The first time I brought a chocolate pecan pie to a Rowley family party, I brought the whole thing back home with me almost entirely intact. Which is fine, because if I were pinned down and forced to admit what my favorite thing to eat for breakfast was, it would be cold chocolate pecan pie (that or cold birthday cake, please don’t pin me down!) There was no special breakfast after the next family party I brought it to though. I’m always pushing my chocolate pecan pie on unwilling people. It’s for their own good. They say, I’m sorry I just don’t like that kind of pie. I say, neither do I. That pecan/tripe pie they sell at Wal Mart? Do not confuse this for that.
Start with the crust. This recipe has the best combination of easy and results that I have found. A gluten free version was included in my SIL, Kirsti Kirkland’s cookbook “Life Tastes Good Again.” (I feel like such a name dropper!) I can’t remember the exact title of the recipe in her book, because it was pretty long. But I remember it was really accurate. Here, I’ll call it Perfect Pie Crust.
Perfect Pie Crust
3 oz cream cheese, room temp
6 T unsalted butter, room temp
3/4 c all purpose flour
1 T sugar
1/4 t salt
Mix the cream cheese and butter in a medium bowl with a handheld mixer or stand mixer. Add the flour, sugar, and salt and mix just until dough clumps together. Gather the dough into a thick disk, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least an hour. (Yeah, okay, I’ve thrown it in the freezer for like 20 minutes once or twice.) If you are super on top of things, then you could make this a day or two in advance, just let it sit at room temperature to soften a little for about 15 minutes before rolling out. Roll out your crust and transfer it to a 9″ pie pan. Put it in the fridge for 20 minutes or whatever duration of time is convenient for you. I could go on and on about rolling and transferring, trimming and fluting, but meh. I’m over it. On to the pie!
Chocolate Pecan Pie
Toast your pecans first. Take 1 1/2 cups of pecan halves and toast them right now, while you are thinking about it. They need to be toasted and cooled. If they are not toasted, your pie will share a characteristic with those other pies that you do not want it to share a characteristic with. Untoasted pecans taste bitter and have that texture that leaves a film on your teeth. Toast them and they will taste nutty like a nut should. I put mine on a tray and put them in my toaster oven and push “toast.” Then I don’t have to worry much about them burning. Without a toaster oven, I would toast them either in a saute pan, keeping them moving in the pan until they begin to smell nutty and darken slightly, or in the oven, watching carefully and turning every couple of minutes. Now let them cool. If you procrastinate and don’t toast the pecans first, then they will be hot and melt your chocolate, which some people might be cool with, but it would make me a little sad.
2 eggs
1/2 c sugar
1/2 c light corn syrup
4 T unsalted butter, melted
6 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped or semisweet chocolate chips (mine has always been made with a cup of Guittard)
Heat the oven to 350.
Whisk the eggs in a medium bowl. Whisk in the sugar, corn syrup and melted butter.
Place the crust on a cookie sheet. Sprinkle in the toasted pecans and chocolate pieces. Pour the egg mixture gently over the pecans and chocolate. Bake 45 to 50 minutes, until the filling is set and slightly risen. Let cool to room temperature then refrigerate at least 2 hours or until ready to serve. I have served this pie warm and melty, and some people like it that way. However, chocolate cannot melt in your mouth if it is already melted. Think about that.
Oh yeah, if you have ever seen one of my chocolate pecan pies in person and you are wondering, I one-and-a-half times the recipe and make it in a 12 inch tart pan with removable sides.
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