chocolate pecan pie

I have a bit of a problem on my hands.  You see, I baked a chocolate pecan pie for Thanksgiving and my family and I barely put a dent in it.  It’s not because it isn’t good…no, that definitely is not the reason because this is fantastic.  The thing was, I also baked a pumpkin cheesecake for dessert.  This meant there were two desserts.  For four people.  Excessive?  Maybe.  Necessary?  Absolutely.


So, what’s the problem I’m facing?  Well when you make two desserts for four people, that leaves a lot of leftover dessert.  Leftover cheesecake and pie doesn’t travel well so when my family headed back home, the desserts stayed in my fridge.  Now I have almost a whole pumpkin cheesecake and chocolate pecan pie sitting in my fridge, and no one to share it with.  It’s a dangerous situation.  Very, very dangerous.  


While I would typically be all over the pumpkin cheesecake, I cannot stay away from this chocolate pecan pie!  I didn’t even think I liked pecan pie all that much but I guess when you add chocolate to it, magical things happen.  It’s definitely rich, but that just means it goes even better with whipped cream.  Or vanilla ice cream.  Or milk.  Believe me, I know.  I’ve been doing some serious testing of these things the past few days.


So the next holiday party that you go to and are asked to bring dessert, I’ve got you covered.  This pie will be a hit.  It will be devoured by chocolate lovers, pecan pie enthusiasts, and even the “I didn’t even think I liked pecan pie” people, guaranteed.  Then you won’t be faced with my problem, which is figuring out how I’m going to get rid of the rest of this pie.  I suppose there are worse problems to have.  

Chocolate Pecan Pie
recipe adapted from Aunt Penny


9″ unbaked pie crust (I used pre-made frozen pie crust but you can make your own)
6 oz semi-sweet chocolate chips (I used about half of a Nestle’s bag…enough to cover the bottom of the pie crust)
1 1/2 cup pecan pieces, toasted*
4 tbsp (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted
1/2 cup light corn syrup
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp salt
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 tsp vanilla extract


*to toast pecans, bake them at 325 degrees F for 15-20 minutes, until they become fragrant


Directions:


Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.  Bake crust in preheated oven for 10 minutes.  Remove from oven and let cool.  Reduce oven temperature to 300 degrees F.


Once crust is cooled, line the bottom of the crust with chocolate chips.  Place the pecan pieces on top of the chocolate chips.


In medium bowl, whisk together butter, corn syrup, sugar, salt, eggs, and vanilla until combined.  Pour over pecans and chocolate chips.  Place on a cookie sheet and put in oven.


Bake in preheated oven for 50-55 minutes, until the pie is set but slightly soft like gelatin.  Check after 45 minutes to make sure crust is not getting too brown.  If it is, line crust with thin strip of aluminum foil (I did not have to do this).  Let cool completely, at least 4 hours.

related posts: