Facebook
Pinterest
Email
Print
- Recipe Index
- Desserts
- Pies & Tarts
- Salted Maple Chess Pie
Salted Maple Chess Pie
Level up your Thanksgiving dessert spread with this salted maple chess pie. This salty-sweet chess pie is made with a flaky homemade pie crust and custard-y brown sugar maple filling!
Maple Chess Pie
This is not your grandmother’s chess pie. Oh no, my friends. You might as well call this your grandkids’ chess pie, because this right here is destined to be a family heirloom recipe that you pass on for generations. It’s got a flakey, buttery pie crust. A rich, custard filling. And is flavored with real maple syrup, brown sugar, and a healthy pinch of salt .
It’s everything I ever want in a pie, and more.
Truth be told, I’m really not a pie person. Or rather, I’m not a fruit pie person. I want my pies rich and sweet. So decadent that you have to start off with just a sliver. But also so good that you go back for two more slivers. But with Thanksgiving on the horizon, I chose to get my pie on, and thus here we are.
Honestly this maple chess pie might be my favorite pie recipe I’ve ever made. Which….. yep, no, I’m going to say it: it is! It’s just so perfect. It’s sweet, but not too sweet, creamy and crunchy and just the right amount of salty.
What is chess pie?
Chess pie is a classic Southern dessert that features a flaky pie crust and a rich filling made of eggs, sugar, and butter. Chess pies can be flavored with chocolate or fruit juices, or can be made simply with vanilla extract as the main flavoring agent. If you’ve ever had Christina Tosi’s Crack Pie from Milk Bar in NYC, this maple chess pies is very similar to that. The flavor of this pie is also reminiscent of the gooey part of a pecan pie, except chess pie filling is more set and much creamier.
Am I making sense here?
Tips for making chess pie
Use pure maple syrup: Now listen, I’m no syrup snob. There is a time and place for the fake stuff (on pancakes), but this is not the occasion. The bottles of “pancake syrup” at the store are often just flavored corn syrup, which will throw off the flavor and texture here. Make sure you’re using 100% pure maple syrup.
Add maple extract, if desired: If you’re a true maple fanatic like me, I would suggest also adding in 1 teaspoon of maple extract. It really helps to deepen that flavor.
Let the pie cool completely before serving: Believe me, you don’t want to take a bite of fresh-from-the-oven chess pie. That’s a guaranteed way to burn the roof of your mouth! Not to mention this maple chess pie needs time to set fully before you can slice it.
Serve simply with powdered sugar or whipped cream: This chess pie is a knockout dessert on its own, so don’t fret about dressing it up with scoops of ice cream or anything like that. I dusted mine with a little powdered sugar and dolloped some homemade whipped cream on the plate as well. I’ve popped my go-to whipped cream recipe below in case you’re curious how I make it!
How to make whipped cream
Whipped cream is totally optional when serving this maple pie, but it adds a little something extra to the presentation. My favorite recipe is as follows:
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 3 tablespoons powdered sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Just whip to soft peaks and serve! Homemade whipped cream should be stored in a sealed container in the fridge.
If you’re looking for a Thanksgiving pie that isn’t pumpkin or apple but still feels deeply seasonal and nostalgic, this Maple Chess Pie is the one. It’s simple, elegant, maple-packed, and wildly delicious. Even for the “I don’t really like pie” people at the table.
Happy pie eating, friends. Hope this baby graces your Thanksgiving table!
XXX
PrintSalted Maple Chess Pie
- Prep Time 30 minutes
- Cook Time 50 minutes
- Total Time 4 hours 50 minutes
- Yield 1 pie
- Category dessert
- Method oven
- Cuisine american
Salted Maple Chess Pie
This salty-sweet custard pie pie is made with a pure maple syrup and a heavy pinch of salt. Atop a buttery homemade pie crust, this Maple Chess Pie one for the books.
- Prep Time 30 minutes
- Cook Time 50 minutes
- Total Time 4 hours 50 minutes
- Yield 1 pie
- Category dessert
- Method oven
- Cuisine american
Ingredients
For the pie crust:
- 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, cold and cut into cubes
- 2 to 3 tablespoons of ice water or chilled vodka
- 1 egg, whisked, for egg wash
for the filling
- 3 large eggs, at room temperature
- 3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
- 3/4 cup pure maple syrup
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
- 1/4 cup heavy cream
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons cornmeal
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- Flaky salt, optional for serving
- powdered sugar and whipped cream for serving (optional)
Instructions
- First, make the pie crust. Add the flour, granulated sugar, and salt to a food processor and pulse to combine. Add the butter cubes and pulse until the mixture resembles wet sand and no chunks of butter remain, about 20 seconds.
- Add 2 tablespoons of the ice water (or vodka), then pulse until a dough begins to form in a ball around the blade, about 20 seconds. If your dough doesn’t come together, add another tablespoon of liquid and pulse again.
- Turn the dough out onto a clean work surface and flatten it into a 1-inch-thick oval disc. Wrap the disc tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes (and up to 2 days).
- When ready to make the pie, preheat the oven to 375°F. Remove pie dough disk from the fridge. On a lightly floured work surface, roll dough out to 1/4 inch thick. Carefully place dough into pie pan, pushing into the pan. Fold the edge of the dough over on itself, and use your fingers to create a crimped edge.
- Brush the edge of the crust with egg wash, then prepare your crust to be blind baked by placing parchment paper over the dough, then adding uncooked rice into the center to weigh down the center of the pie.
- Blind bake the crust for 15 minutes while you make your filling.
- Next, make the filling. In the bowl of stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, combine the eggs and brown sugar. Beat on medium speed until the mixture has lightened in color and is frothy, about 2 minutes. Reduce the mixer to low and stream in the maple syrup and melted butter. Add the heavy cream and vanilla and whisk until just combined. Add the cornmeal, flour and salt and whisk until just combined.
- Once the pie crust is done blind baking, remove it from the oven and lower the oven temperature to 325°F. Remove the parchment and rice from the crust, then pour the filling into the crust. Bake for an additional 45-50 minutes, until the center of the pie is just a little jiggly and the pie is a light golden brown color all over. The pie might look slightly uneven with some larger bumps, but these will settle as it cools!
- Allow the pie to cool on a cooling rack for 1 hour before transferring to the fridge to set for at least 2 hours before serving. If desired, top with flaky salt and serve with freshly whipped cream!
- Prep Time 30 minutes
- Cook Time 50 minutes
- Total Time 4 hours 50 minutes
- Yield 1 pie
- Category dessert
- Method oven
- Cuisine american
More pie recipes from Broma Bakery:
Deep Dish Double Chocolate Pecan Skillet Pie
Salted Maple Caramel Apple Pie
Made this for thanksgiving and received rave reviews 🙂 Easy to put together.
Hi! Online, it says a half cup of melted butter for the filling. But in the TikTok video Sarah posted, it almost look like she used half of a stick? Do you happen to know the correct measurement for butter? The pie I have in the oven right now used a half cup, so fingers crossed it turns out 🙂
Hi Liv! It is a 1/2 cup!! Always go with the recipe as written–sometimes in the video you’ll only see a small clip of what we did 🙂 Hope you loved this recipe!
I made this for Thanksgiving and thought it was a great addition the pie spread. I made the filling and unbaked crust the day ahead so all I had to do was pop them in the oven day of. It was easy to make and initial thoughts are that it tastes like a pecan pie minus the pecans. Needless to say it was a hit!