Chocolate Bourbon Pecan Pie

A couple of weeks ago, Ryan thought it would be fun to have a pie-off for the Porter's holiday party. I was kind of nervous since Ryan makes some of the best desserts I've had (his cheesecake is AMAZING), but I was up for the challenge! I searched high and low for a recipe that I could use and came up empty handed on my first hunt. The next day I narrowed it down to an apple cranberry pie with a crumb topping or a chocolate bourbon pecan pie. Tough choice, right? Apples are a great fall fruit and great in pie, but I wanted to kick it in to high gear and go with the chocolate bourbon pecan pie.

I made my first pecan pie EVER about a month ago. Ryan was over and after dinner he asked what was for dessert. I didn't make anything that night, but pulled out a couple of cookbooks to see what I could throw together. I had everything for some cookies and even ingredients for brownies, but I always make cookies and brownies. I had a couple of pie crusts in the freezer and thought, let's make a pie! I had just enough pecans and corn syrup, so I whipped up a pecan pie. It was quick and easy and best of all delicious. We didn't let it cool enough before we sliced in to it, but come to find out hot pecan pie is still just as good as cooled pecan pie. Yummy. Just don't burn your tongue.

So, I was more than excited to try a pumped up pecan pie with bourbon and chocolate. How good does that sound? The bourbon cuts through the sweetness of the corn syrup so it's not as sweet, but you still get that boozy tingle on the back of your tongue. That's right, I said boozy tingle. The chocolate adds this brownie like flavor that is, well, you just have to try it to know. So yummy and so good. Even better, it's super easy to make. Next time you need a great holiday pie, you can whip this one up in no time and you will be a superstar. That I can promise you.

pie ingredients. not featured - the pie crust

melting the butter and chocolate

whipping the eggs and sugar

want to know how to get the sticky corn syrup out of the measuring up easily? spray with non-stick spray first!

the corn syrup sunk to the bottom of the egg mixture

pie crust ready to go - and leaves!

look at that leafy crust. my sister bought me that leaf cookie cutter at goodwill so I finally got to use it. Then I took a paring knife (don't worry, I was careful) and made the veins in the leaves. All you need to use is water to made the leaves adhere to the crust!

pre-bake

all baked and cooling! YUM!

 Chocolate Bourbon Pecan Pie (recipe courtesy of Tyler Florence)

1 pre-made pie crust (2 if you want to do a crust design such as leaves or a braid)

1/2 stick unsalted butter
2 ounces unsweetened chocolate
3 large eggs
1 cup sugar
3/4 cup dark corn syrup

1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
3 tablespoons bourbon (I used Jim Beam, but you can use whiskey or even spiced rum, if you have it)
1/4 teaspoon salt
11/2 cups pecan halves

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. 

Press the dough into the pan so it fits tightly and trim the excess around the rim. Place the pie pan on a sturdy cookie sheet so it will be easy to move in and out of the oven.

To make the filling, melt the butter and chocolate in a small saucepan over medium heat. Once melted and combined, remove from heat and let cool. Beat the eggs in a large mixing bowl until frothy and then blend in the sugar. Stir in the syrup, vanilla, bourbon, salt, and the melted butter mixture until well blended. Arrange the pecans on the bottom of the pie crust and carefully pour the egg mixture over them. Bake until the filling is set and slightly puffed, about 45 minutes. Test for doneness by sticking a thin knife in the center of the pie, if it comes out pretty clean, you're good to go. Transfer the pie to rack and cool completely before cutting.

See, pecan pie is super easy to make! Of course I decided to use a refrigerated pie crust from the grocery store, but feel free to use homemade. Sometimes when I am in a pinch, I love to use the ones from the store, because they are already done for you so all you have to do is take the chill off of it, and place it in the pan. This pie got so many great reviews, I decided to make it again for Christmas dinner dessert. Even better, it freezes great so you can save a whole pie or just a piece!