Chocolate Pie

One of the best parts of the holidays is all the baking. Homemade goodies are such wonderful & thoughtful little gifts that can mean more than any store bought present. When a person spends their time making food for another it is an act of true love & service, and that's one of the reasons why cooking draws me in over and over again. My mother in law, or Tilly as we call her, makes tons of these pies every year for friends, co-workers, people at church, you name it. It's such a nice way to let someone know you are thinking of them. I'll be the first to admit that it's not the prettiest of pies, but don't let that fool you. It's charm is that it's simple & rustic & beyond delicious. The inside becomes almost fudge like or like a very moist brownie.   

The recipe for this pie actually comes from Tilly's mother, my husband's grandma. It's in one of those old church cookbooks that's got about 12 different pound cake recipes in it. You know the ones I'm talking about. I've made a few small changes by adding a bit of salt & toasting the nuts. Always add salt when baking, and please use kosher, not that horrible iodized table salt. Salt brings out the natural flavors in foods, and here it really helps the chocolate sing. Trust me that it makes a difference. The original recipe calls for pecans, but those can easily be left out. They can also be substituted for other nuts, like walnuts or maybe even pistachios. Be sure that the nuts are toasted and unsalted. I prefer to buy my pecans whole & raw so that I can toast & chop them myself. 

Don't bother with making a pie dough from scratch; just buy the raw pie shells in the tin pan that come 2 to a pack in the frozen aisle. They work perfectly for the amount of filling & are pretty much guaranteed to be baked completely through without having to worry about blind baking. There's no special equipment needed to make one of these pies, just bowls & a whisk or spoon. It's super easy to crank out several of these to give to friends & family or just one for you to enjoy by yourself. No judgement here. I hope you all have a wonderful holiday season & a Merry Christmas full of tasty nommies with your loved ones, making wonderful new memories! See you in 2018! 

{Makes one 9 inch pie}


INGREDIENTS

1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup unsalted butter (1 stick)
1/4 tsp kosher salt 
2 eggs
1/2 cup AP flour sifted
1 square baking chocolate (1oz)
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup chopped toasted pecans
1 nine inch raw pie crust


***This is baker's chocolate. Each package contains 4oz, break off one square that will will equal 1 oz. I used an equal mix of 56% & 48% sweet. Use whichever level of sweetness you prefer.

INSTRUCTIONS 

1) Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. 

2) Start by toasting the pecans. Place them in a dry skillet on low heat, moving frequently until the nuts smell fragrant & have darkened some. Watch them carefully as they can burn easily. Remove from pan and allow to cool.

3) Melt butter in a large bowl (use microwave)  then whisk in the sugar & salt until completely combined.

4) Whisk in one egg at a time along with the vanilla.

5) Sift in the flour & whisk thoroughly.

6) Melt chocolate in a small bowl in the microwave. Start at 30 seconds then 15 second intervals stirring in between each time until completely melted. 

7) Use a silicone utensil to scrape all of the melted chocolate into the bowl of pie filling and whisk to combine.

8) Stir in chopped, toasted pecans then transfer to an unbaked pie crust.

9) Bake in a preheated 325 degree oven for 25-30 minutes. Start checking at 20 minutes.

10) The pie is done when the middle is just set. The top will most likely crack, but don't worry. It's ok to serve it warm, but I like to let it sit several hours until it reaches room temperature & firms up a bit.