We started with a Southern Chess Pie recipe to make this scrumptious maple nut pie. We substituted maple syrup for the brown sugar and added walnut pieces. Because maple is a bit more intense than brown sugar, we cut back 1/4 cup.

This is a custard pie like a pecan pie. Instead of a clear filling, the filling is cream-based. The cream in the filling and maple flavor make this an unusual and unusually good pie.

Keep this recipe handy for the holidays.

You can see the recipe for Southern Chess Pie >>

Walnut Chess Recipe

Ingredients

1 nine-inch pie shell

4 large eggs, whisked
1 cup maple syrup
1/2 teaspoon maple flavor
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 cup butter
1 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup maple syrup
3 tablespoons fine ground cornmeal
1/4 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 cups walnut pieces

Directions

1. Bake the pie shell at 450 degrees for about ten minutes or until it just starts to turn brown on the edges. It will help the pie shell keep its shape during baking if you line the shell with aluminum foil and then place beans, rice, or pie shell weights in the shell to hold the crust down. If you do so, the weights will act as heat sinks and you will need to bake the shell longer.
2. Whip the eggs and add the one cup maple syrup. Add the maple flavor and vanilla extract.
3. In a saucepan, melt the butter. Stir in the cream, syrup, cornmeal, and salt. Heat, stirring constantly, until it thickens and just starts to bubble. Drizzle the hot cream mixture into the egg mixture while stirring constantly. Whisk the mixture until it is smooth. Add the nuts. Pour the filling into the pie shell.
4. Bake the pie for 45 to 50 minutes at 325 degrees or until it tests done when the blade of a knife is inserted in the filling one inch from the center. Let cool on a wire rack and then refrigerate for two hours before serving.
Serve with ice cream or whipped cream.

Baker’s notes:

1. This pie was made with brown sugar it can also be made with honey crystals or molasses crystals. Both can be purchased at a discount in The Student Commissary.
2. Many chess pies are light in color while this is caramel colored from the brown sugar and egg yolks. For a lighter-colored pie, substitute granulated sugar for the brown sugar and four egg whites plus two large eggs for the eggs.
3. Any fine-ground cornmeal will work or even corn flour. We used corn masa mix and it worked perfectly.