This chocolate bourbon pecan pie recipe gives you all the ooey, gooey satisfaction of traditional pecan pie, but with the twist of melted chocolate and bourbon in the filling.
Why is my chocolate bourbon pecan pie recipe the best? Because mine has MORE BOURBON! (Of course.)
If you know me at all, you know I love a boozy dessert, so you can really taste the bourbon in this thing! But you can make it with less than the amount I suggest if that's more to your liking.
To make sure the pie is chocolaty through and through, we are melting chocolate and making a ganache, then adding it to a traditional pecan pie filling. And if you're concerned about getting sloshed, don't be. The alcohol will cook out of the pie, leaving just the lovely caramel flavor of the bourbon behind.
If you can't resist another fun twist on pecan pie, try my Pecan Cream Cheese Pie!
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Chocolate bourbon pecan pie ingredients
For the pie crust:
- All purpose flour
- Sugar: Just a little bit of sugar. It will help the crust hold together and set during the long bake time.
- Unsalted butter: We'll use cold unsalted butter so we can control the amount of salt in the crust.
- Ice water: Not just cold water. ICE water! The key to flaky pie crust is keeping all the ingredients cold, so make a bowl of water with actual ice cubes in it!
- Kosher salt
For the chocolate bourbon pecan filling:
- Pecans: I like to use pecan halves and then chop them for a better texture. I always order my pecans from Millican Pecan, they are fresh from the most recent harvest and taste so much better than grocery store pecans which can be 2-3 years old!
- Dark chocolate chips: I use bittersweet chocolate, usually Ghirardelli chocolate chips.
- Bourbon: What's the best bourbon for pecan pie? Don't use a super-expensive bourbon, but don't use a super-cheap one either, remember you can taste the bourbon in this pie! I like Four Roses bourbon for baking.
- Melted butter: We'll mix the melted butter with the melted chocolate chips to make a chocolate ganache instead of adding it to the pie filling as you might do with a traditional pecan pie.
- Dark brown sugar: You can use light brown sugar if that is what you have, I always prefer the deeper flavor of dark brown sugar.
- Eggs: Three eggs to hold our gooey filling together.
- Dark corn syrup: Again, you can use light corn syrup if you prefer. I like the added molasses in dark corn syrup for a pecan pie, and it goes especially well with the chocolate and bourbon, too.
- Vanilla: To smooth out the flavors and bring them together.
- Kosher salt: You've got to have salt to balance the sweet in this pie, plus—pecans love that salt!
How to make chocolate bourbon pecan pie
Recipe adapted lightly from David Lebovitz.
Step 1: Make the crust
If using store-bought crust, skip to step 3.
Pulse the flour, sugar and salt in a food processor. Cut the butter into cubes, add to the flour mixture and pulse until it looks like coarse bread crumbs.
Add ¼ cup ice water and pulse for a few seconds, until the mixture is the texture of wet sand. The mixture should look sandy, but hold together when you squeeze it with your hands.
If it falls apart, add more ice water 1 tablespoon at a time until it holds together.
Turn the mixture out onto the counter top and form a disc. (You can also dump it right onto a piece of plastic wrap and bring it together using the edges of the wrap and pushing down with your knuckles as shown in this photo.)
Wrap the disc tightly in plastic wrap and use a bench scraper or your hands to smooth the edges. Refrigerate for at least one hour or for up to three days.
Step 2: Roll out and shape the crust
Let the crust sit at room temperature for 5-10 minutes then roll out on a lightly floured surface into a round approximately 12 inches in diameter. Gently drape it into the pie dish.
Equipment note: You must use a deep dish pie plate that is 9 to 10 inches in diameter for this recipe.
Fold the edges of the dough under and form the shape of the crust that you like. For this photo, I just cross-hatched it with a fork. There are so many simple ways to make a pie crust pretty.
Place the pie crust in the refrigerator to chill for at least 30 minutes before filling.
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Step 3: Toast and chop the pecans
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Place the pecans on a sheet pan, and toast for about 8 minutes, just until they start to release their oils and smell good.
Set the pecans aside to cool, then give them a very rough chop.
Step 4: Melt the chocolate
Place the chocolate in a microwave safe bowl and microwave for about 1 minute to melt it. Stir to be sure there are no chunks of chocolate remaining.
Melt the butter in the microwave (this happens fast!) and gently stir into the chocolate. Set aside to cool.
Step 5: Make the bourbon pecan pie filling
Combine the brown sugar, bourbon, vanilla, eggs, dark corn syrup, and kosher salt in a mixing bowl and whisk to combine.
Add the melted chocolate and whisk until all ingredients are incorporated.
Stir in the chopped pecans and mix until they are all coated with the filling.
Step 6: Fill the crust and bake!
Pour the filling into the crust and bake for 50-55 minutes until the center is set, but still has a slight wobble.
Cool completely on a wire rack before serving.
Expert tips
- If making your own pie crust, be sure to use the fluff, spoon, and sweep method of measuring your flour: fluff up the flour in the bag, then spoon it into the measuring cup, (don't scoop it with the measuring cup) then "sweep" the flour off the top with the back of a butter knife to make it level. Or better yet, use a kitchen scale!
- I like the texture of a really rough chop on the pecans. I think it gives it a great texture, you need the bigger chunks of pecans to balance all the sweetness of the chocolate bourbon pie filling.
- We are not here for the most perfect looking pie crust. It can be rustic. It will taste just as good.
- Make a ring of foil for the crust before you put the pie in the oven and set aside so it's ready to use in case it starts getting too brown. You can also use a pie ring.
- The pie will puff up as it bakes and you might get cracks in the top. This is totally normal, so don't worry about it.
FAQ
No you don't. Pecan pie bakes for a fairly long time, and this would cause the crust to burn before the pie is done. This crust bakes up flaky, so don't worry!
You can absolutely use a store-bought crust. Just make sure it is for a 9 to 10-inch deep dish pie.
No you don't if you're going to eat it fairly quickly. This pie can be stored at room temperature, lightly covered for 2-3 days, just as you would a fruit pie. If you need to store it longer than that, cover tightly with foil or plastic wrap and transfer to the refrigerator
If you don't like bourbon, you can substitute dark or spiced rum. If you don't want any alcohol at all, just leave it out. The recipe will taste perfectly fine without it.
Storage and make ahead
Store chocolate bourbon pecan pie at room temperature lightly covered with aluminum foil for up to 3 days. Beyond that, store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 more days.
The pie crust can be made up to three days ahead and refrigerated, or stored in the freezer for up to two months. Don't roll it out until ready to use.
More pecan recipes
- Pecan Bars have all the flavors of pecan pie, a shortbread crust, and they're very portable!
- Pecan Sandies Cookies are made with salted butter and topped with flaky sea salt. They're the grownup version of your childhood fave.
- Cranberry Pecan Dark Chocolate Bark is incredibly festive and super quick!
Chocolate bourbon pecan pie is easy to make, and a fun twist on the original!
- Whisk up the filling in a couple of mixing bowls in less than 10 minutes!
- The bourbon and dark chocolate even out the super-sweet flavor of a traditional pecan pie filling.
- Adjust the amount of bourbon to your personal taste.
- Can be made a day ahead so it's great for Thanksgiving or Christmas!
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Recipe
Chocolate Bourbon Pecan Pie Recipe
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I will email this recipe to you, so you can come back to it later!
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Equipment
- rolling pin if making homemade pie crust
- food processor if making homemade pie crust
Ingredients
Pie Crust
- 1¼ cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 8 tablespoons unsalted butter, cubed (1 stick)
- ¼ cup ice water or more, if necessary
Chocolate Bourbon Pecan Pie flling
- ¾ cup bittersweeet chocolate chips
- 2 tablespoons melted butter
- 3 large eggs
- ¾ cup dark brown sugar
- ⅔ cup dark corn syrup or light corn syrup, or golden syrup
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ cup bourbon (or less if you want lighter bourbon flavor)
- ¾ teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 cups pecan halves
Instructions
Pie Crust
- Pulse the flour, sugar and salt in a food processor. Cut the butter into cubes, add to the flour mixture and pulse until it looks like coarse bread crumbs.
- Add ¼ cup ice water and pulse for a few seconds, until the mixture is the texture of wet sand. The mixture should look sandy, but hold together when you squeeze it with your hands. If it falls apart, add more ice water 1 tablespoon at a time until it holds together.
- Turn the mixture out onto the counter top and bring it together with your hands to form a disc. (You can also dump it right onto a piece of plastic wrap and bring it together using the edges of the wrap and pushing down with your knuckles as shown in the photo above.)
- Wrap the disc tightly in plastic wrap and use a bench scraper or your hands to smooth the edges. Refrigerate for at least one hour or for up to three days.
- Let the crust sit at room temperature for 5-10 minutes then roll out on a lightly floured surface into a round approximately 12 inches in diameter. Gently drape it into a deep dish pie pan.
- Fold the edges of the dough under and form the shape of the crust that you like. For this pie, I just cross-hatched it with a fork. Place the pie crust in the refrigerator to chill for at least 30 minutes before filling.
Chocolate Bourbon Pecan Pie Filling
- NOTE: You MUST use a 9 to 10-inch deep dish pie pan for this recipe. A standard shallow pan will overflow.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Place the pecans on a sheet pan, and toast for about 8 minutes, just until they start to release their oils and smell good. Set the pecans aside to cool, then give them a very rough chop.
- Place the chocolate in a microwave safe bowl and microwave for about 1 minute to melt it. Stir to be sure there are no chunks of chocolate remaining. Melt the butter in the microwave (careful, this happens fast!) and gently stir into the chocolate. Set aside to cool.
- Combine the brown sugar, bourbon, vanilla, eggs, dark corn syrup, and kosher salt in a mixing bowl and whisk to combine.
- Add the cooled melted chocolate and whisk until all ingredients are incorporated. Stir in the chopped pecans and mix until they are all coated with the filling.
- Pour the filling into the crust and bake for 50-55 minutes until the center is set, but still has a very slight wobble. Cool completely on a wire rack before serving.
- Store at room temperature lightly covered with foil for up to two days.
Notes
- If you don't like bourbon, you can substitute dark or spiced rum. If you want to leave out the alcohol completely, you absolutely can, the recipe will still taste very good and it won't affect the texture.
- If making your own crust, be sure to use the fluff, spoon, and sweep method of measuring your flour: fluff up the flour in the bag, then spoon it into the measuring cup, (don't scoop it with the measuring cup) then "sweep" the flour off the top with the back of a butter knife to make it level. Or better yet, use a kitchen scale!
- I like the texture of a really rough chop on the pecans. I think it gives it a great texture, you need the bigger chunk of pecans to balance all this of the chocolate bourbon pie filling.
- We are not here for the most perfect looking pie crust. It can be rustic. It will taste just as good.
- Make a ring of foil for the crust before you put the pie in the oven and set aside so it's ready use in case it starts getting too brown. You can also use a pie ring.
- The pie will puff up as it bakes and you might get cracks in the top. This is totally normal, so don't worry about it.
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