Chocolate Pecan Pie

My favorite holiday of the year is only a week away! I've always loved Thanksgiving because in my opinion there is nothing more fulfilling than sharing a big meal with your closes family and friends.

Today I’m talking about the dessert portion of the meal. Specifically PIE! Because holiday season = pie season.

So I’m going to share a few tips for perfecting your pie!

1. Make a “shield” for your crust. What I mean by this is when you’re baking your pie and you notice the edges start to turn brown shield the crust from the oven with aluminum foil. Do this by folding a square of aluminum foil into quarters and then cutting out the center of the foil so you can place it on top of the pie edges.
2. Bake pies on the lowest oven of the rack. This is because you want the crust to cook well on the bottom but you don’t want the top of the pie to burn.
3. Place your pie on a cookie sheet before putting it in the oven. Pies are very delicate and hard to transport. If you put the pie on a baking sheet first, it’s easier to remove the pie from the oven.

For my segment on FOX59 I chose to make a chocolate pecan pie! Have you ever heard of a derby pie? Yeah, it’s the same thing – EXCEPT Kern’s Kitchen, the original creators of the Derby Pie, holds a trademark on the name so no one else can use it.

Chocolate pecan pies are always a staple at my family’s holiday gatherings. For those of you out there who have never feasted on this delightful delectable, let me describe it to you: Imagine a thick and fudgy chocolate chip cookie that has just been taken out of the oven. A cookie that is so saturated with chocolate and pecans that they oooze out when you take a bite. Now imagine that cookie wrapped in a flaky pie crust and topped with whip cream. 

Chocolate Pecan Pie

Servings: 8 slices

INGREDIENTS

• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup flour
• 2 beaten eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 cup chopped pecans
• 1 cup semi sweet morsels
• 1 frozen or refrigerated pie crust (you can make your own pie crust if you really want to, but I've found that with this particular pie it's hard to tell much of a difference)

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit
2. Melt 1/2 cup butter on medium heat in saucepan.
3. Once butter is melted remove saucepan from stove and let it cool for a few minutes (this step really is necessary because if you don't let it cool, the eggs will start to cook when you add them to the pan)
4. Add the sugar, flour, eggs, and vanilla to the saucepan and mix well
5. Stir in pecans and chocolate chips
6. Pour mixture into pie crust
7. Bake pie for 35 to 40 minutes (start checking center of pie with a toothpick at 35 minutes to see if it's done)
8. Remove pie from oven and let it set for at least an hour before serving
9. Serve pie warm and with whip cream!