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? Absolutely!
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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 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.
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.
I hope it becomes a family favorite and maybe even a holiday tradition in your home as well!
How to Make French Silk Pie
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 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 SOOO worth it. I’d 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, the pie pan material doesn’t matter as much as it would for a baked pie – but if you choose instead to make a pastry pie crust, 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 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 Chocolate Pie Recipes:
- Chocolate Peanut Butter Pudding Pie
- Chocolate Pecan Pie
- Chocolate Pudding Pie
- No Bake Frozen Chocolate Raspberry Pie
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 teaspoon 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. Cool to just warm, 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 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.
This post was published in 2019 and has been updated with additional recipe tips. 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:
This is the best chocolate pie we have ever had!!
I did use my own pie crust recipe with just a regular pie crust because that is what my dad wanted for fathers day!
I also add mexican vanillla to my whipped cream to put on top.
I made this for my mom’s birthday and she loved it! Smooth, creamy, chocolatey, and delicious, just how a French Silk Pie should be! I used a store-bought frozen deep dish pie crust, filled it a little over the top, and still had maybe half a cup of leftover filling (but no complaints, it’s tasty just as it is!). I used a meat thermometer to monitor the egg/sugar mixture while I whisked it, and it turned out fine. I didn’t want to buy more than a pint of heavy cream, so I did 1 cup cream with 1 Tbsp powdered sugar that I folded into the chocolate mixture, and I used the other cup of cream for the topping as the recipe says. It did require a bit of clean-up from all the bowls used, but I didn’t really mind since it was for my mom!
So delicious! My husband has already requested a make this again for his birthday!
SO GOOD! My family makes me make this pie all the time because they can’t go without it. Definitely a crowd pleaser.
I have made this twice! Loved by everyone. The second time wasn’t as good because I overcooked using a thermometer. I like the suggestion with sticking to the spoon better.
In the comments before the recipe it says this pie doesn’t use raw egg but the recipe calls for 4 eggs? Also the chocolate statement is also confusing by the recipe calls for bittersweet chocolate. Thx
Well, Anna, all eggs are raw until you cook them. Read the recipe, the eggs are tempered in butter that is slowly and gently warmed until it reaches 160 degrees. At that point the eggs are cooked enough to eat, but they are still but they are still liquid. As far as the chocolate, I’m not sure what you’re talking about. Perhaps you shold read the whole article prior to the recipe, she pretty well explains everything. You may not hae noticed but under chocolate entry in the list of ingredients, it says melted.
Jim
Actually, the eggs are warmed on the stove with the granulated sugar not the butter. So maybe you should take your own advice and read the instructions.
Anna
Using bittersweet chocolate… You can swap out semi sweet if that’s all you have.. Bittersweet chocolate (or dark) had 70 percent Coca and semi sweet has 60. Make sure to use good chocolate.. Not chocolate chips. Best way to melt. Is get a pan of water boiling.. Then place a bowl over top making sure it doesn’t touch the water…(double boiler style) take off heat and the chocolate will melt from steam. Make sure.. Do not let steam or water touch the chocolate or it will seize!!
I use both dark and unsweetened since I don’t like it too sweet.
Can you please tell me what you mean by “At this point the pie can be stored for up to 2 days ahead of time”. does that mean stored before eating?
No, you eat it first and then you store it. Geez-o-pete.
It was delicious!!! And very easy to make!!
Thank you!!
I made this today for my husband’s birthday. I personally am not a dessert person…. until now Holy Schnikes!!! This may have been the best thing I’ve ever made. My chocolate swirls were hilarious, but the rest was perfection! I topped it off with some raspberries too! Lots of dishes is true but so worth it! Thank you!!!
How could I make this keto friendly, as much as possible?
You could try making it exactly as directed, but add 10 tbsps melted butter in a cup on the side. You drink the melted butter, I will eat the delicious pie. I mean, COME ON it is a classic, indulgent chocolate French silk pie recipe, it is not meant to be keto!
I really wanted to make this last week but just didn’t find the time to. I finally made it and just put it in the fridge to cool for the 6 hours. Everything tastes great so far! The only thing is, is that my chocolate mixture never got fluffy…I think my butter was maybe a little too warm, that never got fluffy either. When I put the butter in the mixer it was really soft already, I beat it for a while and never got fluffy. Also maybe the mixture wasn’t cooled enough when I added to batter? Idk BUT it taste really good…so I’m not too sad that it wasn’t fluffy. There was a good amount extra so I just put them in ramekins to cool too, why not you know. I’ll wait till later to make the topping.
This jusst happened to mine 1st attempt too. The butter didn’t fluff up- and I added all the chocolate at once for misreading the recipe-and the end result was a thick, almost ganache texture.
So the beginning states there are no eggs in the recipe. Then I scroll down and there are eggs listed as an ingredient?
NO THANKS.
you really need to read the comments on any recipe. I believe Tessa answered this earlier. It doesn’t say there are no eggs, it says there are no RAW eggs. They are slow-cooked (under Make The Filling) along with the sugar. It will take you several minutes, around 12-15, you keep checking with an instant-read thermometer, until it hits 160 degrees. At that point the eggs are cooked. Do not rush it or you will end up with scrambled eggs.
No “raw” eggs.
Maybe read the instructions thoroughly before posting a rude and ignorant comment? It states no raw eggs and has clear instructions that explain when they’ll be cooked.