Chocolate Pecan Pie

Holiday pie made from scratch? There is rarely a thing in the world more delicious or rewarding!
I am the type of person who feels chocolate can make anything better, especially pie :0) Adding chocolate to Pecan pie just takes it to a whole new level! Plus a dollop of Caramel whipped cream on top puts this pie over the top. (See recipe below.) It's the perfect complementary flavor for the pecans and the caramel matrix in which they lay.

I will never forget the first time I had a slice of Pecan pie. It was just after I had moved to Kingston, Ontario Canada. Some friends of mine had me over for a lovely dinner. Afterwards, I was offered a piece of pee-can pie.
"What's that?" I said.
My friend stared at me for a moment with eyebrows raised.
"You've never heard of pee-can pie before?!"
"No, I really haven't. I'm thinking it must be a Canadian dish?"
"I'm pretty sure people from the states eat it too...here, try it."
She place a slice of Pecan pie on my plate. Boy I felt stupid then!
"Oh!" I said. "Pecan pie! I was totally confused~ you guys just pronounce it differently here, ha ha, My bad."
I was mentally kicking myself the rest of the evening; feeling so stupid for not picking up on that! And I guess some in 'the states' pronounce it that way too :0) Even as I ate the pie that night, I decided I wasn't a huge fan of Pecan pie. I've just never been one to love nuts in my food. (Unless it's chocolate cashew or peanut clusters, I love them! See there's that whole adding chocolate to stuff makes it better thing :0)

Anyway, I naturally gravitate towards the chocolate pies during the holidays or whenever I have a choice of pie. So when I was watching an episode of Cake Boss on Netflix and saw them making Chocolate Pecan Pie (among other pies), my curiosity was piqued. I'd never herd of chocolate pecan pie before. I had to try it! And there, in one of my baking books I found a recipe for it. Bada-bing, bada-bang, bada-boom! After I tasted the first bite I wanted more and more!

I also think I enjoyed this pie so much because the pecans are roasted in the oven, softening them a bit and adding a new dimension of flavor. They are also chopped, which texture I preferred to whole nuts. Plus, adding in three different types of chocolate, semi-sweet, milk and white really was a delight for my taste buds. An important note: an instant read thermometer is essential to creating this pie. If you don't have one, see if you can borrow one from a friend!

Want to know a great trick for creating a gourmet pie? Flavor your whipped cream topping! Yes, a simple but delightful addition of flavored whipped cream can complement just about any pie. I love Caramel flavored Whipped Cream on my Pumpkin and Pecan pie. Whip it up just before you are ready to serve your slices. Find the recipe following the one below for Chocolate Pecan pie.

Chocolate Pecan Pie

by The Goldilocks Kitchen

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Cook Time: 55 to 65 minutes

6056932

Ingredients (8 to 10 servings)

• 1 recipe for prebaked Pie Shell
• 1/3 cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1/3 cup of milk chocolate chips
• 1/3 cup of white chocolate chips
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 1 inch pieces
• 3/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 cup light corn syrup
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 cup pecans, toasted and chopped into small pieces

Instructions

1. While preheating your oven to bake the pie shell, roast the whole pecans on a rimmed baking sheet for about 5 to 7 minutes. Watch carefully so they don't burn and stir them every couple minutes. Chop them up when they have cooled sufficiently.

2. Follow the directions for partially baking the pie crust. Melt the butter in the bowl of your stand mixer by placing it in a pot of water set over medium low heat. The water should not simmer.

3. Remove the bowl when the butter is completely melted and mix in the sugar and salt with a wooden spoon. Stir until all the butter is absorbed. Attach the bowl to the stand mixer. With the whisk attachment, beat in the eggs, then corn syrup and vanilla.

4. Return the bowl to the pot of hot water and stir the mixture until it reaches 130 degrees on an instant read thermometer. This can take anywhere from 10 to 15 minutes. (The mixture should be shiny and hot.) Remove from the heat and stir in the toasted chopped pecans.

5. When the pie shell comes out of the oven, pour the pecan mixture into the pie shell. Sprinkle the chocolate chips over the pie filling and use the back of a spoon to push them down into the filling. Adjust the oven temperature to 275 degrees and move an oven rack to the middle position. Bake the pie for 55 to 65 minutes, when the filling is set but soft when pressed with the back of a spoon. Transfer to a wire rack to cool for 4 hours.

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Caramel Whipped Cream

by The Goldilocks Kitchen

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: about 3 to 5 minutes

6057063

Ingredients (8 servings)

• 1 1/3 cup whipped cream
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon of Torani Caramel syrup or other flavor or liquor of your choice

Instructions

1. Chill bowl and beater(s) in a freezer for about 10 minutes. Add all ingredients into the bowl and whip at low speed for about 30 seconds, or until the mixture gets frothly with bubbles. Increase the speed to medium for another 30 seconds. Then turn the speed to high and whip until the cream is nearly doubled in volume, smooth, thick, and soft peaks form when you remove the beaters or whisk, about 1 to 2 minutes. (Soft peaks are when the point of the peak falls over and touches the whipped cream. A stiff peak will stand up strait.)

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