Chocolate Chess Pie

This is my gramma's recipe.  I thought it would make a perfect addition to our New Year's Day black eyed peas and collards.  Well.  What happened was...I made the first pie.  And then we ate it.  I had every intention of taking pictures of it for my blog. But we demolished it.  At 10:00am. So then I made another one.  And we ate half of that one too.  Before I could take pictures.  It just happened.  In our defense, we shared some with my neighbors.

If you've seen the movie The Help, you remember Minny's chocolate pie.  I did a little google search to find the actual recipe they used for the the movie and it's nearly identical to my gramma's recipe.  I made The Help's version too.  We had a little taste off and really couldn't tell the difference between the two.

It's a fudgy-gooey chocolate pie.  Nothing fancy about it.  Just good.  My gramma's version has sugared pecans on top but I am kind of pecaned out after Thanksgiving and Christmas so I left them off.

Happy New Year's weight loss! ;-)

Gramma's Chocolate Chess Pie

1 pie crust
1/2 cup butter, melted (1 stick)
2 1oz squares unsweetened chocolate baking squares
1 5oz can evaporated milk (2/3 cup)
2 large eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla
1 1/2 cup granulated sugar
3 tablespoon all purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon salt

option pecan topping:
1 1/2 cup pecan halves and pieces
2/3 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1 tablespoon light corn syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Melt butter and chocolate squares in 30 second intervals in microwave safe bowl.  Stir after each 30 seconds until smooth.
3. Whisk evaporated milk, eggs, and vanilla together. Add to chocolate mixture.
4. Stir together granulated sugar, flour, and salt, then add to chocolate mixture whisking until smooth.
5. Press pie shell into 9" pie plate.  Prick bottom with form.
6. Pour filling into pie shell and bake for 45 minutes (maybe 50 depending on your oven).

For pecan topping:
1. Bake pie for only 40 minutes.  Remove from oven.
2. Stir together pecans, light brown sugar, corn syrup and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Sprinkle over pie. 
3. Bake an additional 10 minutes.

Let cool at least one hour before serving. Top with whipped cream.