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). Learn more about Chocolate in Baking here.
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
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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
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This post was published in 2019 and has been updated with additional recipe tips. Photos by Ashley McLaughlin.
OMG! Beat french silk pie ever! I use a regular pie crust, has preference, my husband loves this. You follow step by step, will turn out amazing! Thanks so much for recipe. Is a keeper!!❤️❤️
So thrilled to hear this!! 🙂
This recipe is outrageous!! Easy to make and over the top delicious. I dissolved a tablespoon of espresso granules into a few tablespoons of warm cream and added that to the cream I whipped for the filling. I also added an additional 6 oz or so of chocolate: 3 oz dark, 3 oz milk. The coffee and additional chocolate gave the filling an extra depth of flavor.
I also used gluten-free oreo-type cookies for the crust. Didn’t make any difference to the flavor or texture and it’s an easy substitution for gluten-free folks.
My husband is a very happy birthday boy.
So happy you and your husband enjoyed this silk pie, Carol!!
Easy for a novice baker. I was nervous to take on this simply bc I wasn’t sure i would get my egg & sugar mixture right. I cooled my egg & chocolate mixture down but wisking while it rested in an ice bath. Nervous after reading various comments. That it wouldn’t set up. This actually set up beautifully for me. I used a store bought pie shell as thats what I had on hand. I made my own chocolate shavings and my own whipped topping. I couldn’t stop licking the bowls. Taking to a BBQ later today. And ive already written this down for ny own collection. Great job.
That’s SO wonderful to hear, Ann!!! So happy this turned out perfectly and I’m sure everyone at your BBQ will love it 🙂 Thank you so much for letting us know!
I just want to add 2 tips here,
1: After you cook the eggs and sugar you should always strain it bring it before you go any further with it to get out any tiny bits of cooked egg or hardened sugar that may be in there.
2: Make sure chocolate an egg mixture is completely cooled before you add whipped cream or It will not stay fluffy or set well.
Hi Erin! Thanks for your feedback and tips! We do recommend whisking the egg and sugar mixture constantly while it’s cooking, which will reduce the possibility of having cooked egg bits, but straining is definitely an option if you experience this 🙂 And yes, definitely make sure your chocolate mixture is at room temperature, just barely warm when you touch it, to ensure the mixture sets up well.
I see that a lot have been having trouble with the pie setting up, I haven’t cut into it yet but it seems to be OK. My question is about the amount bittersweet chocolate. Mine is much darker than your picture. 8 ounces seems to be a lot of chocolate or am I reading the recipe wrong??
Hi Mary Jo! Yes, 8oz of chocolate is correct! Perhaps you used a different type of bittersweet chocolate (some brands offer varieties with varying levels of cocoa; Ghirardelli, for example, sells 60% and 70%, so the 70% would be stronger and darker than the 60%). Alternatively, you may have whipped your mixture for a shorter time than the recipe required, for the mixture to lighten up a little more. I hope your pie was delicious, and please let me know if you need any help troubleshooting further!
– Kiersten @ HTH
Are u making sure that the chocolate is completely cooked before you add whipped cream? And folding g the whipped cream in softly?
I made this for Easter dinner. It was scrumptious and well worth the time required to make the pie. Your detailed steps saved the day for sure. The chocolate flavor is rich and satisfying. I garnished with shaved chocolate. I thought those chocolate shavings gave a serving the “oh wow!” punch a serving needed to be extra special. The batter quantity very amply filled the pie dish. It’s delicious for that special meal.
Thanks for your rave review, Debbie! So happy to hear how much you love this recipe 🙂
This is the best dessert I have ever made or eaten. It was so worth the extra effort. Thank you for sharing!
Wonderful!! So happy to hear that 🙂
I don’t think this recipe is written correctly. Pie filling doesn’t usually call for whole eggs, only egg yolks. Filling did not set up overnight. It was like chocolate soup.
Hi Jkel! Yes, this recipe is written correctly and calls for whole eggs. I’m sorry to hear that your filling didn’t set up properly! That’s not due to using whole eggs, a soupy mixture is due to too warm of ingredients or a step not being beaten for long enough. Each step is crucial in creating an airy but also rich and creamy filling (heating the sugar and eggs to 160°F, making sure your butter isn’t warmer than room temperature before adding the other ingredients, making sure the butter/cooled chocolate mixture is light and fluffy and that the cream/powdered sugar is beaten to stiff peaks). You also want to make sure that the pie is chilled for at least 6 hours, which is the final step in setting properly. I truly hope you give this recipe another try. When the filling sets properly, you won’t want to stop eating it! Please let me know if I can help further, and let me know how your next attempt goes!
I think I messed up I added the chocolate not realizing to cook egg and sugar firat any way to fix
Hi Charity! Unfortunately, adding the chocolate at this stage could result in the chocolate seizing, or getting overheated and giving your pie an unpleasant and gritty texture. I would definitely recommend starting over at this point, I’m sorry to say. Good luck for Round 2! Let us know what you think of this pie once you’ve given it a try! 🙂
You’re seriously blaming the recipe when people have been getting perfect results using this exact recipe for years since it was posted? Its okay t admit you did it wrong, next time just ask what might have gone wrong and correct the issues.
Delicious! My family loved it and so did I.
I made this on Easter and while I have to consider it a fail for me, personally, it was still delicious, creamy and rich. Mine didn’t gel as it should have after overnight refrigeration. It was sliceable but very soft and nearly runny. Not sure what I did wrong and followed the recipe exactly, including the spoon test and used a thermometer. But, WOW! the taste of this pie is wonderful! I will definitely try it again. It is definitely worth the mess.
So glad you enjoyed this recipe! Without having made this right along with you, it’s tough to say for sure what went wrong, but I would make sure next time that your chocolate mixture has cooled until barely warm before beating in with the butter, and then ensuring that your cream/powdered sugar mixture is beaten until stiff peaks form. If your filling is too warm prior to adding to the whipped cream mixture, all the air you beat into the whipped cream will be reduced and it won’t set up properly. Please let us know how it goes if you give this recipe another try in the future 🙂
Tastes good, but filling is not stiff and fluffy.
Hi Beth! Sorry to hear your filling didn’t set properly! That’s typically due to too warm of ingredients or a step not being beaten for long enough. Was the sugar and eggs heated to 160°F? How about your butter, was it warmer than room temperature? Did you make sure the butter/cooled chocolate mixture was light and fluffy and the cream/powdered sugar beaten to stiff peaks? Each of these steps is crucial in creating an airy but also rich and creamy filling. You also want to make sure that the pie is chilled for at least 6 hours, which is the final step in setting properly. I really hope you try this recipe again, please let me know if you have more questions, hopefully this helps!
Do I need to let the pie set in the refrigerator before adding the topping?
Hi Karen! Yes, the pie needs to set prior to adding the topping 🙂 If you refrigerate the pie with the topping, after about a day in the fridge, the whipped cream will start to deflate and weep onto the surface of the pie. If you were wanting to just prep the pie in the morning for dinner in the evening, that should be fine. Let us know what you think of this recipe!