Add An Extra Touch Of Sweetness To Pumpkin Pie With A Chocolate Layer

No Thanksgiving table is complete without a pumpkin pie. This autumnal essential not only has a perfectly soft and sweet flavor from the squash, but it also has a crisp contrast between the crust and the filling — plus a bit of extra sweetness from a dollop of whipped topping on top. While you can upgrade your pumpkin pie by experimenting with a bit of citrus or adding herbs and spices to your pie crust, one of the best ways to give your pumpkin pie new life is to stick with an ingredient that can make almost anything better: chocolate.

One of the easiest ways to integrate chocolate into your pumpkin pie is to give it a top layer that's flavored with chocolate. For this hack, you'll want to reserve some of your pumpkin filling so you can add cocoa powder to it. Then, when you're ready to assemble, pour the plain layer in before finishing the rest with the chocolate. You can always marble the chocolate into the plain layer with the back of a spatula, or leave it as-is for a clear cross-section. Moreover, since your pie is already sweet, you'll want to avoid adding melted chocolate to your pie filling, as it can cause it to come out too cloying. 

Adding a chocolate layer on top of your pie is great and all, but you can highlight chocolate even more by trying one of these simple, yet sweet, hacks. For one, you can make a chocolate pie crust by adding a little bit of Dutch-processed cocoa to the rest of the dry ingredients. The chocolate flavor is mild and floral, which will really highlight similar flavor notes in the pumpkin pie spices. If you try it in tandem with the aforementioned layer hack, you'll get a delicious, pumpkin-chocolate sandwich of sorts. 

You can also use a chocolate coating to prevent a soggy crust disaster. After your crust is par-baked, melt down some chocolate chips in a bowl. Then, brush a layer on the shell. It will prevent the pumpkin filling from making the crust too wet, and will double-down on that complex chocolate flavor. This hack can work just as well for a graham cracker crumb crust as one made with traditional pie dough. Or, shave some dark chocolate onto the top of you pie before serving. It will give it an elegant garnish and make your pie all the more fit for the Thanksgiving table.