Chocolate Pie Crust
Jazz up your next pie with a chocolate pie crust! Â Tender and flaky as can be, and the chocolate flavor is off the charts. Â Follow my easy video tutorial.
How do you like that?! Â A new video! Â It’s been so long since I made one, I almost forgot how much fun it can be. Â Hopefully I’ll be making lots more in the coming months, but for now, a chocolate pie crust video seemed like just the thing for this time of year.
Can you believe it’s less than one week until Thanksgiving? Â Eep, the countdown is on!
This year I don’t have to host, which is a good thing because my kitchen is torn to shreds with construction at the moment. Â Funny how a two-day job can stretch to over 4 weeks. Â But I digress.
Even though I’m not hosting, I will be bringing a dessert. Â And everyone knows that when it comes to Thanksgiving, it’s all about the pies.
Why not do something a little different though? Â Who ever said your crust has to be plain Jane. Â I happen to know the secret to the flakiest pie crust ever, and today we are taking it to the next level by adding CHOCOLATE.
Just think of the possibilities! Â What if your pumpkin pie had a chocolate crust? Â Or how about a chocolate crusted pear-cranberry pie? Â YUM. Â You could even do a double chocolate pudding pie jobbie, using this homemade chocolate pudding recipe. Â Or butterscotch!
I’ve got another chocolate pie crust pie idea in the back of my mind, which I hope to share before the big holiday. Â But for now I just wanted to arm you with this awesome recipe, and an even more awesome technique.
Just those few folds I showed you in the video up there, will guarantee you the FLAKIEST pie crust you’ve ever had. Â Even my non-dessert loving father-in-law couldn’t get over all those flaky layers! Â You’ve gotta give this method a try, and definitely, make it chocolate!
Lots more pie ideas on my “Pies & Tarts” Pinterest board!
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Chocolate Pie Crust
Ingredients
- 1 cup (125 g) all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup (21.5 g) unsweetened cocoa powder, (I used 2 tablespoons regular + 2 tablespoons dark cocoa)
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon (0.5 teaspoon) kosher salt
- 2 tablespoons oil
- 1/4 cup (56.75 g) cold unsalted butter, (half a stick), cut into 1/4-inch slices
- 3 to 5 tablespoons ice water
Instructions
- Place the flour, cocoa, sugar, and salt in a large mixing bowl and whisk to combine.
- Stir in the oil, until the mixture resembles coarse meal.
- Add the butter slices, tossing to coat.
- Stir in the water, a tablespoon at a time, just until the dough gathers itself into a ball.
- Chill in the refrigerator for 1 hour.
- On a lightly floured surface, pat or roll the dough into a rectangle about 1/2-inch thick. Fold it into thirds, like a letter. Roll out again to a thickness of 1/2-inch. Turn the dough 90 degrees and repeat two more times. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 hours minimum.
- Dust the work surface with flour, and roll the dough out to an inch or two larger than your pie plate.
- Roll the dough around the rolling pin and transfer to the dish.
- Trim off any excess, then roll and crimp the edge.
Do you bake the pie crust? I’ve prepared this crust for a  French silk pie and the filling doesn’t need to be baked.Â
In that case yes, you would want to pre-bake the crust. If you need specifics, follow the recipe directions found here: Chocolate Cream Pie. Good luck!
Why oil? What kind? Can’t you just use all butter?
Hey there! You can find more info on this if you click the link to the regular (non-chocolate) pie crust recipe. There is a full explanation there. Basically the oil makes it more tender while the butter gives flakiness. Without the oil the crust can be a bit tough.
Is this possible to freeze this pie dough ? By the way best dough everÂ
So happy you like it Anie! I think it would probably be fine to freeze it. Good luck!
Thanks so much for this recipe and video.  Used it to make chocolate pear pies yesterday, which were a hit at my ladies’ meeting today.  Also posted a picture on Pinterest since I was so happy with the result.  Your technique for making pie dough is superlative.  Gratitude.
Thanks so much for the positive feedback Jean!
I am making a pistachio pudding pie. Do you bake this crust like you would any other pie crust? 425 deg. Â 15-18min?
That sounds about right Sally! Good luck and enjoy!
These photos are so gorgeous! I can’t wait to give this recipe a try. So many possibilities!
Perfect for a Chocolate pecan pie! Excellent idea!!
Now you have me thinking about lime crust, lemon crust, orange-ginger crust, oh my!
I keep citrus powders for cookies I bake. Never thought of flavoring my crusts with them.
Thank you!! Something says this holiday season we will be having some pretty neat pies!
That sounds amazing! I love your idea. I’ve never worked with citrus powders before but it sounds like a great way to let your creativity shine!
Hi Allie!
I just left a message because I couldn’t watch the video from your website but I see that when I scrolled further down the page, there was a link to your You Tube videos! YEAH! I was able to watch the chocolate pie crust video before making my crust. Actually, my crust is already in the fridge waiting to be rolled out. The only thing I did different was to cut the butter into smaller pieces which made it easier to roll out and worked out more evenly.
Do you ever pre-bake your crusts? I was thinking you may have done something along those lines in your video. Thank you again for sharing all that you do! I look forward to making and sharing more of your recipes!
Sincerely,
Vickie
Hey Vickie! I’m so glad you were able to view the video and sorry you had trouble initially! Glad you found the recipe to work well too. I do sometimes pre-bake the crust, depending on what kind of filling I’m using. So, if it were a no-bake kind of filling such as French Silk or something similar, I would pre-bake the crust for 20 to 30 minutes, or until it feels set, dry, and crisp. For this post, I’m only showing unbaked crust, but if you did want to pre-bake it, that’s what I would suggest. It’s also a good idea to prick the bottom with a fork, set a piece of parchment paper on top, and fill with ceramic pie weights or dry beans before baking. That way it doesn’t puff up in the middle. I hope that helps! Thanks for the great question and I hope you enjoyed your pie!
Thank you I am so going to try this with cherry pie. Hopefully it will taste like Black Forest cake but in pie form.
Oh I think you will love it, Julie! I did that over the summer and it was fantastic. Here’s my version: https://bakingamoment.com/chocolate-cherry-galette/. Hope you enjoy!
Is it ok to substitute unsalted butter with salted if that’s all you have?
Hi Sandra! I’m sure it’s probably fine but you may want to cut back on the kosher salt a bit, in that case. Enjoy!
Ok I’ll do that. Thank you!
Oh my goodness! This looks amazing!! I am going to use this for a french silk pie, however I do not need to bake that pie – Do you know how long this chocolate pie crust would have to bake before I add my filling of the french silk pie in? Thank you so much!! I am so excited to make this for Thanksgiving!
Thank you! I would say probably about 25 to 30 minutes at 375. If you are baking the shell without filling, it’s also a good idea to prick the bottom with a fork, and fill it with dry beans or ceramic pie weights, just to prevent the bottom from puffing/bubbling up during the baking process. I hope that helps! French silk sounds fabulous and I would love some!
I LOOOOVE this idea!!!!!!! Chocolate pie crust…so many possibilities!
I’m so happy you like it Kayle! I know I will be using it a lot in future recipes!
This looks awesome! I love that you made a chocolate pie crust that isn’t cookie based, as most others are 🙂
Thank you Medha! I enjoyed creating this twist on the classic. Hope you’re having a nice weekend!
Hi..! You don’t bake this crust at all?
Hey Colleen! It does need to be baked. You would just use this recipe in the same way you would a normal pie crust. I didn’t include baking instructions because that would all depend on what you are filling it with. Once the dough is made, you’ll just want to follow the baking instructions for whatever pie recipe you’re using. Sorry for the confusion!
It’s like puff pastry pie dough. Do you let the dough warm up a bit before rolling out, or do you roll it immediately after taking out of fridge?
It’s a little easier to work with if you let it warm up a little bit, but you don’t want to wait too long. It’s really important that the pastry stays as cold as possible. When it goes into the oven, all those streaks of butter will create steam and lift the flaky layers. Just like puff! You’re absolutely right about that 🙂
Hi! I am excited to try this recipe! Does it bake up flaky, like your other butter/olive oil pie crust? Could you post a photo of the BAKED crust, as a reference for how the finished product looks? I don’t see one, as I did with your other crust. Thank you! Love your blog, by the way. 🙂
Hey Patsy! As I mentioned in the video, I will be using this crust in an upcoming recipe, so stay tuned! You will see the finished crust then. And yes, yes, a thousand times yes! It is so incredibly flaky, thanks to that folding technique. It’s amazing! Hope you enjoy 🙂
Allie, loved the video! The crust looks so good – can’t wait for your next recipe where you’ll use it! 🙂
Thank you so much Julia! I can’t wait to share it! Have a great weekend sweetie!
Love this pie crust recipe! Will definitely be trying for thanksgiving! Quick question though, can this pie crust be made in advance? I was thinking of getting a head start on my thanksgiving baking by doing it this weekend, will it be ok in the fridge until Wednesday night? Thanks!
You can definitely make it ahead Audra! I would recommend freezing it though. There’s a bit about freezing in the video. I like to do it after the folding step, but you could also freeze it after rolling, in the pie pan. Just keep it tightly wrapped so it doesn’t absorb any weird odors. Hope that helps! Good luck!
Yes that definitely helps! Thank you so much! Love your blog ?
Oh that is so nice to hear! Thank you!
Allie, love this pie crust and the video!!! I am going to try this!
Hooray! I’m so happy you like it Alice! Hope you enjoy 🙂
This looks and sounds amazing!! I may have to change my plans for Thanksgiving dessert to make a chocolate pie with this crust! Yum! 🙂
Thank you Mimi! I hope you do give it a try- I really love it!
This pie crust was amazing!! I used it in a Double Chocolate Pie at Thanksgiving and loved it! 🙂 I was in a bit of a hurry and borrowed a technique from another pie crust recipe and froze the wrapped dough for 15 minutes rather than chilling for the full hour or 2. It worked perfectly and the dough rolled out beautifully. The finished crust was rich, flaky and delicious!! http://www.creativeontheside.com/double-chocolate-pie/
I’m so pleased you liked it Mimi! Thanks for the great tip and the awesome feedback!