Chocolate Bourbon Pecan Pie
Seriously, the BEST Pecan Pie recipe you’ll ever sink your fork into. This Chocolate Bourbon Pecan Pie is rich, chocolatey and sweet. Made with buttery pecans, chocolate and bourbon all in a buttery, flakey pie crust, my easy recipe is sure to be a showstopper on any holiday dessert table.
Chocolate Bourbon Pecan Pie
The holiday rush is here. This is the time of year when Halloween is still floating around my house even though it’s over and Thanksgiving is just a few short weeks away. You know, the time of year when there are no longer enough hours in a day or enough days in the week to get everything done.
Panic inevitably sets in about now when I realize that the best recipe of the year still has yet to be published because I made it in May….and waited for the perfect time to share it with all of you. This Chocolate Bourbon Pecan Pie is that recipe….and it was totally worth the wait.
If you’re a fan of a classic Southern Pecan Pie recipe then you are going to love this Bourbon Pecan Pie. It’s a mashup of my favorite chocolate pecan pie and a bourbon pecan pie all baked up together for the best Thanksgiving dessert you’ll ever make.
Originally, I made this Bourbon Pecan Pie back before the Kentucky Derby because we shared it on a Fox 29 segment all about Derby Day. But I knew this would be the perfect dessert for Thanksgiving and Christmas so here we are…..just a few short weeks away from my favorite time of the year.
What is Pecan Pie?
Pecan Pie is a staple for my family during the holidays and sometimes I find it to be a little too sweet. But this pie recipe is balanced perfectly with the bittersweet chocolate and bourbon leveling out the sweetness a bit and totally making this dessert one of my absolute favorites of all time.
A classic pecan pie is a pie made with pecan nuts that’s mixed with a filling of eggs, butter, brown sugar and molasses. For a Chocolate Pecan Pie with Bourbon, melted chocolate and bourbon are folded into the filling before being baked.
A southern specialty, Pecan Pie is traditionally served in the United States during the holiday season.
The filling is really similar to the topping on my favorite cheesecake.
How To Make Chocolate Pecan Pie
This easy Chocolate Pecan Pie recipe is one of the first things I make for Thanksgiving because it can be made in advance. You can even blind bake the crust a couple days prior to save even more time.
- Make the crust, I like to use this Easy Pie Crust recipe.
- Roll out the dough to a 12 inch circle and transfer to a 9-inch pie plate.
- Fold over an excess dough and then crimp the edges. Chill the dough for 30 minutes.
- While the dough chills, preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
- Line the chilled crust with parchment or foil and fill with pie weights or dried beans. Bake for 20 minutes.
- Remove the foil and weights. Bake for an additional 5-10 minutes or until golden brown.
- Transfer the pie plate to a baking rack and cool to room temperature.
- Reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees and spread the pecans in an even layer on a baking sheet.
- Toast the nuts for 8 minutes, tossing occasionally so they don’t burn. Allow to cool to room temperature.
- In a saucepan, melt the butter and chocolate over medium heat stirring until smooth. Remove from the heat and cool.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the butter mixture, corn syrup, eggs, brown sugar, cocoa powder, bourbon and salt.
- Pour the pecan pie filling into the prepared crust and arrange the reserved pecans on top.
- Bake the pie until the filling is set, approximately 30-40 minutes. Transfer the pie to a baking rack and cool completely.
Substitute for Bourbon in Pecan Pie
If you don’t have bourbon or are not a bourbon fan, you can substitute it with the same amount of rum or brandy with great results. If you’d like a little hint of orange in your pecan pie, and why not, Cointreau or Grand Marnier is a fantastic additional, as well.
If you don’t like to use alcohol in your cooking and baking, you can substitute the bourbon with 1/2 the amount of apple cider or grape juice.
How To Store Pecan Pie
If you’re planning to enjoy your Chocolate Pecan Pie within 24 hours, you can store your pie at room temperature. Just be sure to cover it tightly with plastic wrap or store in a covered cake plate to keep critters away (our cats love pie.)
If you’re making your Pecan Pie a week in advance, wrap it tightly in plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator for up to 7 days.
Alternatively, you can wrap your Chocolate Bourbon Pecan Pie in plastic wrap and then in foil to freeze for up to 3 months. Before serving, allow the pie to thaw in the refrigerator for 24 hours. Store leftover pie in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
How To Serve Pecan Pie
This Chocolate Pecan Pie is made with cocoa powder which I love because it totally makes the pie much less sweet than a traditional pecan pie recipe. It’s such a nice departure from the usual thanksgiving pie recipes you usually find on the dessert table during the holidays.
We love to serve slices of this Chocolate Bourbon Pecan Pie with a big, fluffy pile of homemade whipped cream or a scoop of vanilla ice cream. It’s fantastic on it’s own with a steaming cup of Eggnog, too!
If you want something a little easier but still want the tasty combo of chocolate and bourbon….try these Bourbon Chocolate Truffles.…they’re beyond amazing!
Want to see what else we’re cooking up this holiday season? Follow us over on Instagram!
More Easy Pie Recipes
- Easy DEEP DISH Pumpkin Pie from scratch!
- The Very Best Apple Pie
- Streusel Plum Pie is a total favorite!
- Homemade Cherry Pie….a summer classic.
- No oven? No problem….No Bake Chocolate Mousse Pie is so easy!
Get the Recipe: Chocolate Bourbon Pecan Pie Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 single crust pie crust recipe or your favorite frozen pie crust thawed
- 2 ½ cups pecans
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 1/2 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
- 1 1/2 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, chopped
- ¾ cup light corn syrup
- 4 large eggs
- ½ cup packed dark brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
- 2 tablespoons bourbon
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
Equipment
- pie plate
Instructions
- Make the crust, I like to use this Easy Pie Crust recipe.
- Roll out the dough to a 12 inch circle and transfer to a 9-inch pie plate.
- Fold over an excess dough and then crimp the edges. Chill the dough for 30 minutes.
- While the dough chills, preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
- Line the chilled crust with parchment or foil and fill with pie weights or dried beans. Bake for 20 minutes.
- Remove the foil and weights. Bake for an additional 5-10 minutes or until golden brown.
- Transfer the pie plate to a baking rack and cool to room temperature.
- Reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees and spread the pecans in an even layer on a baking sheet.
- Toast the nuts for 8 minutes, tossing occasionally so they don't burn. Allow to cool to room temperature.
- Finely chop 1 cup of the pecans and set aside.
- In a saucepan, melt the butter and chocolate over medium heat stirring until smooth. Remove from the heat and cool.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the butter mixture, corn syrup, eggs, brown sugar, cocoa powder, bourbon and salt.
- Spread the chopped pecans evenly in the bottom of the pie crust. Sprinkle the semi-sweet chocolate chips over the pecans.
- Pour the pecan pie filling into the prepared crust and arrange the reserved pecans on top.
- Place the pie in the center of a rimmed baking sheet. Bake the pie until the filling is just set when the pan is jiggled, approximately 35-45 minutes. Transfer the pie to a baking rack and cool completely.