Chocolate Pecan Pie

Oh my, pecan pie. Buttery. Nutty. Chewy. Flaky. Why do I only think of you when the leaves start changing colors? I suppose the other seasons have their foods too so it is best to save pecan pie for the fall to not miss out on all the other delicious seasonal sweets. Anyway, mmmmmm.... pecan pie.

For the crust, I used half the recipe of Smitten Kitchen's All Butter, Really Flaky Pie Dough Recipe. For the filling, I used a combination of what's written on the back of the corn syrup bottle and the recipe in Better Homes and Gardens Cook Book 75th Anniversary Edition (used the less butter and less sugar parts of each recipe...and then added in a cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips to line the bottom of the pie...).

• 1/2 recipe of Smitten Kitchen's All Butter, Really Flaky Pie Dough Recipe
• 3 slightly beaten large eggs
• 1 cup dark corn syrup (I recommend using light instead...didn't think it would make the pie look so dark!)
• 2/3 cup granulated sugar
• 2 tablespoons melted butter
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 1/2 to 2 cups pecan halves (I ended up adding 2 cups because I used a deep dish pie plate)
• 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

1. Prepare single-crust pie pastry for a 9-inch pie plate.
2. To make filling, combine eggs, corn syrup, sugar, butter, and vanilla. Mix well and then stir in pecan halves.
3. Place pastry-lined pie plate on oven rack. Pour in chocolate chips evenly onto bottom of pastry shell. Pour in pecan filling.
4. Bake in 350F oven for 30 minutes. To prevent browning, cover edges of pie with foil and then continue baking for another 30 minutes (insert a knife or chopstick in the center and it should come out clean). Cool on wire rack. Cover and refrigerate within 2 hours. 

To make it extra special, whip up some cinnamon whipped cream or melt some additional chocolate to drizzle on top!