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Pecan pie is good but CHOCOLATE Pecan Pie is better! You will wow your family this holiday with this pie: it’s a classic pecan pie that has a chocolate fudge center that tastes like a gooey brownie!
Fudgy Chocolate Pecan Pie
The first time I had chocolate in pecan pie was in high school. I was at my boyfriends house for a Hanukah Party and his mom served chocolate chip pecan pie. My mind was instantly blown: you can put CHOCOLATE in PECAN PIE?
See, my mom has been making the easy pecan pie recipe that’s on the side of the Karo bottle my entire life. That’s why, when I realized you could make a different version, I was in awe. Since then, adding chocolate chips to pecan pie is one of my favorite things to do, until now. Now I’m going to add melted chocolate every time I make it!
Chocolate Pecan Pie Ingredients
- Pie Crust: you can use my all butter pie crust recipe or one from the store.
- Karo Syrup: traditional in making a gooey pecan pie! Pecan pie can be made with dark or light Karo syrup, but for this recipe I chose to use a cup light Karo.
- Baking Chocolate: use a baking bar you find in the baking aisle. Some chocolate pecan pie recipes use unsweetened cocoa powder but this one use baking chocolate instead. It makes it more of a fudge pecan pie.
- Butter: I always use unsalted butter. If using salted butter, omit salt.
- Pecans: use pecan halves, but feel free to chop them if you prefer.
How to make Chocolate Pecan Pie
- Melt chocolate and butter together, like when you make brownies. Use a large bowl. Once that’s melted and smooth, you’ll whisk in the other ingredients.
- Add in sugar, light corn syrup, eggs, vanilla and salt. It’ll make a smooth chocolate filling.
- You can make your own pie crust or use one from the store. My favorite are the ones in the refrigerator section, but you can use a frozen one as well. Using a pre-made crust makes this pie SO easy!
- Make sure to use a 9-inch pie plate (not deep dish).
- In my normal pecan pie recipes, I add the pecans to the bottom of the crust then pour in the filling. The pecans float – so they rise to the top. However, the chocolate makes this filling thick, like a brownie batter, so the pecans will not rise. You’ll want to just place the pecans on top of the filling instead. Feel free to place them in a pattern or randomly, as I did.
Expert Tips
- Karo syrup is responsible for the perfect texture of the filling of pecan pie. It really does make the best pie (Mom knows best, after all!) and even though you can make pecan pie without Karo, it’s just not the same.
- You’ll notice the recipe calls for baking the pie at 425°F for 10 minutes, then tells you to lower the oven temperature for the remaining of the baking. This helps cook the bottom of the crust right away. I do this for a lot of my pie recipes and it works like a charm.
- This pie has a thick and fudgy chocolate center. I let it cool completely then refrigerate it to store, but I like to serve this pie room temperature or warm. At room temperature, the pie is thick like a cross between fudge and a brownie. Warmed, the pie filling is gooey like a traditional pecan pie. This pie would be fantastic with whipped cream or ice cream too!
FAQs
When your pie is done baking it will be puffed and cracking around the edges. It’ll jiggly slightly in the center (but firm as it cools). If you have an instant read thermometer you can use it to test for doneness: when the internal temp of the pie is 200°F, the pie is done!
I err on the side of chilling pecan pie. I’m sure it’s fine on the counter, but I always refrigerate my pies.
Yes be sure to wrap it well with plastic wrap and pie can be frozen for up to 2 months.
Chocolate Pecan Pie
Recipe Video
Ingredients
- 1 pie crust from scratch or from the refrigerated section
- 2 tablespoons (28g) unsalted butter
- 4 ounces (113g) unsweetened baking chocolate, chopped
- 1 cup (237ml) light Karo Syrup
- 3 large eggs
- 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 ½ cups pecan halves, approximately
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425°F.
- Place pie crust in a 9-inch pie plate. Crimp edges as desired, chill until ready to fill.
- Place butter and baking chocolate in a large microwave safe bowl. Heat in 30 second increments, stirring between each, until melted and smooth (about 1 1/2 -2 minutes, depending on your microwave).
- Whisk in Karo®, eggs, sugar, vanilla and salt. Pour into prepared pie crust.
- Top the pie with pecan halves. Make sure they’re in a single layer.
- I suggest using a pie crust shield so that the edges of the pie crust don’t get too dark. If you don’t have a pie crust shield, you can place strips of foil around the edges of the crust.
- Bake at 425° for 10 minutes, then lower the oven temperature to 350°F and bake for another 40-50 minutes, or until the pie is puffed and cracked around the edges. The center will be a bit jiggly (it’ll firm as it cools) and, if you have an instant read thermometer, the pie is done when it reaches 200°F internal temperature.
- Cool completely before slicing. I recommend chilling the pie for storing, but the pie is best eaten at room temperature or warmed.
Recipe Nutrition
This pie is adapted from the one on the Karo website found here.
I love pecan pie. Add in chocolate and I am a big fan. I have saved this off to my recipes and afraid I will make it often, lol
This is similar to a recipe my Great Grandmother made when we were growing up. She used 4 eggs and 1 stick of butter and 3 T. light corn syrup. At first, she made it with pecans and then one day we didn’t have any and made the pie without them. Instant hit – we called it Chocolate Fudge Pie. My sis likes it cooked a couple of minutes longer so it is fudgier. I like it very giggly in the center so when it is refrigerated it cuts and eats like pure silk. It is still a favorite after 70 years of taking it to every gathering and giving the recipe to hundreds of people. There are even two restaurants now who serve and call it “Great’s Chocolate Fudge Pie. I had forgotten how it started however until I saw your recipe. I’m going to go back and make it with Pecans for the next gathering. Thank you.
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