Home for the Holidays: Chocolate meringue pie with Kendra C. Highley

Baking, decorating, family…all the things that fill the holidays with joy. Join our Entangled authors as they share a little something special from their home during the holidays.

My favorite thing to bake at the holidays is my Grandma’s famous chocolate meringue pie. She taught me to make it, and now I’m teaching my daughter to make them (pie crust and all!)

Step 1 (Pie crust):

I use Alton Brown’s recipe in I’m Just Here for More Food” I love my grandma’s recipe, but it’s delicate and tempermental. Brown’s recipe is easier to work with.

You must blind bake (pre-bake) the crust for 12 minutes at 425-degrees. Make sure to dock it first (poke holes in the crust with a fork) since this is a custard pie.

Step 2 (Filling):

Ingredients:

1 cup white sugar

¼ cup + 1 tablespoon flour

¼ cup cocoa powder

3 eggs

1 2/3 cups milk

2 tablespoons butter

1 teaspoon of vanilla

Combine sugar and flour in a 10-inch saucepan.
Once sugar/flour are combined, add cocoa and mix thoroughly. Set aside.
Separate 3 eggs. The whites need to go into a mixing bowl (for the meringue).
Combine 3 egg and milk, then add to the dry mixture in the saucepan and stir until completely combined.
Cook mixture over medium-high heat, stirring constantly. Add butter while it cooks. Stir until it begins to thicken. Reduce heat, and keep stirring until entire mixture is thickened (warning: don’t freak if you’re still stirring after 10 minutes. This takes awhile.)
Turn off heat and stir in vanilla. Set aside.

Step 3 (Meringue):

Beat egg whites on high, while slowly adding 3 teaspoons of sugar and a few drops of vanilla.
Test for doneness by tipping bowl over. If the meringue slides, beat it again. If it stands on its own, it’s ready.
Add pie filling to pie crust.
Spoon meringue on top, then spread until it covers the top and seals any gaps along the crust. The goal is to keep the chocolate from seeping out.
Bake for 12 minutes at 350-degrees.
Let pie cool, then place in refrigerator overnight.

It’s a lot of steps, but the pie is so yummy, it’s totally worth it!!