Match Made in Heaven
Velvety Chocolate Butter Pecan Pie
Ya’ll. This pie.
This pie is what would happen if pecan pie and chocolate pie got married and had a baby. There is just no possible way it could be bad.
There is this subtle, dark, rich taste of molasses. The semi-sweet chocolate prevents it from being too sweet. And the pecans aren’t too over the top.
I know. It’s pecan pie.
But sometimes it is possible to have too much of a good thing.
Not so with this pie. It’s just enough. It’s wonderful.
The recipe came from the October 2011 issue of Taste of Home Magazine, a magazine that I have subscribed to for almost nine years now. Honestly, it probably had a lot to do with cultivating my interest in cooking.
I remember my Grandma telling me once, “If you can read a recipe, you can cook.” Taste of Home was her favorite cooking magazine. I love to tell the story of how one summer when I was visiting, I discovered her stash of Taste of Home’s hidden behind a chair in the sunroom. It was every single issue for the last ten years.
Grandma was the queen of comfort food in our family. Her food was simple food – pork chops, mashed potatoes (oh gosh, the mashed potatoes), buttered rolls, pumpkin pie, pot roast, baking powder biscuits with strawberries and whipped cream. It was food you would expect to eat at a grandma’s house. Sometimes when I’ve had a bad day, I’ll imagine myself sitting at her kitchen table. One of her grilled cheese sandwiches and a pile of Jay’s potato chips is sitting on a plate in front of me. WGN-AM 720 is playing in the background from the old radio that sat on top of the refrigerator. I miss those days.
My Grandma baking an apple pie c. 2001
Every year, up until she passed away three years ago, Grandma sent me a subscription to Taste of Home for Christmas. The official start of the holiday season is just a few days away and with it kicks off the biggest cooking/eating frenzy of the entire year. I thought this would be the perfect time to host my first ever giveaway on this site, allowing me the opportunity to share with you something that not only provided me with inspiration, but now serves as a connection to someone that was very important to me.
From now through Monday, November 28, you will have a chance to win a free subscription to Taste of Home Magazine. Keep it for yourself, or give the subscription to someone special as a Christmas gift! The winner will be notified via email on Tuesday, November 29.
To enter:
1. Like The Cooking Bride on Facebook. Leave a comment below letting me know.
2. Follow The Cooking Bride on Twitter. Leave a comment below letting me know.
3. Is/was there someone in your life that inspired your love of cooking? Leave me a comment and tell me about them. I’d love to hear it!
[This contest is now closed! Thanks to all who participated!]
| Velvety Chocolate Butter Pecan Pie |
- Pie crust:
- 1-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/3 cup cold unsalted butter, grated
- 2 tablespoons butter flavored shortening, grated
- 3-4 tablespoons ice water
- 1/2 teaspoon white vinegar
- 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Egg wash:
- 1 egg
- 1 tablespoon water
- Pie filling:
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter
- 4 oz. bittersweet or semi-sweet chocolate
- 1-1/4 cups packed brown sugar
- 1/2 cup light corn syrup
- 3 eggs, lightly beaten
- 2 tablespoons molasses
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1-1/2 cups finely chopped pecans
- 1/2 cup pecan halves
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, and salt.
- Add grated butter and shortening until mixture is crumbly. Stir together water, vinegar, and vanilla.
- Gradually add to flour mixture until dough forms a ball. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to eight hours.
- On a well-floured surface, roll pastry dough out until it is approximately 13 inches wide and 1/8 inch thick. Carefully drape dough over an ungreased pie plate. Gently press dough into the corners of the plate. Using a knife or kitchen shears, trim excess dough around the edges of the plate. If desired, crimp edges by using a fork or by making a thumbprint around the perimeter of the crust.
- Beat egg wash ingredients and brush over crust.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Melt chocolate and butter in a double boiler. Alternately, bring a small saucepan of water of a boil. Place a metal mixing bowl over the mouth of the saucepan. The bowl should be large enough to cover the mouth of the pan without touching the water underneath. Reduce heat to medium low. Add chocolate and butter to bowl and stir until melted and smooth.
- In a separate bowl, combine brown sugar, corn syrup, eggs, molasses, vanilla, and salt. Add chopped pecan and butter/chocolate mixture. Pour into pie crust. Gently arrange pecan halves in a circle over the filling.
- Bake pie for 55-65 minutes or until the center is not wobbly. If pie crust begins to brown too quickly, cover the edged with aluminum foil. Cool on a wire rack. Refrigerate leftovers.
Related Posts
-
Six Strawberry Recipes . . .and Link Love
Posted on May 17, 2012
-
Strawberry Shortcakes with Cinnamon-Sugar Biscuits
Posted on May 14, 2012
-
Chewy Chocolate Brownies
Posted on May 8, 2012
-
Carrot Cake Sandwich Cookies
Posted on Apr 5, 2012
Tags
Share This
My mother was a good cook & I’ve always enjoyed cooking, reading recipes, buying recipe books; plus I spent my life in boarding school where the food was beyond dreadful and all these years later I’m still trying to compensate ….
My Grandma inspired my love of cooking. I can’t remember a Thanksgiving or Christmas without her pumpkin bread. Even when it wasn’t a holiday, I loved going to her house to eat. No one made food like her! Even now that she is no longer with us I still keep the pumpkin bread tradition going using her recipe.
I like you on FB.
I follow you on Twitter.
I’m following you on Twitter, and will definitely RT for you!
Thank you!
My dad inspired me to cook! As a hardworking dad who raised my sister and I alone for most a big chunk of our childhood, he always managed to make us breakfast before school and get us all to sit down together to a home-cooked meal at night. Our family truly bonds over the dinner table and it’s because of him.
My mom taught me to cook–first it started as baking, and then we moved on to “real food” when I got older. To this day, I associate sharing homemade food with love.
I don’t twitter–but you are liked.
Ahh, this post made my cry – Happy tears. I miss my grandma too
And I also read taste of home, I just bought a subscription for my sister
I’d have to say my aunt inspired my cooking. She had a PhD in home-ec and I spent a couple of summers with her. My mother was more of the type of cook to try and simplify everything and loved when microwaves came out (I learned early micros should be used to cook an entire meal!) My aunt got me to try several dishes as well as make my own ice cream. She and my uncle also had me try new foods – like crab.
I think it was myself!! Nobody was really a chef in my family. I wanted to change that, lol..
Looks delicious. Thanks for this recipe.
My grandma inspired me to cook as well
I follow you on Twitter!
I “like” The Cooking Bride on Facebook – Cindy A.
I follow The Cooking Bride on Twitter – @normawatson
Thank you so much for offering such a great giveaway! Like your grandma, my aunt was always in the kitchen whipping up something yummy. She was the one who taught me how to bake a cake, fry chicken and make gravy.
I like you on Facebook!
I follow you on Twitter
My mom is a great cook. She’s great at entertaining in general. I would love to be like her in that respect someday…
I like you on facebook and follow you on twitter and am thrilled to have found you!! I also love Taste of Home… my daddy used to always give me a subscription for Christmas… sadly that was a few years ago…Love this recipe and definatley will use it!! Thanks so much!!!
My Gramma definitely was my inspiration. She would indulge me anytime I picked out a recipe and asked her to make it with me.
Following you on Twitter. Love your stories!
My inspiration was my mom! She is still the best cook I know today!
I’ve followed you on twitter (@AlmostDrMoJo) and I liked you on FB.
Now you have 147 fans on facebook
and I’m following you on twitter too…
and…the person who inspired my passion for cooking was, definitely, my grandma…she is so lovely and adorable…and is so talented for cooking…love her!!! and love baking too!!!