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.
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 🙂