topic Re: Problem With Pie Cracking on Top in Recipes

Problem With Pie Cracking on Top

12andcounting — Tue, 10 Jan 2017 15:15:57 GMT

I have a Chocolate Chess Pie recipe that my family loves -- but for the life of me I cannot get this pie not to crack on top.

Do any of you ladies have a suggestion on how to stop this from happening?

Thanks in advance for any help.

Re: Problem With Pie Cracking on Top

jaxs mom — Tue, 10 Jan 2017 15:24:11 GMT

The most likely reasons are over cooking or cooling too fast.

You can use the cheesecake method of turning the oven off and allowing the pie to cool in the oven with the door cracked for an hour. But you will have to reduce the baking time significantly as it relies on residual heat to finish cooking the pie and not have it over baked.

Re: Problem With Pie Cracking on Top

12andcounting — Tue, 10 Jan 2017 15:56:25 GMT

Thanks, JaxsMom. I'll give this a try.

Re: Problem With Pie Cracking on Top

Pook — Tue, 10 Jan 2017 16:02:21 GMT

@12andcounting A friend used to top her chocolate chess pies with home whipped cream topping. That would cover it up if it would crack.

Re: Problem With Pie Cracking on Top

12andcounting — Tue, 10 Jan 2017 16:17:13 GMT

@Pook wrote:
@12andcounting A friend used to top her chocolate chess pies with home whipped cream topping. That would cover it up if it would crack.

What a very good idea, Pook. Thanks for the suggestion!!

Re: Problem With Pie Cracking on Top

software — Tue, 10 Jan 2017 16:32:26 GMT

Use a bain marie in the oven

(water bath)

And you may be cooking it at too high a heat and for too long.

It's tricky, keep trying.

@12andcounting wrote:
I have a Chocolate Chess Pie recipe that my family loves -- but for the life of me I cannot get this pie not to crack on top.

Do any of you ladies have a suggestion on how to stop this from happening?

Thanks in advance for any help.

Re: Problem With Pie Cracking on Top

12andcounting — Tue, 10 Jan 2017 16:44:48 GMT

@software wrote:
Use a bain marie in the oven

(water bath)

And you may be cooking it at too high a heat and for too long.

It's tricky, keep trying.

Thanks, software. I will definitely keep trying. I appreciate all the suggestions.

Re: Problem With Pie Cracking on Top

RespectLife — Tue, 10 Jan 2017 17:06:28 GMT

I agree with the water bath.

I always bake all my delicate pies and cheesecakes in a water bath and they never crack.

I use my turkey roaster.

Cover the bottom of the pie pan or cheesecake spring form pan with heavy duty foil and wrap it up the side. Put it in the roaster.

Add VERY hot or boiling water until it reaches half way up the pie/cheesecake pan.

Just be careful taking it out of the oven! Can be heavy and you don't want to spill that hot water!

I immediately remove from the water bath, remove the foil and let it cool on a rack completely.

Good luck!

Re: Problem With Pie Cracking on Top

12andcounting — Tue, 10 Jan 2017 18:26:45 GMT

Thank you so much, Respectlife!

Re: Problem With Pie Cracking on Top

Scooby Doo — Tue, 10 Jan 2017 18:27:30 GMT

@12andcounting wrote:
@Pook wrote:
@12andcounting A friend used to top her chocolate chess pies with home whipped cream topping. That would cover it up if it would crack.
What a very good idea, Pook. Thanks for the suggestion!!

That's what I would do.

I remember an old quote that goes something like:

An architect covers his mistakes with ivy, a cook covers his mistakes with sauce (or Cool Whip), and a doctor covers his mistakes with dirt.

Re: Problem With Pie Cracking on Top

ECBG — Wed, 11 Jan 2017 00:59:19 GMT

If you have a top crust, you're not cutting enough vents.

When it bubbles as well as creates steam, the syrup needs room!

Also, in ALL baking. over mixing can create cracking.

Re: Problem With Pie Cracking on Top

jaxs mom — Wed, 11 Jan 2017 19:29:42 GMT

Chess pie is a single crust pie.

Re: Problem With Pie Cracking on Top

Honeybit — Mon, 16 Jan 2017 19:13:29 GMT

@12andcounting

Can't believe nobody asked you if you would share your recipe. Would you, please? I love Chess Pie but don't have a home-proved recipe for a chocolate one.

Re: Problem With Pie Cracking on Top

12andcounting — Mon, 16 Jan 2017 21:29:20 GMT

@Honeybit wrote:
@12andcounting

Can't believe nobody asked you if you would share your recipe. Would you, please? I love Chess Pie but don't have a home-proved recipe for a chocolate one.

@Honeybit

If you search for the "Angus Barn Chocolate Chess Pie recipe," you will find the one I use. It's a very simple recipe, but we thoroughly enjoy it. The Angus Barn still serves this dessert and it's one of their top sellers, as I understand it. I hope you enjoy it as much as we do.

Re: Problem With Pie Cracking on Top

RespectLife — Mon, 16 Jan 2017 21:37:07 GMT

@12andcounting

@Honeybit

I googled this pie because I had actually never heard of it.

It comes up on food.com; cooks.com; recipe.com and other sites and seems to be the same.

On the food.com site, some one posted this comment which might address your cracking question...

"Just a tip for everyone. My mother has been making this for years. Melt the butter and chocolate together. When it is done melting mix chocolate/butter and everything else in a separate bowl. Do not mix other ingredients in pot while it is still on the burner. This will keep the pie from over cooking and cracking. just be careful when you take it out. don't be to rough with it and let it sit 30 mins before eating."

Re: Problem With Pie Cracking on Top

12andcounting — Tue, 17 Jan 2017 13:51:32 GMT

@RespectLife wrote:
@12andcounting
@Honeybit

I googled this pie because I had actually never heard of it.

It comes up on food.com; cooks.com; recipe.com and other sites and seems to be the same.

On the food.com site, some one posted this comment which might address your cracking question...

"Just a tip for everyone. My mother has been making this for years. Melt the butter and chocolate together. When it is done melting mix chocolate/butter and everything else in a separate bowl. Do not mix other ingredients in pot while it is still on the burner. This will keep the pie from over cooking and cracking. just be careful when you take it out. don't be to rough with it and let it sit 30 mins before eating."

Thanks, @RespectLife. I appreciate you taking the time to post this.

Re: Problem With Pie Cracking on Top

Honeybit — Tue, 17 Jan 2017 23:14:13 GMT

For other inquiring recipe minds, this is what I found. There are lots of stories in the South about the origin of the name "Chess Pie". My favorite is the cook who was asked the name of her wonderful dessert and replied laconically, "It's 'jes pie."

Angus Barn's Chocolate Chess Pie

Angus Barn's Chocolate Chess Pie has been at the Raleigh family-owned restaurant for 30-years. The recipe was hand delivered by then owner, Alice Eure to pastry chef Betty Shugart. "I want you to do something different with this recipe just for the Angus Barn," Shugart said as she remembered the day. With some tinkering to this southern classic pie recipe, Angus Barn's Chocolate Chess Pie is their most famous dessert.

Carolyn Turner turns out 60-70 pies a day; not just for customers at the restaurant, but for hundreds of requests from around the world. "We send them out every day," Turner said. Around Christmas the requests for the pies double.

Angus Barn Chocolate Chess Pie

1 unbaked pie crust
1 stick of butter
2 squares bakers chocolate (semi-sweet)
1 cup of sugar
2 eggs (beaten)
1 tsp. vanilla
Dash of salt

Melt butter and chocolate, mix with other ingredients, which have been blended together. Pour into a pie shell and bake 35 minutes (no longer) at 350 degrees. Top with whipped cream.

Re: Problem With Pie Cracking on Top

mustang66lady — Wed, 18 Jan 2017 03:20:52 GMT

@Honeybit

I never knew chess pie to be such a Southern pie. Thank you for sharing the information. I always thought chess pie was an Amish type pie. I don't know why; I have never eaten it but photos of recipes that I have seen look like pure comfort food which both Southern cooking and Amish cooking are both for me.

Re: Problem With Pie Cracking on Top

mustang66lady — Wed, 18 Jan 2017 22:57:01 GMT

@12andcounting

I just got an email from SouthernPlate.com-Christy's recipe today is her Grandmother's chocolate chess pie! You might want to go to her blog and read the recipe and any tips she gives. At the bottom of the page, you can send her messages which she is really good to answer promptly. Maybe she has an answer for the cracking in your pie! Good luck!

Re: Problem With Pie Cracking on Top

12andcounting — Thu, 19 Jan 2017 19:34:43 GMT

@mustang66lady wrote:
@12andcounting
I just got an email from SouthernPlate.com-Christy's recipe today is her Grandmother's chocolate chess pie! You might want to go to her blog and read the recipe and any tips she gives. At the bottom of the page, you can send her messages which she is really good to answer promptly. Maybe she has an answer for the cracking in your pie! Good luck!

Thanks so much, @mustang66lady. I appreciate this information!!