This is the ULTIMATE Chocolate Bourbon Pecan Pie, with a gooey Kentucky bourbon and dark chocolate pecan filling.
Welcome to pie season! If you’re looking for a new staple to add to your Thanksgiving (or any holiday) dessert rotation, try this chocolate bourbon pecan pie. It’s like a Kentucky Derby Pie, full of pecans, chocolate, and of course, Kentucky Bourbon. This pie is so gooey and decadent, with a flaky crust and rich chocolatey filling.
Why You’ll Love This Chocolate Bourbon Pecan Pie
- The filling is so easy to make. All you need is a large (ideally microwave-safe) mixing bowl and a whisk. There is no need to pull out pots, pans, or a mixer.
- Using dark chocolate adds depth helps balance out the sweetness that’s traditionally associated with pecan pie.
- It has bourbon in it….need I say more? 😉
Key Ingredients
- One pie crust—make your own or use store bought
- Pecan halves: I prefer pecan halves for this pie. Also PSA Costco is the best place to buy pecans in bulk without breaking the bank. 😉
- Dark chocolate: I love the depth of flavor that dark chocolate brings to this recipe. You can use any dark chocolate you’d like, but ideally it would be from one of those rectangular bars like this.
- Dark cocoa powder: Keeping with the dark chocolate theme, if you are able to find dark cocoa powder then use it! Hershey’s special dark cocoa powder is the easiest to find. Otherwise regular cocoa powder works as well.
- Bourbon: My personal favorites for baking are Woodford Reserve or Four Roses, but I’ve also made this pie with Basil Haydens and all have turned out wonderfully.
- Eggs: Make sure your eggs are at room temperature and not too cold. Soak them in a bowl of warm water for 10 minutes before using if you’re pulling them right out of the fridge.
- Corn syrup: either light or dark corn syrup
- Vanilla extract
- Dark brown sugar and granulated sugar
Tips to Make Homemade Pie Crust
This pie crust recipe is my absolute favorite, tried and true recipe. It’s a little bit unconventional and I have to credit the method to J. Kenji Alt-Lopez and the Serious Eats team. You essentially blend some of the flour with butter to create a mass of fat, and then pulse the rest of the flour around it. After that, you use a rubber spatula to fold water in, creating layers.
The full recipe for this crust is in the instructions and while you can absolutely use a store-bought crust for this pecan pie, I wanted to share a few tips for success!
Use cold butter and keep the dough cold. The key to flaky pie crust that holds its shape is to make sure that the fat does not melt too much ahead of baking. To keep things chilly, chill your pie crust before rolling it out, and then freeze it after shaping to help it hold its shape.
Use a food processor. I prefer and recommend using a food processor to make pie crust because it’s much easier and consistent than doing it by hand. In this recipe as you, you need to almost puree butter and flour together, which is just about impossible to do by hand.
Blind bake the crust. This is one of those recipes where you slightly pre-bake the crust before adding filling, also known as blind baking. This will ensure the crust is fully cooked through and doesn’t have a soggy bottom.
How to Make Chocolate Bourbon Pecan Pie
BLIND BAKE THE PIE CRUST
Blind baking the crust is how to achieve a crispy, flaky crust that isn’t soggy at the bottom.
To blind bake the crust, bake it first with weights to set its shape, and then bake it without weights to crisp up the sides and bottom. Preheat the oven to 425°F. Line the crust completely with parchment paper and fill with pie weights, dry beans, or uncooked rice. Bake the crust for 12-15 minutes, or until the edges start to look golden. Then remove the pie from the oven, use the parchment to lift out the weights, and then continue baking for 4 minutes.
Make Chocolate Bourbon Pecan Filling
Step 1: Melt dark chocolate and butter together until smooth.
Step 2: Whisk in sugar, corn syrup, cocoa powder, salt, eggs, vanilla and bourbon. Essentially everything but the pecans.
Step 3: Fold in most of the pecans, saving a few to decorate the top.
Step 4: Pour the filling into the blind baked pie crust, then arrange the remaining pecans on top in a circle. Or make a smiley face or whatever shape you want. It’s your pie lol so make it look however you’d like!
Step 5: Bake the pie for 50-55 minutes at 325°F, until the edges are set but the center still has a slight jiggle. Turn the oven off and let the pie cool down in the oven for 15 minutes. This will prevent the it from deflating too quickly and cracking.
COOL THE PIE COMPLETELY
Now, this is very important. Although it may be tempting, do not cut into the pie until it is completely cool. The filling will still be runny straight out of the oven as it will continue to set as the pie cools.
This may take several hours, and if you’re impatient like me, then this is probably the most difficult step in the recipe. Let the pie cool down for a few hours at room temperature, and then store it in the fridge until it is time to serve. Fortunately, I think that cold chocolate bourbon pecan pie is the best type of pecan pie but feel free to disagree. 😉
FAQs
HOW DO I KNOW IF PECAN PIE IS DONE?
You’ll know that pecan pie is done when the edges are set and the center still has a little jiggle when you gently shake the pan (like firmed up Jell-O). If the filling is too wobbly or rolls like waves, then it is not done.
IS CHOCOLATE BOURBON PECAN PIE ALCOHOLIC?
While there is alcohol in the raw filling, it all cooks off during the baking process. The cooked pie is non-alcoholic, but retains the sweet, caramel flavors of bourbon.
DOES PECAN PIE NEED TO BE REFRIGERATED?
Yes, it does. Since there are eggs in the pie, it should be stored in the fridge to prevent spoiling. Make sure that the pie is tightly wrapped or kept in an airtight container.
Any ideas for LEFTOVER PIE?
Eat it cold, heat it up, the choice is yours. But my personal favorite is to make a pie shake! Hear me out on this one: take a slice of pie, two big scoops of vanilla ice cream, a splash of milk, and throw it into a blender to make an amazing pie shake. Serve with a long spoon and straw to enjoy what I believe to be one of the best leftover pie creations.
Pin & Save for Later
If you’re not ready to bake yet, no problem! Simply hover over or tap (on mobile) any image in this post (pick your favorite or use the one below), and use the pin icon in the corner to save for later.
Did You Make This Recipe?
If so, I’d love to hear from you! Feel free to leave a comment or rating to share your thoughts and help others on the internet find this recipe.
Or, take picture and share it with me on Instagram @toppedwithhoney. Looking forward to seeing your gooey and chocolatey bourbon pecan pies!
And if you’re looking for additional desserts to serve alongside the pie this season, may I suggest a caramel maple cider cake or a pumpkin bundt cake?
Chocolate Bourbon Pecan Pie
Ingredients
Pie Crust (Or Use Storebought)
- ½ cup (8 tbsp) cold unsalted butter, cut into ½ inch cubes
- 1¼ cup (180g) all-purpose flour, divided
- 1½ tsp granulated sugar
- ½ tsp fine sea salt
- 3 tbsp ice water, + more if needed
- 1 large egg, beaten, for an egg wash
Chocolate Bourbon Pecan Filling
- 4 oz dark chocolate, chopped
- ¼ cup (4 tbsp) salted butter
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup dark brown sugar
- ½ cup corn syrup, either light or dark
- ¼ cup dark cocoa powder, or regular cocoa powder
- 1 tsp fine sea salt
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 3 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 egg yolk
- 3 tbsp bourbon
- 1¾ cup pecan halves, plus more for topping
Instructions
Pie Crust Dough (If using homemade)
- Add ¾ cup of the flour, sugar, and salt into a food processor. Pulse a few times to combine.
- Add the butter to the food processor and then pulse it in continuously until the flour and butter turn into a paste-like consistency (like a cookie dough). Yes, I know this is counterintuitive to traditional pie crusts but just trust me (shoutout to J Kenji J Lopez-Alt for this amazing method).
- Add the remaining ½ cup flour, and gently pulse a few times until you have pea-sized chunks. Transfer the dough into a large bowl, drizzle the water on top, and use a rubber spatula to fold everything together until you have a crumbly dough that sticks together when you press it.
- Form the dough into a 1 inch tall disc, wrap in plastic wrap, and chill for at least an hour before using. If you are chilling it for longer, let the dough thaw for 15-20 minutes on the counter before using.
Chocolate Bourbon Pecan Pie
- Preheat the oven to 425℉ and lightly grease a 9" pie dish. On a lightly floured surface, roll the pie dough out into a 12-inch round. Carefully transfer the dough into the pie dish and trim around the edges, leaving a ½-inch overhang. Tuck this overhang under itself and then use your fingers to crimp the edges.
- Poke a few holes at the bottom of the crust with a fork, and then freeze the pie crust for 15 minutes.
- The next step is to blind bake the crust. After removing the crust from the freezer, line the shell with either aluminum foil or parchment paper, completely covering the bottom and sides. Fill with either pie weights, dry beans, or uncooked rice. Bake the crust for 12-14 minutes, until the edges just start to set. Then, remove the weights and foil/parchment paper, and then continue baking the crust for another 4 minutes. It may puff up a little, but will settle back down when you take it out of the oven.
- After blind baking the crust, make the filling. In a large, microwaveable bowl, heat the dark chocolate and butter together for 20 seconds at a time, stirring in between, until fully melted and smooth. Let it cool for a few minutes until just warm to the touch.
- Add the sugars, corn syrup, cocoa powder, salt, eggs, vanilla, bourbon, eggs, and egg yolk. Whisk for 1-2 minutes, until very smooth and glossy.
- Fold in the pecans, then pour the filling into the prepared pie crust. Arrange more pecans on top if desired. Brush the edges of the crust with the egg wash.
- Reduce the oven temperature to 325℉ and bake for 50-55 minutes, or until the pie is set around the edges and the center still has a slight jiggle like jell-o. Let the pie cool for two hours on the counter before transferring to the fridge to cool completely before serving.
Notes
- I like using dark cocoa powder to make this pie. However, if you are unable to find any, then regular cocoa powder works just as well.
- Make sure the pie is completely cool before cutting into and serving. Custard pies will continue to set as they cool.
- Store leftover pie in an airtight container in the refrigerator
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