Fudge pie is a simple kind of pie with a filling that is much like the traditional dessert called fudge. Fudge, which is commonly served in small squares, is a rich, sweet dessert with a firm but soft texture that is made in many flavors. The main ingredients for fudge pie are the same as those that go into fudge: eggs, sugar, butter, and flavoring ingredients. This rich dessert is often meant to be served in small portions, because, like the original fudge squares, it contains an extreme number of calories per pound, and a high amount of sugar, which means that fudge pie may not be a good choice for diabetics or others with a sensitivity to changes in blood sugar levels.
Many recipes for fudge pie call for using chocolate or cocoa, where the pie’s interior filling will be chocolate flavored. This includes a significant number of the recipes titled “old-fashioned fudge pie.” Although these recipes using chocolate fudge filling, other flavors of fudge can also provide fillings for these products. Alternatives include vanilla, peanut butter, or butterscotch, along with more advanced flavors like orange and cream or rocky road. All of these may be topped with whipped cream or some other dessert toppings.
The main difference between fudge and fudge pie is that in fudge pie recipes, the interior fudge filling is baked along with the pie crust. Cooks generally beat the eggs and combine them carefully with the other ingredients before putting the result into the pie crust. One major challenge with assembling the fudge ingredients is that butter will not break down well if it is not sufficiently heated. Since it is difficult to heat butter evenly without melting it, some cooks recommend keeping butter at room temperature for hours before preparing this recipe. Cooks may also use specific methods to get well-beaten eggs that are carefully shelled.
After cooks put the interior ingredients into the unbaked pie crust, they will typically bake the entire pie in a metal or glass pan. Some recipes call for 25 minutes or more. These pies can be served warm or cold: although serving them warm appeals to the general presentation for most kinds of pies, serving them cold fits with the usual presentation for fudge squares, which are often served cold so that they are not too soft for eating as finger foods.