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Dark Chocolate Pecan Pie

By Adrianna Adarme

4.86

14

Nov 17, 2023

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This dark chocolate pecan pie is the perfect balance of toasted pecans, salt, slightly bitter and sweet. This pie is perfect to make the day ahead or slice up warm. I love pecan pie! And if you do too, you might also like my Butter Pecan Pie and this Chocolate Coconut Pecan Pie.

The Glory of Pecan Pie

Pecan pie is probably more American than apple pie. The Native Americans were on record to use pecans in their cooking more than 8000 years ago. They say the first pecan pie start in the early 1800s so it’s definitely been around for a while.

And I love a pecan pie. A good pecan pie should have toasted pecans, a little saltiness to balance the sweet and I love another flavor profile in there too. Hence, why we’re adding a bit of bittersweet dark chocolate to the mix.

How to Make a Dark Chocolate Pecan Pie

1. For this recipe, you can use store-bought pie crust or homemade pie crust. I made my own. If you want more of an in-depth post, click here!
2. Fit the pie crust into your pie dish and transfer it to the fridge.
3. Whisk together the brown sugar, melted butter, Karo Light Corn Syrup, eggs, vanilla extract and salt.
4. Then, add the pecans and chocolate chips or wafers to the pie crust. Pour the filling over the pecans and chocolate.
5. Brush the edges of the pie crust with egg wash and then transfer to the oven.
6. Bake for about 45 minutes until bubbling and the edges of the pie crust are golden brown.
7. Here’s a step you must follow: let it cool to room temperature, about 2 hours! If you don’t let it cool completely it won’t set properly and will be super runny!

Tips and Tricks

1. Skipping corn syrup – You can use brown rice syrup in place of corn syrup and follow a ratio of 1:1. It’ll work great with a less sweet flavor.
2. Top the pie with flakey sea salt – This really helps balance all of the flavors of the pie.
3. Add whipped cream on top or ice cream – I say serve it with a dollop of softly whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.

Recipe FAQs

How to Make Ahead

I know that at this time of year everything should be made ahead because we have a lot going on. Here are some ideas to make it ahead:

• You can make the pie crust and store in the freezer for up to 2 months. Thaw it in the fridge overnight and roll it out and proceed with the recipe.
• Another option is to make the entire pie, cover lightly with a clean kitchen towel and keep on the kitchen counter for up to 2 days.

What to Serve with Dark Chocolate Pecan Pie

Here are some dishes that would complement this pie:

• Endive Salad with Orange and Walnuts
• Cozy Pumpkin Chili
• Chicken and Dumplings
• Coconut White Russian

If you tried this Dark Chocolate Pecan Pie or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below. Thanks for visiting!

4.86 from 7 votes

Dark Chocolate Pecan Pie

By Adrianna Adarme

Prep: 35 minutes mins

Cook: 50 minutes mins

Chilling Time: 3 hours hrs

Total: 4 hours hrs 25 minutes mins

Servings: 8

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This Dark Chocolate Pecan Pie is a Thanksgiving favorite. The dark chocolate adds a nice bitterness to the sweetness and saltiness from the pecans.

Equipment

• 1 (9-inch) pie dish

Ingredients 

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Pie Crust:

• ▢ 1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• ▢ 2 teaspoons white granulated sugar
• ▢ 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• ▢ 1/2 cup unsalted butter, cold from the fridge
• ▢ 1/3 cup very cold water, divided

Dark Chocolate Pecan Pie:

• ▢ 1 cup packed light or dark brown sugar
• ▢ 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• ▢ 3/4 cup Karo Light Corn Syrup
• ▢ 3 large eggs
• ▢ 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• ▢ 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• ▢ 3 cups pecans, (wholes and halves)
• ▢ 1 cup bittersweet, (74% cacao) chocolate wafers or chips
• ▢ 1 large egg, beaten, for egg wash
• ▢ To serve, whipped cream and/or vanilla ice cream

Instructions 

To Make the Pie Crust:

• In a large bowl, mix together the flour, sugar and salt. Using a box grater, grate the cold butter atop the flour mixture. Working quickly, and using your hands, break the butter bits into the flour until they’re evenly distributed and resemble the size of small peas. Add a 50% of the recommended water and mix.
• The mixture will be shaggy at this point. From here, add 1 tablespoon of water at a time until the dough comes together. Flour your counter and dump the dough onto it. Knead a few times more until it comes together. If making a double pie crust, divide the dough, forming two discs. Wrap the disc(s) in plastic wrap and transfer to the refrigerator to chill for at least 1 hour, ideally overnight.

To Roll Out the Pie Dough:

• Remove the pie crust from the fridge and allow to stand on the counter for about 10 minutes. I always find this helps with rolling it out. Begin to roll the dough, being sure to rotate it every so often to avoid sticking, to a 13-inch round. Wrap the dough around the rolling pin and unroll it over a 9-inch pie dish. Gently fit the dough into the bottom and up the sides of the pie dish. Trim the dough around the pie tin, leaving a 1 1/2-inch overhang (this is important is you want a nice crimp). Tuck the overhang under itself all the way around. Rest your right thumb on the edge of the pie crust and using your left hand, shape a v. Push the two together, creating a large crimp. Work your way around the entire pie curst until you’re done. Transfer to the freezer or fridge while we make the filling!

To Make the Filling:

• Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. In a medium bowl, whisk together brown sugar, melted butter, light corn syrup, eggs, vanilla extract and salt.
• Remove the pie shell from the fridge and add the pecans and dark chocolate to the pie shell. Pour the filling over the pecans and chocolate. Brush the edges of the pie crust with egg wash and place on a baking sheet. Transfer to the oven to bake for about 45 to 50 minutes, until the center has set (it may rise slightly and be slightly jiggly). Be sure to check on it periodically throughout the baking process—if at any time the crust get too brown, you can place a piece of foil over it to stop the browning.
• Allow it to cool completely for about 2 to 3 hours before slicing it. Serve with whipped cream or ice cream.

To Make Ahead:

• Make up to 2 days ahead and store on the kitchen counter and cover lightly with a clean kitchen towel.

Nutrition

Serving: 8g | Calories: 321kcal | Carbohydrates: 12g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Cholesterol: 12mg | Sodium: 50mg | Potassium: 23mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 45IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 2mg | Iron: 3mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Additional Info

Course: Bread

Cuisine: American, Thanksgiving

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