Chocolate Chunk Pecan Pie
This pie features chocolate chips and pecans in a moist, dense filling — who could ask for anything more?
Read our blog about this pie, with additional photos, at Bakers' Banter.
Crust
- 1 1/2 cups King Arthur Perfect Pastry Blend or Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
- 1 tablespoon buttermilk powder, optional
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 3 tablespoons vegetable shortening
- 5 tablespoons cold butter
- 1 teaspoon white or cider vinegar
- 3 to 4 tablespoons ice water
Filling
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 cup sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
- 1/2 cup butter, melted and cooled
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla-butternut flavor, pralines & cream flavor, or butter-rum flavor, optional but delicious*
- 1 1/3 cups bittersweet or semisweet chocolate chips or chunks, or a combination
- 2/3 cup diced pecans, toasted in a 350°F oven till golden, 8 to 10 minutes
- *Substitute 2 teaspoons vanilla for any of the flavorings, if desired
Topping
- 2/3 cup pecan halves, optional
Directions
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1) To make the crust: Whisk together the flour, buttermilk powder, salt, and baking powder. |
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2) Add the shortening, working it in till it's thoroughly dispersed throughout the dry ingredients. |
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3) Cut the butter into pats, and roughly work it into the mixture in the bowl; a few large pieces remaining are OK. |
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4) Sprinkle the vinegar into the bowl, then 3 tablespoons of the ice water. Mix quickly and gently, just till everything is thoroughly moistened. |
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5) Gather the dough into your hand, and squeeze it. If it holds together nicely, it's ready. If not, add a bit more ice water, a teaspoon or so at a time, till it's cohesive. |
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6) Shape the dough into a rough disk, and transfer it to a well-floured work surface. Roll it into a rectangle about 8" x 12". Fold the rectangle like a letter, turn it 90°, and roll it into an 8" x 12" rectangle again. Give it another three-fold, then fold it in half to make a thick square. Wrap in plastic, and refrigerate for 30 minutes, or for up to 24 hours. |
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7) Remove the dough from the fridge, and allow it to warm for about 15 minutes before rolling. While it's warming, preheat the oven to 375°F. Roll the dough into a 12" to 13" circle. |
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8) Transfer the crust to a 9" pie plate. Trim the edges (patching any bare spots, if necessary), and make a tall crimp. |
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9) Refrigerate the crust while you make the filling. Note: You may choose to make the filling during the dough's initial chilling period, instead of once it's shaped. Doesn't matter; either way is fine. |
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10) Beat the eggs, sugar, and salt for about 2 minutes at high speed, till they're thick and light-colored. |
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11) Stir in the flour, the cooled, melted butter; and the flavor of your choice, then the chocolate chips/chunks and the diced pecans. |
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12) Pour the batter into the pie crust, then scatter the pecan halves on top. |
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13) Bake the pie for 30 minutes. Tent it lightly with aluminum foil, and bake for an additional 15 minutes, till the crust and top are both golden brown. |
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14) Remove the pie from the oven, and allow it to cool for about 30 minutes before serving. Top with ice cream or whipped cream, if desired. |
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Yield: one 9" pie, about 8 to 10 servings. |
Recipe summary
- Hands-on time:
- 25 mins. to 35 mins.
- Baking time:
- 40 mins. to 50 mins.
- Total time:
- 1 hrs 35 mins. to 1 hrs 55 mins.
- Yield:
- one 9" pie, about 8 to 10 servings.
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- Recipe comments (13) »
Reviews
12/24/2009
Great pie! Everyone loved it. I had to make a second because my husband didn't get a big enough piece of the first pie.
12/09/2009
I made this for a pre-thanksgiving dinner and all of my friends loved this pie. My friend said "I dream of that pie!" It was super easy to make and I'm glad my friends loved it. They loved it so much I didn't even get to have a piece! :(
12/09/2009
This was delicious! I did use my own pie crust recipe but followed the filling recipe exactly. I used dark chocolate chips. It is definitely a rich pie and I could only eat a small slice. Chocolate is the dominant flavor over pecans. The pie tastes like a chocolate chip pecan cookie with a pie crust! I think next time I might up the pecans and reducde the chocolate by 1/3 cup.
11/30/2009
I made it for Thanksgiving and loved it! It was too warm in my house, apparently (about 76 degrees). I had to cool it overnight for it to set completely. But once I did, Wow!
11/29/2009
This was delicious! Very rich so you only need small slices. Thanks!
11/28/2009
This was the first pie to disappear at Thanksgiving, and we have a large family with a lot of great bakers. The chocolate was still pretty soft when the pie was cooled completely--I wanted it to be more fudgy. I think my oven is a bit hot, so that may have made a difference. Great recipe!!
11/27/2009
Huge hit at Thanksgiving. I was surprised at how easily the crust rolled out. I was a bit leery of the vanilla butternut flavor when I first mixed the filling, but the results were quite tasty.
11/20/2009
Fairly easy pie. Very rich and sweet and a good presentation piece. However next time I'll be using my standard pie crust recipe. This one was so wet I ommited the water entirely and it was still so sticky I had to add a lot of extra flour. Very fiddly. Great filling though!
11/18/2009
WOW, I made this and everybody "LOVED IT"
11/16/2009
To save calories I just made the filling, baked for 30 minutes One of the best "pies" I've made
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