Clearly, I love pecans. Their rich, buttery flavor is perfect! In the last month I’ve posted pecan cupcakes , cookies, more cookies, and pancakes – so why not follow up with a pie?! I’m a bit picky about my pecan pies: they cannot be too gooey. There is little more disappointing than biting into a pecan pie and discovering you only have a little sliver of nut and a big mouthful of corn syrup. Gross. This pie, however, is not gross (Would I do that to you? Come on.).

Please excuse the pie crust deformity – there were some issues (including one dropping of the pie).

This pie has a thicker texture than the typical gooey pecan pie, giving it a body and flavor you really can’t stop eating. The chocolate is sweet enough to be delicious, but not sweet enough to overpower the pecans – resulting in a perfect blend of chocolate and pecan. The crème de cacao gives the pie a little kick, but is totally optional if you don’t like a boozy tinge in your desserts.

Chocolate Pecan Pie

Recipe from The Pleasures of Cooking Vol. VI No. 6, May/June 1984

1 recipe Pâte Brisée

5 oz bittersweet chocolate
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup unsalted butter
1 cup light corn syrup
4 eggs
2 cups pecans
1/4 cup dark crème de cacao

whipping cream

Preheat oven to 425 F.

Roll out pastry dough and fit to a 10 inch pie plate. Line with foil and pie weights, bake for 10 to 12 minutes.

In a food processor, pulse the chocolate and sugar together until chocolate is in small pieces. In a saucepan, melt butter and corn syrup together. With the processor running, pour in melted butter and corn syrup mixture until chocolate is melted and everything is mixed together. Add eggs, creme de cacao, and pecans and pulse until incorporated – not very much.

Pour mixture into the warm pie shell, reduce oven temperature to 350 F, and bake for 60 minutes. You may need to cover the crust if it begins to brown too much. Allow pie to cool before serving.

Serve at room temperature with whipped cream.

Notes and Tips:

• The original recipe calls for 2 extra tablespoons of sugar, which I have omitted. If you like a sweeter pie, either add the extra sugar or use semi-sweet chocolate rather than bittersweet.
• If you prefer bigger chunks of pecans, mix them in by hand after mixing all other ingredients with the food processor.

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