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Side view of a mocha meringue pie, cutting out of frame on the left side of the image
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5 from 3 votes

Mocha Meringue Pie

An Oreo espresso crust, with a chocolate espresso filling, toppde with a light and fluffy meringue.
Prep Time45 minutes
Cook Time12 minutes
Chill time4 hours
Total Time4 hours 57 minutes
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Servings: 9 inch pie

Equipment

  • small bowl
  • 9" pie dish
  • Saucepan
  • Hand or stand mixer with whisk attachment

Ingredients

Mocha Crumb Crust

  • 2 cups Oreo crumbs or chocolate graham cracker crumbs
  • cup sugar
  • 2 tablespoons instant espresso powder
  • 6 tablespoons butter melted

Mocha Filling

  • 3 egg yolks (save the whites for the meringue!)
  • 1 ½ cups sugar
  • cup cornstarch
  • 1 ½ cups water
  • 3 tablespoons butter
  • 2 tablespoons espresso powder
  • ½ cup chocolate syrup

Meringue Topping

  • 6 egg whites
  • ½ teaspoon cream of tartar
  • ½ cup sugar

Instructions

Mocha Crumb Crust

  • Preheat oven to 350 F.
  • Combine the dry crust ingredients in a small bowl.
  • Stir in the melted butter until the dry ingredients are wet.
  • Pour the crust mixture into a 9" pie pan.
  • Press the crust into the pie pan with your hands, spreading the crust evenly around the bottom of the pan and up the sides.
  • Bake for 5 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool.

Mocha Filling

  • Turn the oven up to 400 F. Place the egg yolks in a small bowl.
  • Combine sugar and cornstarch in a medium saucepan.
  • Add water and place over medium heat.
  • Stir constantly until the mixture boils. The mixture will start to look clear and glossy and will feel a bit thicker.
  • Stir while the mixture boils for one minute.
  • Pour approximately half the mixture into the egg yolks and stir till combined.
  • Pour the egg yolk mixture back into the pan with the remaining half of the sugar/cornstarch mixture and stir constantly over medium heat for an additional 2 minutes (mixture should still be boiling).
  • Remove from heat and mix in the butter, espresso powder, and chocolate syrup until the butter is melted.
  • Pour the mixture into cooled pie crust.

Meringue Topping

  • Beat egg whites and cream of tartar on high speed until foamy.
  • Slowly and gradually add in the sugar, while continuing to beat at a high speed until the mixture becomes stiff and glossy. The topping is done when you can pull a beater out (when the mixer is off!) and the mixture holds a stiff peak.
  • Cover the top of the pie with the meringue spreading it all the way to the edges of the pie pan.
  • Bake for 12-15 minutes. The meringue will appear toasted. Allow the pie to cool, then refrigerate. The pie can be served cold.

Notes

The sugar and butter are essential in the pie crust in order to hold it together. Sugar is also essential in the meringue whipping up and absorbing the liquid. Do not reduce those measurements.
You first add the hot mixture to the egg yolks before putting the egg yolks in the pot in order to gradually increase the heat in the egg yolks.  If you add the egg yolks to the hot mixture, they will heat up too quickly and will turn into scrambled eggs, and we don't want scrambled eggs in our pies!
To prevent your meringue from weeping (this is where a layer of liquid sits between your meringue and your pie filling, and we don't want that!), make sure to add the meringue topping while the pie filling is still hot. This will allow the filling to begin cooking the bottom of the meringue immediately and keep your pie from getting wet and soggy.