Chocolate Meringue Pie

Total Time: 2 hrs 15 mins Preparation Time: 2 hrs Cook Time: 15 mins

Ingredients

• Servings: 8
• pastry dough, for a 9-inch single-crust pie
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup cocoa
• 3 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups milk
• 3 egg yolks
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3 egg whites
• 6 tablespoons sugar

Recipe

• 1 line a 9-inch pie pan with crust; crimp the edges decoratively.
• 2 line and fully bake the crust; set it aside to cool.
• 3 filling: in a bowl, combine the sugar, cocoa, cornstarch, and salt; stir with a fork to mix well.
• 4 in a medium saucepan, combine the milk and egg yolks; stir with a fork to mix well.
• 5 add in the sugar-cocoa mixture ; use a fork to mix well.
• 6 place over med-high heat; cook, stirring often, until the mixture comes to a gently boil.
• 7 decrease heat to medium and continue cooking/stirring and scraping the sides and bottom of the pan often, until the filling becomes shiny and thickens to a silky, rich texture, 3-5 minutes.
• 8 stir in the vanilla and pour the filling into the baked piecrust.
• 9 set aside at room temperature while you prepare the meringue.
• 10 heat oven to 325°.
• 11 meringue: in a large bowl, beat the egg whites with an electric mixer on medium speed until foamy.
• 12 increase the speed to high, and beat until the egg whites begin to thicken to the texture of cream.
• 13 add in sugar 2 tablespoons at a time, beating well after each addition, until the meringue is thick, shiny, and able to hold curly firm peaks.
• 14 spread the meringue evenly over the cooked pie filling, sealing the edges to the pie crust completely and then piling the egg whites higher in the center of the pie.
• 15 use a spoon to form curly peaks all over the meringue.
• 16 place the pie in the oven and bake until the meringue is handsomely golden brown, 10-15 minutes.
• 17 cool to room temperature and serve.