Chess pies usually begin with flour, butter, sugar and eggs, but from there recipes vary on what they use to thicken and flavor the filling. June’s secret weapon in this chocolate chess pie is malted milk powder, which adds a toasty, buttery richness that creates a more complex flavor and overall balance between the nutty cocoa and sweet filling. If you don’t have malted milk powder you can use chocolate malt powder or skip it entirely--your pie will still be delicious, although it won’t have quite the same flavor. It’s essential to use room temperature eggs here to avoid shocking or mixing your filling unevenly. To quickly bring your eggs to room temperature, cover them with warm water for about 10 minutes. Be careful not to use boiling water as this will cook the eggs.