Chess Squares Recipe | Simple Southern Dessert Recipe (2024)

These easy Chess Squares are a simple and comforting Southern dessert! Flaky and buttery, this sweet treat goes perfectly with tea or coffee.

Chess Squares

When I was in New York a few weeks ago we stopped by one of the most unique bakeries I’ve ever visited, Momof*cku Milk Bar. Noted for their unusual concoctions like cookies made with potato chips, birthday cake truffles, and cereal milk ice cream, I’d been wanting to visit Momof*cku’s and try a slice of their famous Crack Pie since I came across the recipe in the LA Times last year.

The thought did cross my mind that I could actually, you know, make the recipe myself, but one thing kept stopping me. It’s decidedly fussy.

With 22 ingredients (including 8 egg yolks, ugh) and the advertised one-and-a-half hours of labor-intensive preparation, I just kept putting the whole thing off.

When I did finally get the chance to taste it two weeks ago, I immediately flashed back to my college days when my girlfriends and I would flounce around in the kitchen, throwing dinner parties for our boyfriends, and making sinfully sweet treats for church Bible studies. Crack Pie reminded me of one of my old standbys, Chess Squares, an unbelievably indulgent southern dessert staple and one of the first desserts I remember making on my own.

I proclaimed this revelation to my foodie friends (except I was really thinking that chess squares are so much better), but all I received were blank stares. They’d never heard of chess squares. Chalking it up to being a “southern thing”, I knew as soon as I got home I had to share this ridiculously delicious recipe with you guys.

The best part is, chess squares couldn’t be easier to make. Just five simple ingredients here.

If this is looking familiar to you, you’re doing better than I was at this point. More on that in a minute.

How to Make These Classic Chess Squares

You start by mixing a yellow cake mix with melted butter and one egg to form a soft dough .

It was at this point that I started to think myself, Huh. This seems a little familiar.

But I pushed the thought out of my head and carried on.

You then mix a pound of powdered sugar with softened cream cheese and the remaining two eggs to create a decadent gooey filling. No wonder they’re so good!

But… Haven’t I seen this recipe somewhere before… recently?

Oh right. That’s when it dawned on me. It’s almost the exact recipe for…

Gooey Butter Cake.

Doh.

How did I not realize that my beloved chess squares were also masquerading under the famous Paula Deen recipe until… just now?

Doh. Again. I wrestled with myself whether or not I should even post the recipe, scolding myself that you’ve all surely heard of gooey butter cake.

But I ultimately decided that no matter what you call them, this delicious dessert definitely deserves a second look.

From its decadent, chewy crust…

To its rich, gooey filling…

And the flaky, sugary, satisfyingly crispy crust…

To the way it makes your whole house smell so divinely sweet and buttery.

If you’ve never made chess squares or gooey butter cake… Give these a try. You won’t be disappointed.

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Chess Squares Recipe | Simple Southern Dessert Recipe (16)

Chess Squares

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 5 from 27 reviews

  • Chess Squares Recipe | Simple Southern Dessert Recipe (17) Prep Time: 10 minutes
  • Chess Squares Recipe | Simple Southern Dessert Recipe (18) Cook Time: 45 minutes
  • Chess Squares Recipe | Simple Southern Dessert Recipe (19) Total Time: 55 minutes
  • Chess Squares Recipe | Simple Southern Dessert Recipe (20) Yield: About 12 squares 1x
  • Chess Squares Recipe | Simple Southern Dessert Recipe (21) Category: Dessert
  • Chess Squares Recipe | Simple Southern Dessert Recipe (22) Method: Oven
  • Chess Squares Recipe | Simple Southern Dessert Recipe (23) Cuisine: American

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Description

These easy Chess Squares are a simple and comforting Southern dessert! Flaky and buttery, this sweet treat goes perfectly with tea or coffee.

Scale

Ingredients

  • 1 box yellow cake mix
  • 3 eggs
  • 8 oz cream cheese, softened
  • 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted
  • 4 cups (1 lb) powdered sugar

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 300 and spray a 9×13 dish with cooking spray.
  2. Mix cake mix, melted butter and one egg to a soft dough. Press into the bottom of the pan.
  3. Mix powdered sugar, softened cream cheese and remaining two eggs until smooth, about 1-2 mins. Pour on top of crust.
  4. Bake at 300 for 40-50 minutes until top is golden brown.

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Chess Squares Recipe | Simple Southern Dessert Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What are chess squares made of? ›

This straightforward recipe uses basic ingredients, most of which you probably have in your pantry, like eggs, softened butter, cream cheese, and confectioners' sugar. These ingredients combine to create a custard-like filling reminiscent of chess pie, yielding a delightfully uncomplicated, soft, gooey-baked treat.

Why are they called chess bars? ›

Compared to other custard-based pastries, the chess pie holds up relatively well at room temperature. Often, it was stored in something called a "pie chest." The word "chest," some say, eventually became "chess." Southern gentlemen liked to enjoy the dessert after dinner while they played chess.

What are old chess pieces made of? ›

A diverse array of materials and substrates such as ivory, stone, marble, clay, pewter, glass, wood, jade and jadeite as well as various metals have been used to craft chess boards and chessmen down the ages.

What are the squares in chess called? ›

Chess is played on a board of 64 squares arranged in eight vertical rows called files and eight horizontal rows called ranks. These squares alternate between two colours: one light, such as white, beige, or yellow; and the other dark, such as black or green.

What is chiffon pie filling made of? ›

The filling is typically produced by folding meringue into a mixture resembling fruit curd (most commonly lemon) that has been thickened with unflavored gelatin to provide a light, airy texture; it is thus distinguished from a cream pie or mousse pie, which achieve lightness by folding in whipped cream rather than ...

Are chess pie and buttermilk pie the same? ›

Both pies are very similar but have a few distinct differences. Like a chess pie, buttermilk pie starts with the same main components of butter, sugar, and eggs. But instead of milk and lemon juice (or vinegar), it uses straight buttermilk to give it a tart lusciousness.

What is a chess pie made of? ›

Classic chess pie pairs a traditional butter pie crust with a sweet, custardy filling made with sugar, butter, and eggs. Flour and cornmeal thicken the filling and vanilla enhances the creamy custard. And did we mention that the unlikely secret ingredient of this sweet and gooey pie is vinegar?

What are official chess pieces made of? ›

Chess pieces can be made from a variety of different types of wood, depending on the manufacturer and the intended use of the set. Some common types of wood that are used to make chess pieces include beech, boxwood, ebony, rosewood, and sheesham.

What is the fabric under chess pieces? ›

Baize is the Authentic Fabric

The original base pads would have been baize, and that's the correct choice for the replacements.

What are expensive chess pieces made of? ›

Materials used in the manufacture of luxury chess sets are ebony, bud rosewood (also known as redwood or budrose), padauk, maple, sheesham, acacia and some others. Many of our luxurious chess sets have beautiful carved detail.

Are chess pieces made of wood? ›

Wooden white chess pieces are normally made of a light wood, boxwood, or sometimes maple. Black wooden pieces are made of a dark wood such as rosewood, ebony, red sandalwood, African Padauk wood (African padauk which is similar to red sandalwood and is marketed as Bud Rosewood or Blood Red Rosewood) or walnut.

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