Bourbon Chocolate Pecan Pie

 

I’m experimenting with using Windows Live Writer, so things might seem a little wonky on here until I figure it out.  I’m hoping the pictures look okay, because I don’t think I’m going to renew my Flickr account this year.  Also, our Internet has been painfully slow for the last couple of days.  If this post gets published, it’s a miracle.  This chocolate milk I’m drinking is a little distracting, too.  It’s just so darn delicious. 

I’m thinking about upgrading my camera now.  I’ve used my Nikon D40 a little over three years now, and I think I’m ready for a new one.  But I’m sort of clueless on what I should get.  It seems like there are a ton of DSLR’s and lenses out there.  It’s so confusing!  I’d appreciate any advice you could give.

Anyway, I hope you had a great Thanksgiving!  Did you do any Black Friday shopping?  Eric and I drove by some stores and looked at the lines wrapped around the building, but we didn’t actually do any shopping.  No possession is worth waiting in line outside in the cold! 

Our Thanksgiving was good.  Good, but uneventful.  I baked a chocolate cake and this pie that I brought over to my parents’ house.

I think you officially become an adult when you decorate your house for the holidays.  I’m not quite there yet.  My mom is….

She did most of the amazing cooking.  Look at her sprinkle those onions on the green bean casserole!

This is Eric’s corn casserole he made.  It was delicious.  Good job, boyfriend.

These are my mom’s famous sweet potatoes with marshmallows.  My fav.  This is what did me in.  I went back for seconds and made myself sick.

We headed over to Eric’s family’s house a little while later for more food.  His aunt made these little turkeys out of Oreos, peanut butter cups, mini marshmallows, candy corn and frosting.  Too cute!

Mmm smoked turkey legs.

They play a lot of croquet at his family’s house.  I didn’t partake because I’m a wimp and couldn’t take the cold.  It had nothing to do with my awesome croquet skills, I assure you.

The highlight of my Thanksgiving was eating this pie.  I thought it was really, really good.  I gave myself a pat on the back for baking it.  The crust recipe is my own, but the pie filling recipe is my friend Tim’s recipe(husband of friend Tina. ).  Hey look at that!  I can add little smiley faces using Windows Live Writer.

Tim acquired the recipe from his mom sometime in the late eighties, but we don’t know the original source.

I did make a few changes: I toasted the pecans and browned the butter for a little extra flavor.  Other than that, the recipe is the same.  It’s perfect!  I’m going to bake this pie every single year because I love it so much. 

Bourbon Chocolate Pecan Pie

Pie Dough
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
8 tablespoons cold unsalted butter
4 tablespoons cold cream cheese

2 cups pecan halves
1/2 cup unsalted butter
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
3 large eggs
1 cup corn syrup (1/2 dark, 1/2 light)
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup bourbon
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon salt

To make the pie dough, combine flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in a food processor; pulse until combined.  Add butter and cream cheese, and pulse until just combined, and a dough ball forms.  Shape dough into a disc, wrap in plastic wrap, and chill in the freezer for 30 minutes.

Thinly roll out dough on a lightly floured surface; transfer dough to a pie dish, and crimp edges.

Heat oven to 350 degrees F.  Place pecans on a cookie sheet; bake 10 minutes or until toasted and fragrant.

Melt butter in a small saucepan over medium heat; cook 2-3 minutes, whisking frequently, until butter foams and turns light golden brown.  Cool 5 minutes.  Whisk in chocolate chips until melted.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together eggs, corn syrup, brown sugar, bourbon, vanilla and salt until well combined; whisk in chocolate butter mixture until well combined.  Whisk in pecans until combined.  Pour filling into pie shell.  Bake 50 minutes, or until well risen, set, and golden brown.  Cool completely on a wire rack.

Makes 9 servings