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 it’s 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? Every Thanksgiving, Friendsgiving, and Christmas!
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Growing up, it wasn’t a holiday without a French Silk Pie with those chocolate curls on top.
You see, I come from a long line of chocoholics. My dad and 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.
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A few years ago, 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.
It’s now a yearly tradition. No Thanksgiving is complete without this pie, my decadent Caramel Apple Streusel Pie, and my creamy No Bake Pumpkin Mousse Pie.
This silk pie is perfect for Thanksgiving, Friendsgiving, Christmas, or any special occasion! I hope it becomes a tradition in your home as well!
Sprinkle of Science
How to Make French Silk Pie
The Pie 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 intact.
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.
French Silk Pie 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 – but it’s so worth it. I highly recommend reading the recipe through completely before you get started. You’ll need an electric mixer (handheld or stand) and an instant-read thermometer for best results.
What Type of Chocolate Will I Need?
I love using bittersweet chocolate in this French Silk Pie recipe. It brings an intensely rich chocolate flavor. Use high-quality chocolate baking bars, not chocolate chips, for best results. If you’d prefer something more mild, feel free to use semisweet chocolate instead (1:1 ratio).
Whipped Cream Topping for French Silk Pie
- Be sure to top the pie with the whipped cream no more than a few hours before serving, so it looks its best.
- The whipped cream will begin to deflate and weep if topped too far in advance.
- Garnish with chocolate curls (see just below) or a sprinkling of cocoa powder for a pretty presentation.
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.
What Type of Pie Pan Should I Use?
- This recipe was designed for a 9-inch deep dish pie plate, like this one.
- If you don’t have a deep-dish pie pan, you may have some filling leftover (hellooo, little snack for you!)
- Because this pie doesn’t go in the oven for long (just a few minutes for the crust to set), the pie pan material doesn’t matter as much as it would for a baked pie. If you choose instead to make a pastry pie crust, however, I recommend checking out my Best Pie Pan article for more information and tips.
Can I Make French Silk Pie Ahead of Time?
Yes! This pie actually needs to be chilled for 6 hours before serving, so it’s the perfect make-ahead dessert! You can make it up to 2 days ahead of time. Keep covered in the fridge, then top with whipped cream shortly before serving.
Can I Freeze French Silk Pie?
We haven’t tested freezing this French Silk pie, but some of our wonderful readers have done so with success. Just note that freezing may slightly alter the texture after thawing. Place inside an airtight container and freeze for up to one month. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before adding whipped cream, chocolate shavings, and serving.
More Recipes You’ll Love:
French Silk Pie
Ingredients
For the crust
- 20 Oreo (230 grams) cookies (regular-stuffed, keep filling intact)
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
For the filling
- 1 1/3 cups (266 grams) granulated sugar
- 4 large eggs
- 8 ounces (227 grams) bittersweet baking chocolate, melted
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 10 tablespoons (142 grams) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1 1/3 cups heavy cream, cold
- 4 teaspoons powdered sugar
For the topping
- 1 cup heavy cream, cold
- 2 tablespoons powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Chocolate shavings or cocoa powder, for garnish if desired
Instructions
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. Set aside to cool to room temperature (around 75°F), stirring occasionally.
- Using 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 separate 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 Notes
This post was published in 2019 and has been updated with additional recipe tips. Photos by Ashley McLaughlin.
Made this pie for my husband’s birthday dinner party and EVERYONE raved about it. A friend of ours is a local chef and he said it’s the best french silk pie he’s tasted. I will be making this again. and again. and again 🙂
How much sugar goes in the pan and how much to mix with cream?
I followed all the steps except I don’t know what caused my butter and egg/chocolate mixture to separate at the end. Maybe I over beat it? It was looking so smooth and good too. Either way, it tastes the same as if it were smooth, just is chunky.
Hi, I know it’s roughly a year later, buuut if that happens again I would GRADUALLY warm your ingredients together to recombine. What the recipe created was a ganache. These are notorious for separating, but can easily be brought back together over light heat and some quick whisking. Be sure not to scramble the eggs inside with high heat!!!
This was the best pies Ever!! All my friends said so too.
Before I get started….can this be made in a springform pan to hold all the chocolate filling?
Yes. I did it in a 10 inch springform pan. Worked great, but I had to double the cream frosting to have enough.
Should I cover the pie while it rests in the fridge? Can’t wait to share this masterpiece!!
Is the granulated sugar mixed with the chocolate or the powdered sugar?
I had the same question, but my guess is powdered sugar as this is often preferred for whipped cream.
I made this today for Thanksgiving. Although it was very time-consuming, it was a huge hit with the family. I had looked at other recipes using raw eggs, so was happy to find this recipe.
Hi, Tessa! I made this pie with Jacques Torres chocolate that I bought on a recent trip to NYC. Absolutely delicious!
Yay! Sounds amazing!
I made this for some friends and family yesterday, and everyone loved it! The end result was pretty perfect. One friend even said it was better than french silk pie she’s had in restaurants. I don’t know if I did something wrong, but getting the egg/sugar mixture to 160 degrees took a very, very long time. Eventually I turned up the heat, and that sped things up, but that made the whole recipe take longer than I expected. Very good recipe! My chocolate curls need some work next time…
Hi Tessa, ivm your fans from Indonesia, and i realy want to make this pie…Can i change the heavy cream with soft cream for the filling and topping?
what do you mean with soft cream? use whipping cream cair (Anchor/ Elle etc), look at the refrigerate section in supermarket/baking store
beautiful pie, if I may say so, and worth the calorie splurge, thank you!
Hi Tessa – do you ever have any trouble with the eggs trying to cook and leaving little bits in the chocolate mixture? I had this happen to me once and I’m trying to figure out if there is a trick to this step.
Thanks!
You have to cook this VERY slowly, it probably took me the better part of ten minutes. And you need a good (not the $4 kind) instant thermometer. Use a pretty small pot, so you can tip it on edge to get the thermometer in without touching the pot. Hope this helps/
I used a double boiler set-up to cook the egg. Boiling water in a pot and then my sugar and egg were in a bowl on top. I whisked until 160 and there were no cooked bits!
You always have to temper eggs by adding small amounts of hot liquid and whisking vigorously until the temperatures are similar so the eggs don’t cook. Sometimes it still happens but you can strain the custard/pudding if this happens. I just made the peanut butter pie and I am making this pie next! Without the caramel layer.
Fantastic job done. I just loved your work here. Lovely. I visited your blog for the first time.
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Ibe been making ypur french silk pie for years- it is easily my most requested item, especially during the holidays! But i noticed you took out the layer of caramel- why? I will probably keep making it the old way!
Ooo, the caramel part sounds delicious. What step would I put that in at?
This pie is delicious. Taste great and has no raw eggs. Will definitely be making it again.