Lemon Chess Pie

Lemon Chess Pie is an easy and delicious southern dessert you won't soon forget. The filling is similar to lemon custard, while the crust is flaky and baked to perfection. This simple lemon pie is ideal for all occasions!

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Keyword lemon chess pie

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 55

Total Time 1 5

Servings

Calories 399kcal

Author Kat Jeter & Melinda Caldwell

Ingredients

1 Pie crust
5 large Eggs
1 1/2 cups Granulated sugar
1/2 cup Unsalted butter melted and cooled slightly
4 tablespoons Lemon juice fresh squeezed
2 tablespoons Lemon zest
1 tablespoon All-purpose flour
1 tablespoon Yellow cornmeal
1/4 teaspoon Salt

Instructions

Blind bake pie crust:

If you are using a prepared pie crust in your own dish or a homemade pie crust you’ll want to start by rolling out the crust (if needed) and then placing it in your pie dish . Press the dough down firmly but gently, into the pie dish and use a fork to press the pie crust into the the rim of the pie dish making sure not to press all the way through the crust. You can skip this step if you are using a prepared pie crust in a tin.
Place the pie crust back in the refrigerator while you preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
When the oven is ready remove the pie crust from the refrigerator.
Cut a piece of parchment paper slightly bigger than the pie and place it in the pie crust. Pour in pie weights or dried beans to fill the pie crust. This will keep the crust weighed down as it bakes so you don’t get bubbles. (See note 2 below if you do not have pie weights)
Place the pie in the oven and bake at 450 degrees F for 8-10 minutes. Note: We used a prepared Pillsbury pie crust. Times and temperature may vary for other crusts. Please follow the instructions for the pie crust you use.
When the time is up remove the crust from the oven and let cool completely before removing the pie weights/beans.

Pie:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
In a large bowl whisk together the eggs, sugar, melted butter, lemon juice, lemon zest, all-purpose flour, yellow cornmeal, and salt.
Place the cooked pie crust on a baking sheet and then pour the filling into it.
Bake at 325 degrees F for 35-45 minutes. (See note 3)
When the pie comes out of the oven let it cool completely before serving.

Video

Notes

Notes:

Don't stretch the crust larger in the pan or it may shrink while baking.
If you do not have pie weights or dried beans you can prick the bottom and sides of the crust with a fork to keep it from forming bubbles as it bakes. To keep the filling from seeping through later blind bake your crust for 7 minutes and then seal the holes by brushing an egg wash (1 egg white whisked until foamy) over the inside of the pie and up the sides. Continue baking for 3 more minutes.
If your blind-baked pie crust is already a nice golden brown you should consider covering the edges of the pie to keep them from getting too dark. You can use aluminum foil to cover just the edges of the pie crust, or use a silicone adjustable pie crust shield to cover the edges.

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