Chocolate Oatmeal Pie

This pie is a chocolate-loaded riff on the classic Southern oatmeal pie. A corn syrup custard filling loaded with chocolate chips, flaked coconut, and rolled oats bakes into something chewy, fudgy, and impossibly rich.

The press-in crust is made right in the pie plate. Flour, oil, and milk get mixed and pressed into shape with your fingers. No rolling pin, no chilling, no fussing. It bakes up sturdy enough to hold the heavy filling without getting soggy.

The filling should look almost set when you pull it from the oven, with the center still jiggling slightly. It firms up completely as it cools. Overbaking turns it from fudgy to dry and cakey.

Chef Tips

• Beat the eggs lightly, just until combined. Over-beating incorporates air that puffs the filling up then collapses, leaving a cracked, sunken center.
• Press the crust evenly and all the way up the sides. Thick spots stay doughy while thin spots burn.
• Let the pie cool completely on a wire rack before slicing. The filling needs time to set, and cutting too early gives you a gooey mess.
• Store in the refrigerator. The corn syrup and eggs in the filling need to stay cold for food safety.

Variations

• Pecan chocolate pie: Add chopped pecans alongside the oats and coconut for a pecan pie-chocolate hybrid.
• Peanut butter version: Swirl a few tablespoons of peanut butter into the filling before baking.
• Dark chocolate: Use dark chocolate chips and reduce the sugar slightly for a more intense, less sweet pie.