Chocolate Chip Pecan Pie

Aren’t you glad that bathing suit season is over? It can’t be a mere coincidence that the holidays are not only filled with decadent desserts that you only eat once a year, but also big, baggy sweaters that hide away any extra inches those foods bring with them. Just another reason to have not just one, but two pieces of this insanely good pie. Actually, if want to go ahead and eat the whole thing, I really couldn’t blame you. And I promise not to tell a soul.

This pie has long been the staple dessert of our Thanksgiving table. That means I only get to eat it once a year, and I have to share it with my sisters. You know what is even better than eating this right after a delicious Thanksgiving meal? Eating it for breakfast the next morning. You know what is maybe one of the saddest moments in my life? The time I opened the fridge the morning after Thanksgiving to find that the pie had already been eaten. Truly, that day will live on as one of the greatest tragedies of my life.

Traditionally, this pie prepared every year by my stepmother, so it’s the first year that I’ve ever made this, and it’s also the first time I’ve ever eaten it prior to Thanksgiving. The downside: It feels a little sad to eat chocolate chip pecan pie when I’m 3,000 miles away from my family. The upside: I’ll go to bed knowing that my favorite breakfast is safe until morning. After all, there are 3,000 miles in between it and my sisters.

Chocolate Chip Pecan Pie

Adapted from a recipe by Beverly Kilpatrick

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The original recipe called for corn syrup, but I used honey since that was what I had in my cabinet. Either option should work, you really just need anything that’s sweet, thick and sticky.

1 unbaked 9” pie shell, homemade or store-bought
2 eggs
2/3 cup sugar
½ teaspoon salt
½ cup honey
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup finely chopped pecans
1 cup chocolate chips
24 pecan halves  (less if you only do a ring around the crust as I did)

Mix together eggs, sugar, salt, corn syrup, butter and vanilla. Stir in chopped pecans and chocolate chips. Pour mixture into pie shell.  Place pecan halves on top, in any arrangement that you would like.  Bake in 425 degree oven for 15 minutes; reduce heat to 350 degrees and continue baking until top is lightly browned, about 30 minutes.

Hint:  Cut a ring out of foil to fit over the rim of the pie pan.  When you turn the oven down to 350, place the foil ring over the edges of the pie crust to prevent over browning.

Tagged as: Chocolate, Nuts