A Not-Too-Sweet Pie
Growing up I was never a pecan pie lover. I think this was due to one main reason: they were all sickeningly sweet. I love pecans, but there was something about that thick, sticky, gelatinous layer that turned me off. This Chocolate Pecan Pie with Whiskey couldn’t be more different.
Yes, pecan pies are sweet by nature, but in this recipe the sweetness is tempered by extra-bittersweet chocolate and a shot of whiskey incorporated into the pecan filling.
We have another take on this pie as well – our Browned Butter Salted Caramel Pecan Pie in a Chocolate Flecked Pastry Crust. If you are a pecan pie lover, you might have a hard time choosing!
I’ve Got Great Friends
Most of my food writing has been in the dessert arena and I have built up important friendships within my tribe over the years. David Lebovitz has been a friend for many years.
We met at an IACP (International Association of Culinary Professionals) conference in Providence, RI over a display of smoked salmon. We started talking shop and that was that.
Over the years we have had many stimulating conversations about the nuances of baking and have referenced one another in our books.
Choose Your Ingredients Well
David has a fabulous chocolate pecan pie that he developed for Food & Wine, which was the foundation for this pie. I have made it gluten-free and upped the vanilla and butter and also take a much different approach to oven temperature (ours is lower to prevent over-baking).
While his recipe recommended chocolate chips, I do prefer to use chopped bulk chocolate, as it is easier to get really high-quality chocolate that way. It is luscious – but watch your serving sizes.
Check out our article, All About Dark Chocolate.
FODMAP IT!™ Chocolate Pecan Pie with Whiskey
This FODMAP IT!™ Chocolate Pecan Pie with Whiskey has chopped bittersweet chocolate incorporated into the pecan pie filling.
Low FODMAP Serving Size Info: Makes 1, 9-inch (23 cm) pie; 14 slices; serving size 1 slice
Ingredients:
Pie Crust:
- Half a recipe for All-Butter Pie Crust, prepared, fitted into a 9-inch (23 cm) pie plate, edges fluted
Filling:
- 2 cups (200 g) pecan halves, chopped
- 3 large eggs, at room temperature, whisked
- 3/4 cup (160 g) firmly packed light brown sugar
- 2/3 cup (165 ml) light corn syrup
- 3 tablespoons melted unsalted butter
- 3 tablespoons whiskey
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 6 ounces (170 g) bittersweet chocolate, chopped, preferably 70%, but at least 60% cacao mass
Preparation:
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Position racks in upper third and lower third of oven. Preheat oven to 375°F/190°C.
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For the Crust: Line crust with aluminum foil and fill with pie weights. Bake on upper rack for about 10 to 12 minutes until crust is beginning to feel dry to the touch. Remove foil and weights and continue to bake for a few minutes until just beginning to color. Cool on cooling rack as you proceed with recipe.
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For the Filling: Simultaneously to the blind-baking crust, toast pecans on other oven rack on a rimmed baking sheet until very lightly colored, about 5 minutes. Do not over brown. Cool on cooling rack. Turn oven down to 350°F/180°C.
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Whisk together the eggs, brown sugar, corn syrup, butter, whiskey, vanilla and salt in a large bowl until combined and smooth. Fold in the chopped pecans and chocolate and pour filling into cooled crust.
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Bake pie for about 35 to 45 minutes, or until the edges of the filling are set and slightly puffed; the center will be slightly wiggly. The center will firm up upon cooling. Cool on rack at least 2 hours before slicing. Pie may be made 1 day ahead. Store at room temperature lightly covered with foil. Serve warmed or at room temperature.
Notes:
Tips
- Do make sure you use a 9-inch (23 cm) pie plate for best results. Some pie plates are slightly larger (by ¼ or 1/2-inch/6 to 12 mm) in diameter, but the volume increases dramatically and will throw off the results.
Nutrition
All nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered estimates. Actual nutritional content will vary with brands used, measuring methods, portion sizes and more. For a more detailed explanation, please read our article Understanding The Nutrition Panel Within Our Recipes.
Anyway this can be made without eggs or with a egg supplement?
Roxanne, typical pecan pie recipes greatly depend on eggs for their texture. I would not recommend any substitutions. I would look for a vegan approach, perhaps, and use a recipe that was developed for an egg substitute. Of course, make sure it is low FODMAP as well.
Do the other half of the pecans go on top like a normal pecan pie?
Recipe is fixed. It needed an edit. In this pie they are all folded in at once.
I had the same question. I ended up putting the unchopped pecan halves on top. The pie actually was over-filled and bubbled over. Although we enjoyed it, I am wondering if having all chopped pecans doesn’t make it less visually appealing—missing those lovely halves on top. Perhaps there are too many chopped pecans? Just a thought.
Because this pie is about the chocolate and whiskey and not a traditional pecan pie, it was not meant to have the whole halves on top, as some do. I love the rustic look. Also, if you take a look at the second image in the recipe, that is indeed a 9-inch (23 cm) Pyrex pan, and the filling does not overflow, if all measurements are correct. In fact there is the note about not using a deep-dish 24-cm pie plate. Pie plates can vary quite a bit in volume. Here is a snippet from our ebook on pie plates. There is also an image in the ebook comparing pie plate sizes: ”
For Pies: We prefer Pyrex (oven-proof glass) pie plates for their even browning ability and also because you can actually see the level of browning as it progresses. I use two different sizes in my recipe development, and the recipes will specify.
If you do not use the correct size, the recipe will not work as desired. The smaller 9-inch x 1 ¼-inch (23 cm x 3 cm) (seen on the left above and in the front of the image below) and the larger 9 ½-inch x 1 ½-inch (24 cm x 4 cm) sizes, (as seen on the right above and in the rear below), are both readily found in supermarkets and housewares stores. While the diameters and depths might seem similar, the volume of the pans is very different.” In addition, if you use any other kinds of pie plates – Emile Henry, generic ceramic etc. then the volume can be different yet again.