Chocolate Angel Pie a delicious twist on traditional cream pies with a yummy gluten free meringue crust and filled with chocolate mousse and whipped cream this pie is chocolately rich, lightly crispy, creamy, and chewy all in one bite!
Have you always wondered how to make a gluten free pie crust without fancy ingredients or technical substitutions? One that tastes so amazing that you don’t even miss your beloved classic pie crust? Well then, read on friend. I’m sharing the best method to make your own naturally gluten free baked meringue pie shell. Oh yea, and there’s also a little recipe in there for this chocolately, creamy beaut! Read on and just try not to drool. Then, make your own or pin it for later!
how to make a gluten free pie shell that doesn’t make you miss your original crust
Years ago when my husband stopped eating gluten, my dessert options greatly decreased. I was constantly on the search for delicious options that didn’t just simply trade out regular flour for gluten free flour. So when I saw this recipe on Cook’s Country, the tv cooking show by America’s Test Kitchen I was intrigued. A naturally gluten free crust without xantham gum or special ingredients, sign me up!
Growing up I ate gobs of ‘pie crust cookies’ from my mom and my grandma’s kitchens. My birthday candles were {and still are} placed atop pie, not cake. I’m a pie crust girl through and through and not a huge fan of meringue. It’s very hard to sell me on anything other than pie crust, so trust me when I say this pie is amazing! So good, chocolate angel pie makes me forget I’m cheating on my beloved pie crust.
Chocolate angel pie with meringue crust recipe
A show stopping dessert with a variety of textures that make it decadent and rich while also light and airy. It does take a bit more planning than traditional pie.
There’s not really a ton of effort involved or fancy ingredients, but there is a lot of non-active cooking time required to get the meringue crust to the perfect dry and crispy with a chewy bite.
Plus, since Chocolate Angel Pie is really best enjoyed within a few hours of assembly you want to plan to make it hte same day as serving.
The long oven time and the same day serving requirements do make it best for early risers 🙂
But, it’s all worth the wait for a perfect airy crust filled with chocolate mousse and topped with fresh whipped cream.
Ingredients
Filling
- 2 1/2 cups semi sweet chocolate chips
- 3 large egg yolks
- 1 1/2 tablespoons sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup half and half
- 1 1/2 cup heavy cream
Crust
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch , plus a little extra
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 3 large egg whites
- 1 pinch cream of tartar
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Topping
- 1 1/3 cups heavy cream , chilled
- 2 tablespoons powdered sugar
Instructions
Filling
- Microwave chocolate chips in a large bowl, stirring occasionally until melted.
- Whisk egg yolks, sugar and salt in medium bowl until combined.
- Bring half and half to a simmer in small saucepan over medium heat.
- Whisking constantly, slowly add hot half and half to egg yolk mixture until incorporated.
- Return half and half mixture to saucepan and cook over low heat, whisking constantly until thickened about 1 minute.
- Stir half and half mixture into melted chocolate until combined.
- Let cook slightly, about 8 minutes.
- Meanwhile whip cream on medium low speed with a handheld or stand mixer fitted with whisk attachment until foamy, about 1 minute.
- Increase speed to high and whip until thick, 1-3 minutes.
- Gently whisk 1/3 of whipped cream into cooled chocolate mixture and fold in the remaining until no white streaks remain.
- Cover and refrigerate at least 3 hours, or until ready to assemble pie (filling can be made up to 24 hours in advance.)
Crust
- Heat oven to 275 degrees farenheit.
- Grease a pie plate and dust well with cornstarch, using a pastry brush to distribute evenly.
- Combine sugar and 1 tablespoon cornstarch in bowl.
- Using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with whisk attachment, whip egg whites and cream of tartar on low speed until foamy, about 1 minute. Increase speed to medium high and whip to soft, billowy mounds, about 1 to 3 minutes.
- Gradually add sugar mixture and whip until glossy, stiff peaks, 3 to 5 minutes. Stiff peaks will stand straight up when you hold the whisk upright.
- Add vanilla and whip until incorporated.
- Spread meringue into prepared pie plate, following all the contours of the pie plate and over the edges.
- Bake for 1 1/2 hours. Rotate pie plate, reduce temperature to 200 degrees farenheit and bake until completely dried out, about 1 hour longer.
- Let cool completely, about 30 minutes.
Topping
- Spoon chocolate filling into pie shell.
- Whisk cold heavy cream and sugar on low speed until foamy, about 1 minute. Increase speed to high and whip until stiff peaks form, 1 to 3 minutes.
- Spread whipped cream evenly over chocolate.
- Refrigerate until filling is set, at least 1 hour and up to 3 hours.
- Dust with cocoa or top with chocolate shavings.
- Slice with sharp knife and serve.
Notes
Nutrition
If you like this delicious take on classic pie, check out these other fabulous inventive desserts!
- No-Bake Cranberry Cream Pie
- Gluten Free Blueberry Lemon Crisp with Almond Crumb Topping
- Fresh Pumpkin Pie with Walnut Crust
What are your favorite naturally gluten free dessert options? Please share in the comments below for the sake of my sans gluten hubs and I’m sure so many other readers would love to know!
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