My decadent Chocolate Pecan Pie takes a holiday classic to new heights! Classic sweet and sticky pecan pie filling is blended with semi-sweet chocolate for a dreamy taste and texture.
Preheat the oven to 400°. If you are using a homemade or refrigerated pie crust, roll it out, if necessary, and press it into a 9-inch pie dish. Place a piece of parchment paper over the crust and pour pie weights or uncooked, dry beans into the crust. Bake the crust for 10-15 minutes.
Take crust out of oven, remove parchment paper and pie weights, and set aside. Lower oven temperature to 350°F. Adjust oven rack to the lower third position.
While the crust is baking, mix the corn syrup, light brown sugar, butter, and salt in a large bowl. Add the eggs and vanilla extract and whisk until the eggs are completely blended, then stir in the melted chocolate. Finally, fold in 2 cups pecans.
Pour the pie filling into the pre-baked pie crust, then place a few pecan halves on top, if desired.
Bake the pie for 30 minutes. Place a piece of foil or pie crust shield over the crust to keep it from turning too dark, and continue baking for another 30-40 minutes or until the center of the pie is just set and no longer jiggly.
Place the pie on a cooling rack, and let it rest for 2-3 hours before serving.
Notes
Chocolate- We love using Baker's semi sweet baking chocolate. But you can also use 6 ounces of semi-sweet chocolate chips, if desired.
Blind baking the crust before adding the filling prevents the crust from getting too soggy from the heavy, wet filling.
Pie Shield. You may want to use a pie shield on your crust to prevent burning of the edges.
Toast the pecans. For best flavor, learn how to toast pecans! PRO TIP: You can use chopped pecans or pecan halves. Or a combination of both!
Let it cool uncovered. Pecan pie takes a while to fully cool. If you cover it while it's still warm, the steam from the pie can make the crust soggy. The filling will continue to set while it cools completely.
Wrap up. Once cooled, cover the pie tightly with foil or cling wrap.
Chill. If you're planning to eat the pie within two hours of baking (like for breakfast the day after Thanksgiving), you can store it at room temperature. For longer storage, keep pecan pie in the fridge. It will last for up to 3 days.
Don't freeze. Because of the egg based filling, freezing pecan pie gets tricky and I wouldn't recommend it. Thankfully, it's a quick and easy pie to make the day of serving, even on a busy Thanksgiving day.
Reheat. In order for a pecan pie to set up completely, it needs to cool completely. If you like your pie warm, reheat it in a 250 degree oven for about 15 minutes.