Ultimate Chocolate Chunk Pecan Pie Recipes

Steps:

• In a small bowl, mix flour and salt; cut in cream cheese and butter until crumbly. Gradually add ice water, tossing with a fork until dough holds together when pressed. Shape into a disk; wrap in plastic. Refrigerate 30 minutes or overnight., Preheat oven to 350°. On a lightly floured surface, roll dough to a 1/8-in.-thick circle; transfer to a 9-in. pie plate. Trim pastry to 1/2 in. beyond rim of plate; flute edge. Refrigerate while making filling., In a small saucepan, combine sugar, butter and 1 cup chopped chocolate; stir over low heat until smooth. Cool slightly., In a large bowl, whisk eggs, corn syrup, vanilla and salt until blended. Stir in chocolate mixture. Layer pecans and remaining chopped chocolate in pastry shell; pour chocolate mixture over top., Bake 55-60 minutes or until set. Cool 1 hour on a wire rack. Refrigerate 2 hours or until cold.

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350°F.
• Use pulsing action to blend 2 cups nuts in blender until finely ground. Mix with granulated sugar and butter; press onto bottom and up side of 9-inch pie plate. Bake 12 to 15 min. or until lightly browned. (If crust puffs up during baking, gently press down with back of spoon.) Cool completely.
• Microwave caramels and 1/3 cup whipping cream in microwaveable bowl on HIGH 2-1/2 to 3 min. or until caramels are completely melted and mixture is well blended, stirring after each minute. Pour into crust. Chop remaining nuts; sprinkle over caramel layer.
• Cook chocolate, remaining cream, powdered sugar and vanilla in saucepan on low heat just until chocolate is completely melted and mixture is well blended, stirring constantly. Pour over pie; spread to cover top of pie. Refrigerate 2 hours.

Steps:

• 1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Line 9-inch deep dish pie plate with pie crust. Bake 7 minutes. Remove crust from oven. Reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees F.
• 2. Meanwhile, microwave chocolate chips and milk in medium microwavable bowl on HIGH 1 to 1 1/2 minutes. Stir until smooth. Pour chocolate evenly over crust.
• 3. Beat eggs in large bowl. Add remaining ingredients; mix well. Slowly pour mixture over chocolate layer. Place ring of foil around edges of crust to prevent over-browning.
• 4. Bake 55 to 60 minutes or until filling is puffed and center is still soft enough to move when shaken gently. Cool on completely wire rack.

Steps:

• Butter an 8" pie tin with the softened butter and press in the chopped nuts.
• Combine the syrup, eggs, salt and vanilla and beat well. Melt the chocolate bits over hot water and add them slowly to the syrup mixture, stirring constantly. Pour into the pie shell and sprinkle with coarsely broken pecans. Bake in a 350°F. oven for 25-30 minutes. Serve with vanilla-flavored whipped cream.

Steps:

• To make the crust: Whisk together the flour, buttermilk powder, salt, and baking powder.
• Add the shortening, working it in till it's thoroughly dispersed throughout the dry ingredients.
• Cut the butter into pats, and roughly work it into the mixture in the bowl; a few large pieces remaining are OK.
• Sprinkle the vinegar into the bowl, then 3 tablespoons of the ice water. Mix quickly and gently, just till everything is thoroughly moistened.
• Gather the dough into your hand, and squeeze it. If it holds together nicely, it's ready. If not, add a bit more ice water, a teaspoon or so at a time, till it's cohesive.
• Shape the dough into a rough disk, and transfer it to a well-floured work surface.
• Roll it into a rectangle about 8" x 12".
• Fold the rectangle like a letter, turn it 90°, and roll it into an 8" x 12" rectangle again.
• Give it another three-fold, then fold it in half to make a thick square.
• Wrap in plastic, and refrigerate for 30 minutes, or for up to 24 hours.
• Remove the dough from the fridge, and allow it to warm for about 15 minutes before rolling.
• While it's warming, preheat the oven to 375°F
• Roll the dough into a 12" to 13" circle.
• Transfer the crust to a 9" pie plate.
• Trim the edges (patching any bare spots, if necessary), and make a tall crimp.
• Refrigerate the crust while you make the filling.
• Note: You may choose to make the filling during the dough's initial chilling period, instead of once it's shaped. Doesn't matter; either way is fine.
• Beat the eggs, sugar, and salt for about 2 minutes at high speed, till they're thick and light-colored.
• Stir in the flour, the cooled, melted butter; and the flavor of your choice, then the chocolate chips/chunks and the diced pecans.
• Pour the batter into the pie crust, then scatter the pecan halves on top.
• Bake the pie for 30 minutes.
• Tent it lightly with aluminum foil, and bake for an additional 15 minutes, till the crust and top are both golden brown.
• Remove the pie from the oven, and allow it to cool for about 30 minutes before serving.
• Top with ice cream or whipped cream, if desired.
• NOTE*: If desired, substitute 1/2 teaspoon vanilla-butternut flavor, pralines & cream flavor, or butter-rum flavor, all optional but delicious.

Steps:

• For The Pie Dough: In the bowl of a food processor fitted with the metal blade, process 3/4 cup flour, salt, and sugar until combined, about two 1-second pulses. Add butter and shortening and process until dough just starts to collect in uneven clumps, about 10 seconds; dough will resemble cottage cheese curds and there should be no uncoated flour. Scrape bowl with rubber spatula and redistribute dough evenly around processor blade. Add remaining 1/2 cup flour and pulse until mixture is evenly distributed around bowl and mass of dough has been broken up, 4 to 6 pulses. Transfer mixture into medium bowl.
• Sprinkle vodka and water over mixture. Using a folding motion, use a rubber spatula to mix, pressing down on dough until dough is slightly tacky and sticks together. Flatten the dough into 4-inch disk. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 45 minutes or up to 2 days.
• Remove dough from refrigerator and roll out on floured work surface to 12-inch circle, about 1/8 inch thick. Roll dough loosely around rolling pin and unroll into a 9-inch pie plate, leaving at least 1-inch overhang on each side. Working around circumference, ease dough into plate by gently lifting edge of dough with one hand while pressing into plate bottom with other hand. Leave dough that overhangs plate in place; refrigerate until dough is firm, about 15 minutes.
• Adjust oven rack to lowest position, place rimmed baking sheet on rack, and heat oven to 400 degrees. Remove pie pan from refrigerator and trim overhang to 1/2 inch beyond lip of pie plate. Fold overhang under itself; folded edge should be flush with edge of pie plate. Using thumb and forefinger, flute edge of dough. Refrigerate until firm, about 15 minutes.
• Remove pie shell from refrigerator and press a doubled 12-inch piece of aluminum foil inside the pie shell, and fold the edges of the foil to shield the fluted edges. Evenly distribute 2 cups of ceramic or metal pie weights over foil. (you can also use dried beans or pennies if you have no pie weights). Bake on rimmed baking sheet for 15 minutes. Carefully, remove foil and weights by gathering sides of soil and pulling up and out. Place pie shell back into the oven and continue baking until lightly golden brown, about 5 to 10 minutes more. Remove from oven, and set aside while preparing the filling.
• Lower oven temperature to 275 degrees. Place pie shell in oven if not still warm.
• In a medium heatproof bowl set in skillet of water maintained at just below simmer, melt butter. Remove bowl from skillet; mix in sugar and salt until butter is absorbed. Beat in eggs, then corn syrup and vanilla. Return bowl to hot water; stir until mixture is shiny and warm to the touch, about 130 degrees. Remove from heat; stir in pecans.
• Pour mixture into warm shell and scatter chocolate pieces over pecan mixture; gently press the chocolate into the filling with the back of a spoon. Bake until center feels set yet soft, like gelatin, when gently pressed, 50 to 60 minutes. Transfer pie to rack; let cool completely, at least 4 hours. Serve pie at room temperature or warm, with lightly sweetened whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.