Looking for an exceptional holiday dessert? This Chocolate Espresso Pecan Pie is as decadent as they come and simple to put together. It may even be a great gift to deliver to a friend since we can’t gather as we did last year.
The Crust:
You can either purchase a frozen deep dish pie crust or prepare your own using my recipe for the Ultimate All-Butter Pie Crust . If you are making this to give it away, purchase the frozen crust as it comes with its own pan and you won’t need to worry about trying to get your pan back. Another option would be to just buy the foil pie pans and make your own crust, if you have the time. Your own crust is a labor of love and honestly doesn’t take that much time.
Coat the inside (sides and bottom) of the crust with the frothy egg white mixture then place in the refrigerator to set while you make the filling. Why do this? The filling is wet and often wet fillings make for a soggy bottom crust. The egg whites provide a seal to the crust against the filling. To complete this process, the pie is baked on a baking sheet that has been preheated in the oven. When it’s ready to go in the oven, and the pie is placed on the hot baking sheet and it will initially begin cooking the crust from the bottom and help seal in the egg white mixture from the wet filling. I have used this method frequently for my Dutch Apple Pie and my Fresh Strawberry Pie when blind-baking the crust. You can see pictures of the crust after this process on either of those posts. You will see its impact further down this post. Wait for it!
The Filling:
Gather these simple ingredients.
- Cream the brown sugar and softened butter. Then, mix in the flour.
- Slowly add in the dark corn syrup. Dissolve the espresso powder in the HOT water and add it in along with the vanilla.
- Blend in the large eggs until well incorporated. Mix in the pecans.
Next, spread the chocolate chips on the bottom of the chilled pie crust. Then, pour the filling over them.
Place pie onto the baking sheet preheated in the oven. Return to the oven for 45-50 minutes.
When the filling is puffed up around the edges and the center is set, remove it from the oven to the cooling rack to completely cool.
After setting overnight, you can see the filling is set. I made this late in the day and as much as I wanted a piece, I knew I had to be patient otherwise the filling would ooze all out and its form would be ruined.
Remember the discussion above about preventing soggy crusts? Look at this! Win, win!
It is time to devour a piece of this Chocolate Espresso Pecan Pie! The noticeable coffee flavor mixed with chocolate is heavenly!
*For whipped topping, beat heavy whipping cream until stiff peaks begin to form. Blend in 1 tablespoon of confectioner’s sugar and 1/2-1 teaspoon of vanilla extract until well incorporated. Store unused topping in sealed container in the refrigerator.
Chocolate Espresso Pecan Pie
Ingredients
- 1 9" frozen deep dish pie crust or make your own
- 1 egg white, beaten frothy to coat crust before baking
- 1/2 c semi-sweet chocolate chips
Pie Filling
- 1/2 c dark brown sugar
- 1/4 c softened butter (1/2 of a stick)
- 1 T flour
- 3/4 c dark corn syrup
- 1/4 c HOT water
- 1 T Espresso powder
- 1 1/2 t vanilla
- 3 large eggs
- 1 c chopped pecans
Whipped Cream Topping:
- 1 c heavy whipping cream
- 1 t vanilla
- 1 T confectioner's sugar
Instructions
- Prepare/ purchase crust. Brush frothy egg white over the inside of the crust. Refrigerate or place in the freezer while preparing filling.
Pie Filling
- Preheat oven to 375°F. Place baking sheet you will use to hold the pie on upper middle rack while preheating.
- Cream together the brown sugar and butter until smooth then blend in the flour.
- Mix in the corn syrup gradually.
- Next, blend the espresso powder and hot water together. Blend it into the mixture along with the vanilla.
- Mix in the eggs followed by the pecans.
- Remove refrigerated pie crust and spread chocolate chips onto the bottom.
- Pour filling slowly into pie crust. Remove baking sheet from oven and place the pie on it.
- Bake pie for 45-50 minutes until the filling is puffed around the perimeter of the crust and set in the middle.
- Remove pan from oven and transfer pie to cooling rack to cool completely.
- When serving, top with whipped cream, if desired.
Whipped Cream Topping:
- Beat heavy cream until peaks begin to form. Add in vanilla and confectioner's sugar briefly until topping is at desired consistency Do not overbeat!
