Chocolate Pecan Pie
(Source: Maida Heatter's Book of Great Chocolate Desserts (Andrews & McMeel Publishing, 2006 ed.), pg. 179.
(Source: Maida Heatter's Book of Great Chocolate Desserts (Andrews & McMeel Publishing, 2006 ed.), pg. 179.
I can't speak for other areas of the country, but in the south where I grew up, pecan pie was probably the most popular dessert. At every function or family event, you could be assured that someone would bring one. My mother made them every year, multiple times, but usually around the holidays.
When I started baking (and that was not until I was an adult), I learned that it is an incredibly easy pie to make (assuming you are not doing a crust yourself!). The recipe on the Karo Syrup bottle is tried-and-true and I wasn't sure it could be improved upon - that is, until I learned that there was a chocolate version. Sign me up!
The plain pecan pie is is one of Michael's favorite desserts but he isn't that enthusiastic about chocolate as I am. When I mentioned making a chocolate pecan pie, he said "Why would want to mess up a pecan pie?"
In order to satisfy my curiosity without arousing his wrath, I decided to make one of each this year. In the past, I usually double the recipe for the pecan pie and make two of them. They freeze beautifully and it is nice to have one on standby.
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| The regular pecan pie on the left, the chocolate on the right (before baking). |
I've seen chocolate pecan pie recipes before. I had forgotten, however, that Maida Heatter had one in her chocolate book. I compared her recipe with the Karo Syrup recipe. It is very similar with some slight changes in the ingredient measures (and it has rum!).
I thought the pie was delicious, as good as the regular one. One difference is that the chocolate version was not as neat as the other one, with a "looser" appearance. However, I ground the pecans finer for the regular version because that is how Michael likes it. In the future, I will do the same for this pie.
About that crust - I confess I used a store-bought pie shell. Of course, Maida has her own pie crust recipe. If you wish to make it, here it is.
I think the chocolate ratio is perfect for this pie. It does not over-power it, so the pie still has the basic pecan-pie flavor, and the chocolate flavor is slight and a bit delayed. Michael even tried a bite and he didn't hate it. He just said, "Not bad as I thought, but why would you want to desecrate a pecan pie?" Ha!
Filling
2 oz. unsweetened chocolate
2 oz. (1/2 stick) sweet butter
4 large eggs
1 cup granulated sugar
1 1/4 cups dark corn syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons dark rum
7 oz. (2 cups) pecan halves or large pieces (I like to grind them up finer, but it is strictly up to you!)
2 oz. (1/2 stick) sweet butter
4 large eggs
1 cup granulated sugar
1 1/4 cups dark corn syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons dark rum
7 oz. (2 cups) pecan halves or large pieces (I like to grind them up finer, but it is strictly up to you!)
Preheat the oven to 350. Use the lower third rack.
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| Melt the butter and chocolate |
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| Beat the eggs slightly and add the sugar. You can use a mixer for this, but it is easy to do with a whisk. |
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| Add the syrup... |
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| Add the vanilla... |
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| Add the rum... |
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| Add the melted chocolate and butter mixture... |
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| Stir in the pecans. |
Pour the filling into the pie shell. Bake for 40-50 minutes (I did it for the entire 50 minutes). The top will feel soft and the middle of the pie will wiggle. It will firm up as it cools.
Cool completely. It can be served warm or cold.
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