This Almond Crust Chocolate Pie, with its almond and cacao cookie-like crust and silky chocolate egg custard filling, is every chocolate lover’s pie!
The BEST Almond Crusted Chocolate Custard Pie
There is something undeniably luxurious about a chocolate custard pie, the way the filling sets into a silky, spoon-smooth texture while still melting on the tongue. But this Almond Crusted Chocolate Custard Pie goes beyond the expected, thanks to a crust that’s less pie dough and more chocolate-kissed almond cookie.
Instead of a traditional flaky crust, this pie begins with an almond crust made from crushed raw almonds, butter, cacao, and organic sugar. Baked gently, it becomes tender yet structured, with a subtle crunch and a deep, nutty flavor that pairs beautifully with the creamy chocolate custard filling. The hint of cacao in the crust echoes the chocolate within, creating a dessert that feels intentional and perfectly balanced from the first bite to the last.
Cookies Instead Of A Pie Crust?
What’s not to love about a silky chocolate custard pie with a cookie-like almond crust! Having always been a cookie lover and so when I make a pie crust, I often want it to have the crunch of a cookie.
This cookie-like crust, made from crushed almonds and a sprinkle of cacao powder, makes the crust as much the star as the silky chocolate egg custard filling.
Chocolate Pie Recipes
Chocolate cake will always have its place, but a chocolate pie offers a completely different kind of indulgence. Where cake is airy and crumb-based, a chocolate custard pie is smooth, creamy, and deeply comforting. It’s the difference between a dessert you slice and a dessert you savor with a fork, lingering over each bite.
A chocolate pie also allows the filling to truly shine. In a custard-based dessert, the chocolate isn’t competing with layers of sponge or frosting, it’s front and center. The result is a richer, more concentrated chocolate experience, one that feels luxurious without being heavy.
Then there’s the crust. Unlike cake, a pie introduces contrast: crisp edges, buttery depth, and texture that plays against the softness of the filling. In this Almond Crusted Chocolate Custard Pie, the cookie-like almond crust adds nutty warmth and a subtle chocolate note that elevates every bite, something a traditional cake simply can’t replicate.
Chocolate pie also feels more intimate. It’s nostalgic yet elegant, equally at home at a casual family table or a refined dinner party. Served chilled or just barely set, it invites you to slow down, no towering layers, no elaborate decorations, just pure chocolate comfort with intention.
If cake is celebration, chocolate pie is conversation. And sometimes, that’s exactly the dessert you want.
Cacao – The Real Chocolate
So, out of a hankering for chocolate, I created the BEST chocolate pie recipe you will ever taste, simply because I was making it from real chocolate!
I’m a dessert snob! That’s right, take a close… really close look, at this bite! Pure, raw cacao, little sugar, cream and eggs! Yum!
In baking with chocolate, I have found that most ‘ready made’ chocolate is made with oils and stabilizers I don’t want, and way too much sugar.
Raw Cacao is the way to go, but if you don’t want the caffein that’s in chocolate, you might love cooking with Carob instead! It comes in both raw powder form and carob bars.
Almond Crusted: The Perfect Pie Crust For Chocolate Custard
Did you know that a pie crust is really a very simple combination of dry ingredients balanced with wet ingredients, usually some type of fat, to hold it together?
It’s easy crushing almonds into a powder and it becomes part of the dry ingredients; and who doesn’t love nuts with their chocolate!
Almond Cookie-Like Pie Crust
Dare I say, a cookie pie crust is actually my preferred crust for a tart. No, it’s not a pie crust that can be rolled out and shaped to fit a pie pan. For that type of pie crust you just need a flour and butter pie crust.
On one occasion, perhaps you watched me make it on The Great American Recipe with PBS, I made my favorite almond crust in the finale of the 8-Episode show.
I made a Fig Tart, with my almond and oat cookie-like crust, and the judges loved the pie but didn’t ‘get’ the crust. Said it was too thick.
They, like so many ole-time pie makers, think a pie crust is just a thin flaky, flour/butter crust. Sorry judges, but you were wrong!
This almond pie crust has pizzazz! It is easily plopped into the pie pan and pressed with your little fingers into shape.
Why This Recipe Is One You Will Make Often
What truly sets this recipe apart is its simplicity paired with elegance. The custard comes together easily with eggs, cream (or coconut milk), and rich chocolate flavor, no complicated techniques, no fussy steps.
Baking the pies in individual springform pans makes them feel special-occasion worthy, while still being approachable enough for a relaxed weekend bake. An 8-inch springform pan works just as well, making this recipe flexible for both intimate dinners and family gatherings.
Finished with a light dusting of freeze-dried raspberry or strawberry powder, this almond crusted chocolate custard pie gains a bright, fruity contrast that cuts through the richness and adds a beautiful visual finish. It’s the kind of dessert that feels both nostalgic and modern, comforting, yet refined.
If you love chocolate custard desserts, almond flour crusts, or recipes that blur the line between cookie and pie, this is one you’ll come back to again and again.
Ingredients Needed
- Butter – Unsalted butter is essential here, especially for a crust that behaves more like a cookie. Using unsalted butter gives you full control over the flavor, allowing the richness of the butter to come through without competing saltiness. It also helps the almond crust bake up tender yet structured, with that melt-in-your-mouth quality that sets it apart from a traditional flaky pie crust.
- Almonds – Raw almonds, crushed into a fine meal, are the backbone of this crust. They add natural sweetness, depth, and a slightly chewy texture that feels indulgent and intentional. Unlike store-bought almond flour, freshly crushed almonds retain their oils and flavor, giving the crust a warm, nutty richness that pairs beautifully with chocolate.
- Flour – A modest amount of all-purpose flour helps bind the almond meal and butter together. It gives the crust just enough structure so it holds its shape in individual springform pans or a classic 8-inch pan, without overpowering the delicate almond-cookie character.
- Sugar – Choosing organic raw sugar instead of refined white sugar adds subtle caramel notes and a more rounded sweetness. It complements both the almonds and the cacao, enhancing the dessert without making it overly sweet. This sugar choice supports the “cookie-like” nature of the crust while keeping flavors balanced and grown-up.
- Cacao – Using pure cacao powder rather than cocoa is a deliberate flavor decision. Cacao is deeper, darker, and more complex, with no added sugars or fillers. It gives the crust a hint of chocolate bitterness that contrasts beautifully with the creamy custard filling, making each bite more interesting and less one-note.
- Salt – just a pinch of salt, added thoughtfully, elevates everything else. Salt sharpens the sweetness, enhances the chocolate, and brings the almond flavor into focus.
- Eggs – Eggs play a dual role in this pie. In the crust, they help bind the almond mixture into a sliceable, cookie-like base. In the custard, they are essential for that luscious, silky texture, rich, creamy, and spoon-smooth once baked.
- Cream – Classic dairy cream creates a luxurious custard, but full-fat coconut milk is a beautiful alternative. It adds its own subtle richness and works especially well with cacao and almonds, making the pie adaptable without sacrificing indulgence.
- Coffee or Chocolate liquor (optional) – A small splash of strong coffee or chocolate liquor deepens the chocolate flavor without making the pie taste like coffee or alcohol. It amplifies the cacao, adding complexity and intensity, perfect for true chocolate lovers.
- Raspberry or Strawberry Dust – Made from freeze-dried raspberries or strawberries, this dust adds a bright, fruity contrast to the deep chocolate custard. Whether sprinkled on top or used as a finishing accent, it brings color, acidity, and a touch of elegance that makes these pies feel bakery-worthy.
Equipment Needed
- Food Processor or blender – A food processor or high-powered blender is essential for transforming raw almonds into a fine, flour-like texture for the crust. Pulsing the nuts gives you control, you want them finely ground but not oily. This step is what creates that tender, cookie-style crust instead of something coarse or crumbly.
- Individual Springform Pans – Individual springform pans make this pie especially charming and practical. They’re easy to prepare, bake evenly, and, best of all, release cleanly once baked, preserving the delicate crust and creamy custard. They’re ideal for entertaining or gifting, though an 8-inch springform pan works beautifully if you prefer a single show-stopping pie.
- Measuring cup and measuring spoons – Accurate measurements are key, particularly when working with custards and nut-based crusts. Measuring cups and spoons ensure the balance between richness, sweetness, and structure is just right every time.
- Oven or even a countertop oven – A standard oven works perfectly, but this recipe is also well-suited to a countertop oven, especially when baking individual pans. Smaller ovens often provide more even heat for petite desserts, making this an easy and flexible option for any kitchen.
Silky Chocolate Custard: The Perfect Chocolate Pie
Before the custard goes into the pan, the almond crust is pressed into the pan, for an easy to assemble pie crust.
Secondly, simple ingredients will make up this luscious chocolate custard: Raw cacao, an equal amount of sugar (not a truckload), and eggs.
Finally, a little color on top of the chocolate pie, using crushed freeze-dried raspberries or strawberries, makes it look more festive.
Baking A Chocolate Pie
This recipe easily accommodates a single pie pan.
Overall I like the security of knowing a pie or cake can be easily removed from a pie pan, so I prefer a removable bottom pie pan or spring-form pan.
Equally, another trick I like to use, is Mason Jar Lids as the pie pan.
They make for a small pie, about 3 bites, but are so easy to remove and slide onto a plate.
You could also make a dozen miniature almond crusted chocolate pies, and slide onto a lovely serving tray for a larger gathering or take to your children’s school for Valentine Day.
Almond Crusted Chocolate For Valentine’s Day
Undoubtedly, what better dessert could there possible be for Valentine’s Day or any other special occasion, than a chocolate pie, baked in a cookie-like almond crust!
I created this festive tree in 2021 winter, after the Christmas tree came down and the room seemed void of anymore bling.
Since I wasn’t ready to let go of the festive feeling of my Christmas tree, I went out for a walk in the woods, found a tall branch and created a new festive feeling. Indeed, a little more bling in my living room!
Undeniably, I am certain, if you are a chocolate lover, an almond cookie lover or a pie lover, you will love my very snobbish chocolate pie with almond crust for a gazillion special occasions!
Almond Crusted Chocolate Custard Pie
Equipment
- 4 Individual springform pans or an 8-inch springform pan
Ingredients
Almond Crust Ingredients
- 6 tbsp Butter softened
- 1 1/2 cups Almonds
- 3/4 cup Flour
- 1 tbsp Sugar
- 1 tbsp Cacao
- 1 tsp Salt
- 1 Egg whisked
Chocolate Pie Custard Ingredients
- 3 Eggs
- 1/3 cup Sugar
- 1/3 cup Cacao
- 2/3 cup Cream full cream coconut milk may be substituted
- 1 tbsp Coffee or Chocolate liqueur (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350Place the almonds in a food processor. Grind to a powder. Add butter and pulse. Add remaining dry ingredients. While mixing, pour in the whisked egg. The crust will come together into a dough ball.
- If making one single pie, place the dough ball into a pie pan and press to fill the pan, crimping edges. If using 4 individual (4 inch) pie pans, divide the crust into 4 and press into individual pie pans. Set aside.
- Whisk eggs and sugar together for 2 minutes. Add cocoa, cream and liqueur if using. Whisk until well blended. Pour into prepared crusts.
- Bake for 35 minutes or until tops are firm and begin to form cracks.
Notes
I believe the table... that place that draws people to gather, is the most powerful symbol of togetherness. All that happens before the table is set, the planning, the gathering, the preparing, are all an intricate part of the dance that create the mood of celebration to share with friends and loved ones.