Pecan pie is already a holiday staple. But have you tried a chocolate pecan pie? I added some homemade chocolate caramel fudge sauce to mine to give it another flavor dimension.
Happy December! It’s hard to believe that we are already in the last month of 2021. Unlike 2020, I feel like this year has flown by.
I’m pleased to share that in about two weeks, our family will be fully vaccinated. My husband and I both got our booster shots in November, and Addie gets her second dose of the vaccine this week. This eases some of the anxiety I have while traveling since I now know that we are better protected than we were a few weeks ago.
We traveled to see my brother over Thanksgiving and went to his brother-in-law’s house to celebrate. This is the dessert that I brought for dinner. I wanted to bring something that would travel well, since we would be in the car for several hours. I typically make cheesecake for the holidays but I didn’t think that a cheesecake would have made it.
When I made this recipe, I had some leftover crust after rolling out the dough. I turned that dough into a mini pie, which I put into a small ramekin. My family and I got to try the mini pie ahead of Thanksgiving, and we all enjoyed it (even me, the non-nut eater… but I ate bites without the pecans).
One tip that I’d like to share with you is to make sure you REALLY chill the crust after it’s been shaped into your pie plate. I only waited an hour and it wasn’t enough. As you can see, my pie crust shrunk quite a bit after baking. I’d recommend chilling your crust at least 2 hours, if not more. The butter, if not fully chilled, will cause the pie to shrink during baking. Sadly, I did not have enough time (or ingredients) to bake another pie for our trip.
Also, I did not cut into this pie to give you a look at a slice. Sorry – my rule is to never cut into a dessert that my family isn’t immediately consuming. Regardless, it was a great pie that everyone enjoyed!
Hope you had a great Thanksgiving!
Husband’s rating: 4.5 out of 5
Addie’s rating: 4.5 out of 5
My rating: 4.5 out of 5
Chocolate pecan pie
Ingredients
Crust
- 1 and ¼ cups (150grams) all-purpose flour
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 10 Tablespoons unsalted butter cold and diced
- 2-4 Tablespoons ice cold water
Filling
- 1 and ⅓ cups (170 grams) pecan halves
- 6 Tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 ounces (56 grams) semi-sweet or bittersweet chocolate chopped finely
- ¾ cup dark corn syrup I used light corn syrup
- 4 large eggs
- ½ cup. (100 grams) brown sugar packed
- 1 Tablespoon (5 grams) unsweetened cocoa powder
- 2 Tablespoons bourbon I did not use
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 3-5 Tablespoons chocolate caramel fudge sauce see below
Instructions
Make the crust
- In a food processor or in a large bowl if mixing by hand, pulse the flour and salt together a few times to combine. Add the cold butter and pulse until the mixture looks a bit crumbly (like wet sand). Slowly drizzle in the water, one Tablespoon at a time, until a cohesive dough is formed.
- Shape into a flattened disc, cover with plastic wrap, and chill in your refrigerator for at least 1 hour.
- Once the dough has fully chilled, roll the dough out onto a lightly dusted working surface.
- Place the dough into a 9" pie plate and crimp the edges if desired. Place the crust into the refrigerator and allow it to chill another 2 hours (longer if you're able).
- Preheat your oven to 375°F. Line your chilled crust with a sheet of aluminum foil and place some pie weights on top (or dried beans/rice). Bake in your preheated oven for 25 minutes or until the crust becomes a light golden color. Remove the pan from the oven and set aside. Reduce the oven temperature to 350°F.
Roast the pecans
- Place the pecans on a lined baking sheet. Roast them in your oven for 8-10 minutes. While they are roasting, make the filling.
Make the filling
- In a small saucepan set over low heat, melt the butter and chopped chocolate together. Mix until smooth and free of lumps. Set aside to cool slightly.
- In a large bowl, mix together the cooled chocolate mixture, the corn syrup, eggs, sugar, cocoa powder, bourbon (if using), and salt.
- If using the chocolate caramel fudge sauce, pour a layer of it over the bottom of the crust. Then pour the filling mixture on top. Arrange your toasted pecans on top.
- Bake in your preheated oven for 30-45 minutes or until the filling is just set after jiggling the pan.
- Allow the pie to cool completely before slicing and serving.
Notes