Contest-Winning German Chocolate Pie

Thanksgiving dinner at our house includes an average of 25 guests and a dozen different pies. This one has all the luscious flavor of German chocolate cake. A friend who tried it told me he wanted it to be his birthday pie from now on.

Contest-Winning German Chocolate Pie

Average Rating: 4.9

TOTAL TIME: Prep: 40 min. + chilling Bake 30 min. + cooling
YIELD: 8 servings.

Ingredients

  • Pastry for single-crust pie (9 inches)

  • FILLING:
  • 4 ounces German sweet chocolate, chopped
  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/3 cup sugar
  • 3 tablespoons cornstarch
  • 1-1/2 cups whole milk
  • 2 large egg yolks

  • TOPPING:
  • 2/3 cup evaporated milk
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1/4 cup butter, cubed
  • 1 large egg, lightly beaten
  • 1-1/3 cups sweetened shredded coconut, toasted
  • 1/2 cup chopped pecans, toasted

Instructions

  • 1. Preheat oven to 400°. On a lightly floured surface, roll pastry dough to a 1/8-in.-thick circle; transfer to a 9-in. pie plate. Trim pastry to 1/2 in. beyond rim of plate; flute edge.
  • 2. Line unpricked pastry with a double thickness of foil. Fill with pie weights, dried beans or uncooked rice. Bake 25 minutes. Remove foil and weights; bake 4-6 minutes longer or until golden brown. Cool on a wire rack.
  • 3. For filling, in a microwave, melt chocolate and butter; stir until smooth. Stir in vanilla. In a small heavy saucepan, mix sugar and cornstarch. Whisk in whole milk. Cook and stir over medium heat until thickened and bubbly. Reduce heat to low; cook and stir 2 minutes longer. Remove from heat.
  • 4. In a small bowl, whisk a small amount of hot mixture into egg yolks; return all to pan, whisking constantly. Bring to a gentle boil; cook and stir 2 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in chocolate mixture. Pour into crust.
  • 5. For topping, in a small saucepan, combine evaporated milk, sugar and butter. Cook and stir until butter is melted and mixture just comes to a boil. Remove from heat.
  • 6. In a small bowl, whisk a small amount of hot mixture into egg; return all to pan, whisking constantly. Bring to a gentle boil; cook and stir 2 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in coconut and pecans. Pour over filling.
  • 7. Cool pie 30 minutes on a wire rack. Refrigerate, covered, until cold, at least 3 hours.