Dark Chocolate Pecan Pie

Derby Day calls for mint juleps in silver cups, fantastic hats, and barbeque! Pecan pie is the perfect end to the charm of a Kentucky Derby themed party or meal.Try our healthier dark chocolate take on the classic pecan recipe. You'll love it so much, you'll make this updated traditional Southern dessert all year long!

Why we like it: As versatile as it is delicious this pecan pie is a quick-prep dish, especially if you opt for the ease of a store-bought pie shell. The traditional recipe makes one deep 9-inch pie, or you can use tart pans or a muffin tin to turn it into elegant, single-serving tarts which bake in a jiffy.

This week's recipe: Dark Chocolate Pecan Pie

Ingredients:

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips (1 ½ cups if you’re a real chocolate lover!)

1 deep 9-inch pie shell

4 large eggs, lightly beaten

¾ cup packed brown sugar

1 cup light or golden corn syrup

3 tbsp butter, melted

1 ½ tsp pure vanilla extract

½ tsp salt

1-1 ½ cup pecan halves

Note: This recipe is designed for a deep pie shell. If using a normal depth pie shell, cut the recipe in half or make 2 pies!

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees, with the rack in the center of the oven.  Measure out your chocolate chips and pour them into a heatproof bowl.

Put a small saucepan of water on the stove to simmer over medium heat, and once the water is boiling, set the bowl on top and let the chocolate start to melt, whisking frequently to make sure it doesn’t burn.  You can turn the heat down to medium-low if need be.  Once the chocolate is fully melted and silky smooth, remove from the heat and set aside.

Lightly beat your eggs in a medium-sized mixing bowl.

To the eggs, add your brown sugar, corn syrup, melted butter, vanilla, and salt.  Stir the ingredients together, but do not whisk, as you don’t want to incorporate air into the filling.

Add the melted chocolate to the filling mixture and stir again.

Place the pecan halves in concentric circles at the bottom of the pie shell.  Now pour the filling over the pecans.  They should start to rise to the top of the filling, and will continue to do so while baking.

Bake for 30-40 minutes until the crust is golden and the filling is set.  It should jiggle slightly if tapped, but not be runny.  If the crust starts getting too dark before the pie is fully cooked, you can lightly place foil around the edges to keep it from burning.

If you’re making individual tarts, follow the same steps.  Place the pecans at the bottom and pour the filling on top.  The tarts will only need to bake for 20-30 minutes.

Once set, remove the pie from the oven and let it cool on a wire rack for at least 30 minutes if you wish to serve warm, or a few hours to really firm up the filling.  You can cool it in the refrigerator to accelerate the process.  The tarts will cool in less time, of course.

Mmm, chocolate pecan perfection!