Certain desserts are forever, like classic chocolate chip cookies or a basic batch of brownies. Other recipes fade from memory over time, until they’re nearly lost to history — or at least your grandma’s index card recipe collection. One such example is the once-common simple chocolate pudding pie, or “magic chocolate pie” as it was sometimes called, which featured a chocolate custard base topped with a layer of meringue or whipped cream. Once ubiquitous at holiday tables, celebrations, or as a simple weeknight dessert, this treat is rare on menus these days. It joins the ranks of vintage dessert fads we’d love to see make a comeback.
Though there are endless versions of the same basic recipe, one that helped put the chocolate pudding meringue pie on the map was shared in a then-popular cookbook released by the Borden’s Eagle Brand in 1964. The recipe book shares instructions for a simple pie using the brand’s canned condensed milk and unsweetened chocolate to make a pudding base, topped with a layer of whipped cream. Other versions take the shortcut of using cook-and-serve pudding mixes, and similar recipes were enjoyed in the Great Depression era and likely beyond. However it’s made, with from-scratch ingredients, a boxed pudding mix, a graham cracker or basic crust, and whipped cream or meringue — the simple combo of chocolate plus crust and a whipped topping is about as timelessly delicious as it gets, and one worthy of a place in modern bakers’ repertoire.
This retro treat is ready for its modern comeback
The popularity of specific desserts ebb and flow over the decades due to a host of influences, from product availability and affordability, cultural and social media trends, and health considerations and dietary restrictions. All of these reasons dictate menus and societal appetites. These days, apple, pumpkin, and pecan pies (the top three most popular pies, nationwide) get all the love. But during this vintage treat’s heyday in the 1960s, Jell-O and puddings were star ingredients, so this chocolate pie’s popularity makes total sense. As cooks sought out easy, time-saving, no-bake recipes, gelatin sprung up as a hero ingredient in everything from pies to concoctions far less palatable to modern palates — like jiggly and savory Jell-O salads.
This particular retro dessert feels ready to be dusted off and brought back to popularity — and has certainly aged much better than other mid century masterpieces that, frankly, might be best left to history. Looking at you, 1970s ketchup-infused ice cream or less-offensive but still quirky frozen fruit salads. These dishes may take some warming up to, to say the least.
For modern cooks who aren’t overly impressed by the pudding base option for this pie, consider making the from-scratch version using condensed milk and chocolate. Or, perhaps elevate your chocolate pie to new heights by using modern options of premium pudding mixes and plant-based options, bringing modern sensibilities to this timeless vintage delight.
