Chocolate bar to shave grated chocolate on top - optional
Whipped cream or vanilla ice cream for garnish - optional
Instructions
Prepare your pie crust. If you are going to par bake the crust, go ahead and do that now and then set aside.
If you pre-baked your pie crust, once that’s done, lower the oven temp to 325 degrees. If you didn’t, preheat the oven to 325 degrees.
Place the butter in a microwave safe bowl and melt it and set it aside.
In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the sifted cocoa powder, white sugar, and flour.
Next, add in the egg, the unsalted butter, evaporated milk, and vanilla and stir together until all of the ingredients are thoroughly incorporated.
Pour the chocolate mixture into the pie crust. Only fill the crust about 2/3rds full. Be careful not to overfill.
Bake for 50 minutes, then with a cake tester or toothpick, check to see if the pie is set in the middle. If the tester comes out clean and the pie is not jiggly in the middle, it is done. If there is still a lot of the mixture on the tester and there is still a lot of jiggle to the pie, continue baking at 10 minute increments until it’s done.
Once the pie is done, turn off the oven, and let the pie remain in the oven to cool down. By doing this you are allowing the pie to cool down at the same time the oven is. You can pull it out of the oven to let it cool, but the top of the pie may crack.
Once it’s cooled, slice, serve and top with vanilla ice cream and grate chocolate on top.
Notes
Do NOT use Dutch processed cocoa: Dutch processed cocoa powder is cocoa that has been treated with a form of an alkaline agent so it’s not so bitter. Regular natural cocoa hasn’t been treated this way so it will have a more bitter taste to it. Since you are adding sugar to this recipe, you will need the bitterness from the regular cocoa powder, so the pie isn’t too sweet.
A word of caution: Be very careful with the evaporated milk. You only need to use 5 oz. Most cans are 12 oz. If you use the whole can, you will use way too much, and your pie may not set up.
Measuring Flour: Make sure to use the scoop with a spoon and level with a knife method. If you just scoop out the flour with your measuring cup, your measurement will not be correct.
Sift Cocoa Powder & Flour: That way you break down any large clumps and it helps aerate the dry ingredients.
Letting it Cool: Once the pie has fully cooked, turn off the oven and let the pie cool down inside the oven, as the oven cools down with the door cracked open. That way the pie isn’t exposed to the sudden cool down of your kitchen. That will help the top of the pie not crack.