experiment and see how it goes.
Okay, this was insane! Touching it after letting it cool in the fridge, feels solid; but eating this is anything but–this was so airy and light, it was like eating a cloud! when it came to folding the filling together, I got nervous because I haven’t been successful at folding. You have to be careful, and do it till its mixed but not more than that otherwise you can kill the air you whipped into the cream and everything, and it won’t come out as airy. I was actually able to fold this right! I felt so good afterwards. There were some streaks of white in it as I was worried about over mixing, but it didn’t hinder the flavor or anything.
Yay! So glad you enjoyed this pie so much, Vanessa 🙂
My filling was runny enough to pour in, instead of scooping. Do you think it will still still set? Love the recipe and can’t wait to try more:)
Hi Stephanie! The filling should set up more as it chills down in the fridge. If the egg/sugar mixture wasn’t heated long enough to reach the correct temperature, or if it was too hot when added to the butter, it might not be as thick/set as it should be – but it will definitely set more in the fridge as everything cools down and the butter firms back up 🙂
Amazing recipe! I followed it to a T and it came out perfectly!
I have returned from my holiday party and would like to report that this recipe is foolproof. As in, I was the fool, and it did not fail me.
1) My first time constantly whisking eggs and sugar over heat. My arm felt like it was going to fall off. My pan was too short for my cheap thermometer to clip onto, so I had to hold it the whole time. Still managed to get 160F without making scrambled eggs.
2) I ran out of granulated sugar and had to use half powdered sugar for the chocolate filling. Did not affect taste or texture.
3) Also did not have vanilla (where was my head? I don’t know. I’ve been baking cookies, brownies, and cakes for half my life). Filling still tasted delicious.
4) Had to use gluten-free Oreos, just added a bit more butter to hold them together. Also did not bake the crust, but decided to chill. Crust was still fab and held together perfectly.
5) Ran out of bowls (and patience) when it came to whipping the heavy cream and powdered sugar (and obviously vanilla that we established I did not have), so I just dumped it into the whipped chocolate mixture and beat it on high for probably 3x as long. Filling was still perfectly light and set after sitting in the fridge.
6) Wanted to make mini pies instead, used muffin cups that I coated lightly with baking spray (oil+flour kind). With a tiny bit of wiggling with a knife, they popped right out and still held their shape.
7) Used store-bought whipped cream instead of whipping my own, half because I was just done and half because I expected them to not set correctly (spoiler: they did) due to my shortcuts and missing ingredients. Still tasted fab.
This recipe is amazing and delicious and 100% my new go-to pie recipe. Thank you!!
Wow, Alex! You had quite the adventure making this recipe!! So glad it still tasted delicious and worked out perfectly! Thanks so much for sharing 🙂
This is so scrumptious – perfectly smooth, creamy, and rich but not overly so.
Absolutely decadent! Loved it – and the leftovers were great 2 days out, knowing that I’ll definitely make it ahead of time!
My daughter and I made this for Thanksgiving. WOW!! Best pie I have ever had. Thank you for this recipe!!
Yay! So thrilled to hear that, Linda!!
Soooo delicious!!! Better after two days in frig even! YUM!
Everyone loved this at Thanksgiving, and I was thrilled! My chocolate didn’t curl like Katie’s in the video, but it did well enough – a neat little trick. Plus, a little dusting with cocoa and no one notices.
Absolutely no complaints on this recipe, but I do wonder what folks would think of a little cinnamon. Perhaps in the crust or filling, or just dusted on top. I find the added flavor intriguing, but the French may be a little particular.
OMG! Made this for our Thanksgiving and it’s a new favorite
Yay! So glad to hear this was a hit, Dayna!
creamy. rich. just the right amount of bitterness in the chocolate. everyone loved it!
Simply the best French Silk Pie recipe out there. This will be my new go-to pie recipe. I made this and a couple other pies for a thanksgiving get-together and this was by far the crowd favorite! 10/10.
I just made this for Thanksgiving and it was absolutely delicious! Everyone loved it. I have a question though – it took me almost 2 hours to make because it took 1.5 hours for the egg/sugar/chocolate mixture to cool enough to the point that I could add it to the butter. Next time, could I put it in the fridge for a little bit to speed up the cooling process? I didn’t want to try because I didn’t want to screw anything up. I definitely want to make it again so I hope that’s an option. Thanks!
Hi Ann! You could probably pop the bowl in the fridge to assist with quicker cooling, but we haven’t tested that, so I can’t say for sure. I definitely recommend removing the mixture from the saucepan you heated the sugar/eggs in, and placing it in a metal bowl (glass will retain the heat) and stir occasionally until cooled. I hope that helps 🙂
I made this for Thanksgiving. It was delicious !! It was a little bit of work but I would do it again and again! So worth it. Thank you!