Dark Chocolate-Bourbon Pecan Pie

The only thing better than pecan pie? Chocolate bourbon pecan pie! That’s right, your favorite sticky-sweet pie got a chocolatey makeover so good you’ll have to make it at least once this holiday season. Though many pecan pie recipes call for corn syrup this one relies on pantry staples like white and dark brown sugar, bound together with deeply browned butter and eggs beaten until frothy. New to making pie dough? Here are some super-helpful tips. Of course, if you run out of time, there’s nothing wrong with using a frozen dough.

You can make the pie dough ahead of time. 

Once you start making pie dough in advance, your whole life will change. Make a few batches of a double crust pie dough recipe every few months, wrap them tightly in plastic wrap or a freezer safe bag and stash them in the freezer. Defrost the dough in the fridge overnight (or at least 5 hours ahead) when you have a pie craving. Plus, by stocking up, you'll never have to wait for pie dough to rest ever again.

Use cold (really cold!) butter.

For any pie-baking newbies, cold butter = flaky crust. When mixing the dough in the food processor, you're looking for pea-size (or a bit larger) clumps of butter. If you over-mix the dough, you risk a crust that comes out tough, and no one wants that.

Apple cider vinegar is the secret ingredient.

Just a little bit of vinegar in the dough helps make your crust more tender and the dough easier to work with. If you don't have apple cider vinegar, distilled white vinegar, vodka, or lemon juice will work too. 

Chill the pie crust before baking.

After draping the pie crust into the pie plate let it rest in the fridge for 10 minutes, then crimp the sides and chill again. Place the whole thing in the fridge for 30 minutes or the freezer for 10 minutes. Both chill times will ensure your crust doesn't shrink in the oven.

Par-bake the pie crust.

Partially baking the crust before you add filling—especially custardy fillings like pumpkin—will help prevent the bottom from turning into mush. As Mary Berry would say, “no soggy bottoms!”

Use dark chocolate.

Even if you're a milk chocolate fan most of the time, dark chocolate is a must here. The pie is already so sweet that it needs the slight bitterness dark chocolate brings.