I owe you an apology. And a slice of pie. OK, maybe a couple of slices.
Because although my little southwest kitchen has been bustling, I’ve been remiss in sharing all the juicy details with you over the past few weeks.
But I have an explanation! And it’s a good one! And it involves lots and lots and lots of technology fails, potty-mouthed tirades, and hatred of all things bandwith, byte, bitmap and Boolean. But I won’t bore you with the details.
Instead I’ll just tell you that the techno-troubles are resolved and now it’s time to churn out more goodness than you can shake a server at: there’s going to be cookies, there’s going to be gifties, there’s going to be laughter, and there’s most certainly going to be some good cheer.
But for now, there’s pie. The most delicious, candy bar-esque, toasted pecan-stuffed, Mexican-chocolate and graham-crusted pie that you can possibly imagine.
So dig in, strap up, and stay tuned. Because it’s about to get festive all up in here.
Mexican Chocolate-Crusted Pecan Pie
Chef’s Note: This recipe yields a thick, thick crust and quite a bit of filling – you’re going to want to be sure to use a 9″ deep-dish pie plate and, although I’ve never had any spillage while baking this pie, you may want to place the pie plate on a sheet tray before placing it in the oven, just to be safe.
For the crust:
1 package (9 whole) graham crackers
2 discs Mexican chocolate, melted (approximately 6.3 ounces)
5 tbsp. unsalted butter, melted
For the filling:
2 c. dark brown sugar, tightly packed
11 tbsp. unsalted butter, softened
2 large eggs
2 c. pecans, roughly chopped
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 1/4 c. all-purpose flour
1 tsp. salt
Preheat oven to 350°.
Spread the pecan pieces evenly over a sheet tray and toast for approximately 8 minutes or until deep brown and fragrant. Remove and set aside to cool.
Meanwhile, to prepare the crust, place the graham crackers and melted chocolate into the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade and process until smooth and blended. Process in the melted butter – the finished mixture should be the consistency of coarse, damp sand. Press the crust mixture into the bottom and up the sides of a 9″ deep-dish pie plate. Set aside.
To prepare the pie filling, cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Mix in the eggs, vanilla, salt and then flour. Fold in the pecans. Carefully pour the filling over the crust and smooth across the top. Bake for 40-45 minutes. The finished pie will be crisp, puffed and golden on top. Remove and set aside to cool slightly before serving.
YIELD: approximately 10 servings
Dear Scarletta,
I live in China. It is hard enough to get black beans, much less chipotle chile and mexican chocolate(!) Will you mail me some… hee heeeeeee
oh well, at least I get a lot of salt and msg
love your blog!
Jenine
Happy your technology problems are resolved.
And this looks incredible! I need to find a suitable pie pan.
Wow this looks really amazing, how delicious!
You… are brilliant. Pinned!
Thanks so much, Sommer!
You my dear, have got my entire household (all two of us, haha) HOOKED on mexican chocolate!!! I’ll be dreaming of this pie all day.
oh no you didn’t. chocolate. pecan pie. mexican spiced? did you make this pie for me meagan??? I think you did
¡Sí Señorita!
This looks so yummy! I can almost taste it in my mouth with that photo! Nice to meet you and your blog
Thank you so much, Dariela! Nice to meet you as well!
great recipe Meagan! question: if I can’t find Mexican chocolate, what spices would I use to mimic it for my crust? I’m assuming it would be a combination of all spice, nutmeg, cinnamon, and some sort of chilie? Please share your southwestern wisdom
Good question, Christine! As I mentioned below, adding ground cinnamon (or, of course, Mexican canela) to sweetened chocolate is the best and easiest way to mimic the flavoring of Mexican chocolate. You could also add a pinch of nutmeg, a dash of almond extract, and/or just a bit of ground ancho chile as well; one of the reasons that I love Mexican chocolate is that it comes in many different forms, all of which are flavored slightly differently. I hope this helps!
thanks so much Meagan, I really appreciate the feedback! xx
Yum! This looks so perfect!
Oh Im loving the choc-graham cracker crust and then the gooey filling, 100% brown sugar, yes! I have to say, I could skip the nuts and JUST eat that gooey filling and I’d be more than happy. With the crust, of course, b/c it’s perfect sounding!
This sounds and looks like an absolute dream of decadence! I love that you used Mexican chocolate instead of regular chocolate! Send me a slice
Computer problems make me crazy! Glad yours are resolved so you can bake wonderful treats like this!
I’ll take some.
Most definitely worth the extra 5 miles on the treadmill
This looks like Crack Pie except with chocolate crust! I want.
You know, I didn’t think of that, but the filling is a lot like the filling for a Crack Pie, which is part of the reason that I really like how the toasted pecans and chocolate crust help with some of the richness of that addictive filling!
Looks good!
Oh this looks fantastic. I love the sound of the thick crust too. I’ve not seen amy mexican chocolate in the UK though. Now I’m sad. Any flavours or type of chocolate that will be best to substitute that for?
No worries, Lisa! Go for any type of sweetened chocolate (even melted chocolate chips would work here) then add in a teaspoon of cinnamon to the mix and you’ll be pretty close to true Mexican chocolate. Let me know how it turns out!
I cant’ wait to see what you have up your sleeve because, well, if this is any indication, it will rock my socks off. Amazing, right here.
No, you didn’t!….Whoa!
PS…you can send me the missing piece
This sounds like a total dream!