I decided to team up that iconic Aussie biscuit, the Tim Tam, with a chocolate pudding and a meringue topping and came up with this gorgeous and completely decadent Chocolate Meringue Pie.

Let me just preface this post to say that if you can’t get Tim Tam biscuits where you are that are used in the base, never fear, try making it with your own favourite chocolate covered chocolate cookie.

Closeup front on shot of a chocolate meringue pie on a black glass plate and black stand

This chocolate pie is indulgence at it’s finest. A chocolatey take on the classic Lemon Meringue Pie, it’s perfect for a large group of people since a thin slice is enough to satisfy even the sweetest tooth. You may also love this Chocolate Pavlova.

It’s also far easier to make than it looks. The base is the work of minutes, using 2 ingredients and a food processor. The custard centre is all done on the stove top in about 10 minutes and the marshmallow topping is also a stove top, 10-15 minute job. All you need do is wait for it to set in the fridge before serving.

Let’s check out each part below.

A slice of chocolate meringue pie on a grey plate with another slice in front and the remaining pie in the background

The chocolate cookie base

A long time ago in a land way, way down under, some genius decided to put chocolate buttercream between two crispy chocolate biscuits and … wait for it, wait for it … coat the whole thing in chocolate. Thank you, Mr Arnott, thank you. The Tim Tam biscuit has been an Aussie icon ever since.

We Aussies find all kinds of ways to use Tim Tams other than just straight up stuffing them in our gobs. Most notably (at least to me) is the Tim Tam Slam – that wonderful tradition of biting two opposing corners off a Tim Tam and then using it as a straw to drink your warm tea or coffee.

If you haven’t tried it, grab a cuppa, a Tim Tam and a quiet corner and go you good thing.

While you can use any chocolate covered cookies, I use dark chocolate Tim Tams for this cookie crust recipe and just one other ingredient – salted butter. Just like I did for my Tim Tam Cheesecake, I blitz them together in a food processor, but this time pressed them into a deep pie tin to at least 1 1/2 inches up the sides.
A chocolate meringue pie on a black glass plate with some slices already cut out. A black and silver spoon sits on the side of the plate

How to make the chocolate pudding centre

The centre of this pie is a chocolate pudding / chocolate custard, made from scratch on the stove top. It takes only around 10 minutes to come together into a luscious, creamy chocolate filling that I could eat by the spoonful. I adapted this custard centre from my Lemon Vanilla Custard Slice recipe which means you can even turn this chocolate custard into a chocolate custard slice.

In fact, this is a great recipe to use if you just want to serve up a chocolate custard pudding in glasses without the base and topping.

To make it;

  1. Start by heating a few ingredients, mostly made up of milk and sugar until simmer point.
  2. Dribble it slowly into some eggs that have been beaten with cornflour and a little water while constantly whisking.
  3. Add it all back to the saucepan, and stir with a balloon whisk until it gets really thick – about 5 minutes. It’s ready when it holds a shape after you stir for a good few seconds and kind of drops off the whisk as opposed to pouring off.

Chocolate custard tips

  • Bring the milk mixture just to simmer over low heat – don’t boil and don’t have the heat too high.
  • Dribble this slowly into the eggs, all whilst whisking, so you don’t scramble the eggs with the hot liquid. This method is called tempering.
  • Sit the bowl on a damp tea towel to hold it in place while you whisk with one hand and pour from the saucepan with the other.
  • Using a darker chocolate will make it a little more bitter and a firmer set while using milk chocolate will make it sweeter with a softer set. I use 50% cocoa dark chocolate in this pie.

Slices of chocolate meringue pie on grey plates with the rest of the pie in the background. They sit on tan napkins

How to make the marshmallow topping

More like marshmallow than meringue but a style of meringue all the same, this topping is sweet, sticky and very indulgent. It matches well with the slightly bitter chocolate custard filling and has a soft texture. It uses the egg whites that you set aside while making the custard portion. I use this same no bake marshmallow topping on my Lemon Meringue Cheesecake and Wagon Wheel Cake.

  1. Just 3 ingredients – egg whites, sugar and cream of tartar are whisked together in a bowl set over simmering water for 5-6 minutes until they come to 70°C / 160°F. The sugar should be dissolved and the mixture should be closer to white than cream in colour and look quite opaque.
  2. Remove it from the heat and whisk (I find a stand mixer best at this point) for 6-8 minutes until it holds a soft peak and you can see the marshamallow pulling away from the sides. It should be thick and glossy white.

Marshmallow topping tips

  • You can replace the cream of tartar with lemon juice or vinegar.
  • Don’t stop whisking. If your arms get tired, you can use an elecric hand beater but make sure it’s on the lowest setting and stop every minute or so. You want most of the whipping to happen once they are taken off the heat.
  • I recommend using a thermometer to test the temperature as this will confirm the eggs are pasteurized and safe to eat. If you don’t have one and aren’t too worried about it, just make sure the sugar is all dissolved, and the egg whites are more white than cream and quite opaque looking. It should take around 5-6 minutes over constantly simmering water.

Variations

  • You could swap the meringue for whipped cream, if you prefer a less sweet dessert.
  • You can swap the dark 50% chocolate for milk chocolate or even dark chocolate. Milk chocolate will result in a sweeter, slightly softer chocolate pudding and dark chocolate will make a slightly more bitter, firm chocolate pudding.
  • Swap the Tim Tams for any filled and chocolate-coated biscuit or cookie. Chocolate coated oreos would work perfectly. Both the filling and chocolate coating on the cookies assist in the setting of the base, so make sure to add a little more butter or some chocolate to the mix if your cookies don’t have one or other. For instance, if you use standard oreos, I recommend using 2.5 packets (40 cookies) along with adding 60g of finely chopped chocolate (plus the butter already called for in the recipe)
  • Instead of pie, serve the pudding up in glasses with some crumbled cookies on the bottom and / or top.
  • Turn it into a slice, like my Lemon Vanilla Custard Slice.
  • Don’t have a pie dish? You can also use an 8 inch spring form tin.

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Closeup front on shot of a chocolate meringue pie on a black glass plate and black stand
If you have a sweet tooth, you will love this Chocolate Meringue Pie plus it’s so customisable as I’ve mentioned in the variations section above and so easy, there’s no excuse not to make this asap. 

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Closeup front on shot of a chocolate meringue pie on a black glass plate and black stand

No Bake Chocolate Meringue Pie

Yield: 12 slices
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Setting time: 3 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes
5 from 4 ratings
This deep dish, No Bake Chocolate Meringue Pie is like chocolate pudding pie topped off with a sweet cloud of easy no-bake marshmallow topping. An easy Tim Tam cookie base and a rich, creamy and smooth chocolate custard centre.
Note: This recipe requires 3 hours setting time
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Ingredients

THE TIM TAM BASE

  • 400 g (14oz / 2 packets) dark chocolate Tim Tams (notes)
  • 75 g salted butter, melted

THE CHOCOLATE PUDDING

  • 150 g (5.3oz) dark (50%) chocolate, finely chopped (notes)
  • 2 1/2 cups milk
  • 45 g (3 tablespoons) unsalted butter
  • 2/3 cup caster sugar (or granulated sugar)
  • 2 tablespoons dutched process cocoa or unsweetened cocoa
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/3 cup corn flour (cornstarch)
  • 2 tablespoons water
  • 3 large eggs, separated

THE MARSHMALLOW TOPPING

For best results, always weigh ingredients where a weight is provided

Instructions
 

FOR THE TIM TAM BASE

  • Line the base of an 8 inch pie dish with baking paper (or a spring-form tin).
  • Blitz the cookies to crumbs in a food processor or blender. Add the melted butter and blitz to combine.
  • Tip the crumbs into the baking tin and, using lightly damp hands, press it firmly over the base and 1.5 inches up the sides. Chill until needed.

FOR THE CHOCOLATE PUDDING

  • Melt the chocolate in 30 second bursts in the microwave, stirring well between each until melted and smooth. This should not take more than 1 1/2 to 2 minutes.
  • Pour the milk into a heavy based saucepan over low-medium heat. Add the butter, sugar, cocoa and vanilla and whisk to work the cocoa into the milk.
  • Heat until the sugar has dissolved and the milk comes to a simmer.
  • While the milk mixture is heating, in a medium bowl, whisk together the cornflour, water and egg yolks (reserving he whites for the topping) until lightened - about 1 minute with an electric beater.
  • Slowly drizzle in the hot milk mixture while constantly whisking. Return it all the to saucepan and heat for another 5-6 minutes, stirring with a balloon whisk until very thick.. It's ready when you can see the whisk lines.
  • Remove from the heat and add the melted chocolate. Whisk to combine and it should now be of a consistency that drops off the whisk as opposed to pouring off.
  • Tip the mixture into the chilled based and level out with a spatula. Press plastic wrap to the surface (to prevent a skin forming) and chill for at least 1 hour before preparing the topping (and at least 3 hours before serving).

FOR THE MARSHMALLOW TOPPING

  • Place the egg whites, sugar and cream of tartar in a large heatproof bowl (or the bowl of a stand mixer) set over a saucepan of simmering water (make sure the base is not touching the water).
  • Whisk the mixture with a hand whisk until the sugar has completely dissolved (the temperature should reach 70C / 160F on a thermometer to be pasteurized).
  • Remove the bowl and whisk on medium-high speed with an electric beater or using the stand mixer (with whisk attachment) for 6-8 minutes until thick and glossy and until the bowl is no longer hot).
  • Dollop the frosting on top of the set custard and carefully create swirls so that it looks cloud-like.
  • Use a kitchen torch to scorch the top a little to give it a true meringue look.

Notes

Equipment used: food processor or blender, deep pie tin or 8 inch spring form tin, balloon whisk, electric hand beater 
  1. Make sure to allow for the 3 hours setting time
  2. Use a hot knife to cut slices and wipe it clean between each.
  3. Swap the Tim Tams for any filled and chocolate-coated biscuit or cookie. Or use 40 oreos, plus 60g (2oz) of finely chopped chocolate.
  4. You can use milk or darker chocolate. Milk chocolate will be sweeter and a softer set, while darker will be more bitter and a firmer set.
  5. You can swap the caster or superfine sugar for regular granulated, just make sure it is dissovled before moving on to the next step.
  6. You can swap cream of tartar with the same amount of vinegar or lemon juice.

For more Pies and Tarts, click here

Calories: 572kcal
Author: Marie Roffey
Course: Dessert, Sweets
Cuisine: American, Australian
Have you tried this recipe?Don't forget to leave a rating and comment below and let me know how it was! I love hearing from you. Nutrition information is approximate and derived from an online calculator. The brands you use may cause variations.