This pie is based on Mexican hot chocolate, or those little Abuelita chocolate disks that you can make into hot chocolate, and includes a touch of cinnamon and some chipotle and ancho pepper for a bit of heat.

When just out of the oven, it has a kind of airy, mousselike, melt-on-your-tongue texture, and as it cools, it fudges up, becoming a bit more dense and brownielike. It’s got that nice, thin, crackling brownie film on top of it, which we love.

It used to be the best-selling pie when I owned the pie company, and then I lost the recipe and tried to make it from memory and it didn’t work. The sugar didn’t completely dissolve, and there was a grainy mouthfeel to it, so I talked it over with my friend the bread baker (who also makes pastries and desserts) and we figured out that I probably wasn’t whipping the eggs and sugar for long enough. So after a few tests, it’s back in the stable.

Steps

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
2. In a stand mixer with the whisk attachment, whisk the eggs and sugar for 4 minutes on medium-high speed, or until the sugar and eggs are well whipped and fully incorporated.
3. Meanwhile, melt the butter on top of the stove and keep it warm.
4. Lowering the speed to medium-low, add the flour and spices to the mixer and mix the dry ingredients with the sugar and eggs until incorporated. Turn off the mixer. Add the chocolate chips.
5. Bring the butter to a light boil, and then, while it’s still very hot, pour the butter into the mixing bowl and let stand for 1 to 2 minutes.
6. Mix on a low speed until the butter is incorporated with the rest of the batter, increasing the speed as the butter is incorporated and the chocolate begins to melt, until the batter is a dark chocolate color and most if not all of the chocolate pieces are melted.
7. Pour the filling into the pie crust. Bake in the preheated oven for 30 to 40 minutes, or until the center of the pie is set.