The BEST French Silk Pie — This French silk pie is made with an Oreo cookie crust. The filling is a cross between chocolate mousse and chocolate cheesecake, and it’s so addicting!
Homemade French Silk Pie Recipe
I’ve wanted to make a French Silk Pie for ages but kept putting it off. I’m glad I finally made it because it turned out to be one of the best pies I’ve ever eaten.
I’m not really even a pie girl. In 5 years of blogging mostly about desserts, I have just a few pie recipes. But I have fond memories of being in high school and college and going to Baker’s Square for study sessions.
I’d plop down in a booth for hours with a pot of coffee, and midway through my study sessions the French silk pie in the bakery cases kept looking better and better. But I’ll never be satisfied with theirs after making this. If your only experience is with store-bought French silk pie, the difference between homemade and store-bought is beyond words. It’s one of those items that the difference is so huge you’ll hardly think it’s the same thing.
Rather than a traditional pie crust, I made an Oreo cookie crust. It adds to the overall chocolate intensity of the pie. The crunchy firmness of the crust is a perfect counterbalance to the silky, creamy, luscious filling.
The filling takes about 20 minutes to make because you add 4 eggs, one at a time, spaced 5 minutes apart. While the mixture was whipping, I organized some messy kitchen drawers that I otherwise would have kept putting off. I knew there was a reason I made this chocolate silk pie.
The filling is some of the best stuff I’ve ever tasted in my life. Not exaggerating. It’s not as light and airy as chocolate mousse but nowhere near as dense or heavy as chocolate cheesecake. It’s why the pie is called French silk. It’s silky smooth, rich, decadent, and truly incredible. Definitely worth 20 minutes of whipping.
The contrast of the silky filling, the crunchy cookie crust, fluffy and creamy whipped cream, and firm chopped chocolate create a wonderful array of textures and complementary flavors in each bite.
I shared this French silk chocolate pie with family, friends, and neighbors, and everyone who tried it said it was the best chocolate pie or French silk pie they’ve ever had. Family members told me that it’s in the top 5 desserts I’ve ever made, and I have 500+ recipes on my blog and 200 spanning two cookbooks.
If I could only choose one pie for the rest of my life, this is the one. I loved it that much.
French Silk Pie Ingredients
For this French silk chocolate pie, you’ll need:
- Oreo cookies
- Butter
- Dark chocolate
- Ultrafine sugar
- Vanilla extract
- Instant espresso granules (NOT ground coffee)
- Salt
- Eggs
- Whipped topping
How to Make French Silk Pie
Before you can start on the filling for this chocolate silk pie, you’ll need to make the Oreo cookie crust. To do so, pulse the Oreos in a food processor until they’re the texture of coarse sand. Then pour in the melted butter and continue pulsing until the mixture starts sticking together. Press the mixture into a pie plate and bake to set.
Next, you’ll need to make the filling. Beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy (it’ll take about 5 minutes). Add the vanilla, espresso granules, salt, and melted chocolate and continue mixing to combine. Then, add in the eggs one at a time and beat for roughly 5 minutes after each addition. It’s crucial that you take the time to whip the pie filling, otherwise it won’t become silky and smooth.
Turn the mixture into the cooled Oreo cookie crust and refrigerate, covered, for 4 hours to set. Once the pie is fully set, top with whipped topping and garnish with chocolate shavings. Then find some neighbors to share this pie with, otherwise you’ll eat it all at once!
Can I Use Powdered Sugar Instead of Ultrafine?
No, powdered sugar (aka confectioner’s sugar) isn’t the right texture and will make your pie far too sweet.
What Type of Chocolate Should I Use?
You want to use a chocolate bar and not chocolate chips since they’re more resistant to melting. Use a bar that contains at least 72% cacao. If you use anything sweeter in this recipe, your French silk pie will wind up being way too sweet.
Tips for Making French Silk Pie
For the filling and for the chopped chocolate on top, I used Trader Joe’s 72% Pound Plus bar. Use a high quality dark chocolate to ensure the pie has enough depth of rich, chocolate flavor. A pinch of instant espresso granules brings out the chocolate intensity and doesn’t make the pie taste like coffee.
I highly recommend using ultrafine sugar, also called baker’s sugar and it’s sold near other sugars. It’s the sugar used on top of Creme Brulee. Using ultrafine sugar ensures it’ll fully integrate into the butter and chocolate. There’s a chance that granulated sugar won’t incorporate fully and the filling could be gritty.
The pie filling isn’t baked and the eggs are raw, which is what classic French silk pie is. If this isn’t a good choice for you or someone who may eat the pie, use pasteurized eggs, which are safe to eat raw. As a lifetime orange Julius drinker and cookie dough eater, I don’t have any issues.
And if a little bit of crust crumbles when you’re slicing the pie, just sprinkle it on top like you meant to do it. Being the world’s worst pancake-flipper and pie-slicer, this may have come in handy for me.
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The Best French Silk Pie
Ingredients
Crust
- 20 Oreo cookies, finely crushed (I use chocolate-filled Oreos rather than white-filled, and regular rather than Double-Stuffed)
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
Filling
- 6 ounces dark chocolate, at least 72%, melted (unsweetened baker’s chocolate may be substituted)
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1 ½ cups ultrafine sugar, also called ultrafine or baker’s sugar (using granulated sugar could result in graininess; use at your discretion)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon instant espresso granules, optional but recommended
- pinch salt, optional and to taste
- 4 large eggs, at room temperature
Topping
- 8 ounces whipped topping, thawed and stirred well, lite okay or 2 cups freshly whipped cream
- 3 to 4 ounces dark chocolate, 72% or higher roughly chopped, for sprinkling
Instructions
- Make the Crust
- Preheat oven to 350F and spray a 9-inch pie dish wish cooking spray; set aside.
- Add Oreos to the canister of a food processor and process until finely ground, 1 to 2 minutes on high power; set aside.
- In a small microwave-safe bowl, melt the butter, about 1 minute on high power.
- Add melted butter to canister of food processor and process until incorporated, about 30 seconds.
- Turn crumbs out into prepared pie dish and using your fingers, hard-pack the mixture to create a crust, making sure to cover sides of pie dish.
- Bake for 10 minutes, or until just set. Place on a wire rack to cool.
- Make the Filling
- In a medium microwave-safe bowl, melt the chocolate, about 1 to 2 minutes on high power. Stop after 1 minute to check and stir. Heat in 15 second increments until chocolate can be stirred smooth; set aside to cool.
- To the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, add the butter, sugar, and beat on high power until very light and fluffy, about 5 minutes, stopping as necessary to scrape down the sides of the bowl. Mixture should be very pale, almost white; the lighter and fluffier the better to ensure sugar is well on it’s way to being dissolved and incorporated fully.
- Add the vanilla, espresso granules, optional salt, cooled chocolate, and beat on high power until incorporated and mixture is fluffy, about 3 to 4 minutes.
- Stop, scrape down the sides of the bowl, remove paddle attachment, switch to whisk attachment, add 1 egg, and beat for 5 minutes on high power.
- Stop, scrape down the sides of the bowl, add the second egg, beat for 5 minutes on high power. Repeat process with remaining eggs. Eggs are added 1 at a time, spaced 5 minutes apart, for a total of 20 minutes active whipping time.
- After 20 minutes, make sure your mixture is smooth, silky, fluffy, with zero traces of graininess. Continue beating until you’re satisfied with the smoothness because this is what your pie will taste like.
- Turn mixture out into crust, smoothing the top lightly with a spatula. Cover with plasticwrap and place in fridge for at least 4 hours (overnight is better) for pie to set up fully.
- Add the ToppingAdd the whipped topping/cream, smoothing it lightly with a spatula. I left a bare margin of 1-inch for visual appeal so you can see the chocolate; cover surface fully if preferred.
- Sprinkle evenly with chopped chocolate before slicing and serving.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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great
This is the first time making the French Silk Pie. I have used countless recipes from Averie Cooks and everything has always come out spot on, she definitely knows her stuff! I followed the recipe carefully to make sure I did exactly what she did. The only thing I did differently was I used a Pillsbury pie crust. Regardless, this pie came out beautifully! My husband is a first responder, so I made it for him and his co-workers to enjoy. Needless to say, a number of them have already asked me to makr them one and they’re willing to pay for it! Thank you Averie for another awesome recipe! You’re the best!!
This is the first time making the French Silk Pie. I have used countless recipes from Averie Cooks and everything has always come out spot on, she definitely knows her stuff! I followed the recipe carefully to make sure I did exactly what she did. The only thing I did differently was I used a Pillsbury pie crust. Regardless, this pie came out beautifully! My husband is a first responder, so I made it for him and his co-workers to enjoy. Needless to say, a number of them have already asked me to makr them one and they’re willing to pay for it! Thank you Averie for another awesome recipe! You’re the best!!
Thanks for the 5 star review and glad this was a hit with your husband and his coworkers, they definitely deserved some nice homemade chocolate pie! I also really appreciate your total vote of confidence in my recipes, that means so much, thank you!!!
First I want to tell you that I’ve been making this pie for my college son and his friends every 3-4 weeks this semester. As a matter of fact, I just delivered one to him for their Friendsgiving dinner tonight. They can’t get enough of it!
Secondly, have you ever frozen this pie without the whipped cream? I want to bring it to thanksgiving dinner about 3 hours away but I know trying to keep it cold will be difficult.
First I want to tell you that I’ve been making this pie for my college son and his friends every 3-4 weeks this semester. As a matter of fact, I just delivered one to him for their Friendsgiving dinner tonight. They can’t get enough of it!
Secondly, have you ever frozen this pie without the whipped cream? I want to bring it to thanksgiving dinner about 3 hours away but I know trying to keep it cold will be difficult.
I am glad your son and his friends are loving this pie and how nice of you to make it often!
No I’ve never frozen it but honestly 3 hours away if you put it in a cooler in your trunk with ice packs, I think you’d be fine unless you live in a very warm state.
After 3 years of grainy chocolate I found you recipie……amazing..turned out perfect and the pie pan was licked clean. Thank you so much.. Thanksgiving dinner now has a new favorite.
I’m glad that you found my recipe as well and that you’re so pleased with it!
I’m planning to make this for a Pi Day celebration, but I’m debating whether I should add a bit of Bailey’s for a St. Patrick’s Day theme too. Do you think that would mess with the consistency of the pie? If so, do you think adding a little bit to the whipped cream would taste good? Also, I don’t know how anyone could read your description of this and not want to make it immediately! I’m excited to try it just based on how much you loved it!
With this pie, I don’t know if adding alcohol to the mixture would be a good idea – I fear it would prevent it from setting up. I would add it to the whipped cream. And thanks for the compliments on my description!
Very scrumptious and delicious!!! Someone recommended me this pie via your blog. Amazing! I put regular sugar on The food processor as i didn’t have any castor sugar. Smooth silk rich great pie!
Thanks for trying the recipe and I’m glad the sugar in the food processor trick worked for you and the pie was smooth and silky!
Can I make it with a hand held mixer? Don’t feel like lugging out my stand mixer.
You can BUT…if you have a stand mixer, this is a time to use it. Read over all the beating times. That is A LOT of time. Standing there with a hand mixer will take you even longer since they’re not as powerful. It’s worth the lug-out, promise.
Delicious, light and perfect! I didn’t have baking sugar and used regular sugar turned out great. I did make the mistake of using unsweetened baking chocolate which was a little strong for the curls. I also made chocolate crumb crust and made real whip cream as we like “real” foods.
Thanks for trying the recipe and I’m glad it came out great for you! Real whipped cream is always delish and the chocolate crumb crust sounds amazing! Glad everything worked out for you even with regular rather than baking sugar.
I noticed some people said the pie was “gritty” On another post suggested putting the batter in the freezer to cool after each egg for 5 min, that’s what I did and the dessert was delightful. I think we gained a zillions pounds.
Thanks for trying the recipe and I’m glad it came out great for you! I’ve never heard of the freezer technique and have never needed it but glad it came in handy for you.
Averie, this pie was indeed amazing! I made it for a friend/co-worker, and she summoned everyone to her office to taste her “chocolate crack pie”! LOL. Again, thank you for such a great recipe. I may just have to make another this weekend for my chocoholic husband! :)
Thanks for trying the recipe and I’m glad it came out great for you! I would indeed call it chocolate crack pie too! Lucky husband to get this over the weekend possibly!
“1 1/2 cups ultrafine sugar, also called ultrafine or baker’s sugar (using granulated sugar could result in graininess; use at your discretion)”
Ultrafine, also called ultrafine? Could it be you meant something else, like Caster sugar as an alternate name?
Otherwise your reciple is delicious.
Look for C&H brand ultrafine baker’s sugar in your grocery store or on Amazon, that’s what you should use here or a similar brand, but that is widely available https://amzn.to/2p8jOFi
Exactly why I made it- my husband requested French Silk Pie for Pi Day so I’m very glad I found your recipe! Everyone (including toddler and preschooler!) devoured their alive after dinner. My only question: it was a tad gritty despite my using superfine sugar and whipping Plenty with butter and about 10 mins extra after the eggs were all added. Still delicious but want to perfect it for next time! Thanks again!
Glad you loved it and that the whole family did too!
Tad gritty…I would say maybe try another brand of sugar. I use C&H with good luck. Or just keep on whipping. Or buy a fancier stand mixer ? Use this pie as your excuse!
THANK You! This recipe was easy to follow and created a beautiful, decadent dessert that might be my new favorite thing to whip up!
Thanks for trying the recipe and I’m glad it came out great for you!
As an aside, did you know it was Pi Day, 3.14 ? Of all days of the year, March 14th, today is the day to make a pie!
BEST. PIE. EVER!!! I’ve made two this week! :) I commented above (and just noticed another Kara commented after me…funny), and I ended up getting the chocolate bar from Trader Joe’s that you used. I don’t know how other chocolate tastes in the pie, but making it with the TJ chocolate and exactly as your recipe states is pure perfection! Thank you! (And, by the way, I’m not usually a “pie person”….but this will be a regular.)
I’m not a pie person either but this is one to change my mind, and yours too it sounds like :)
Glad the TJs chocolate worked like a charm for you and that you deem this best pie ever!
Is it possible to make this recipe without eggs? It looks amazing but I’m avoiding raw eggs during pregnancy to be on the safe side. Thank you!
I would just use pasteurized eggs and you’re all set! Enjoy!