Chocolate Pecan Pie with Salted Caramel

Nov 07, 2023 • Tom Jackson

Chef Tom’s effortlessly, tasty Herb Roasted Smashed Potatoes will leave you yearning for more! These spuds are prepared with a minimal number of utensils and ingredients but are smashed with loads of flavor and texture. With this simplistic prep, they are a breeze to whip up for any meal.

Chocolate Pecan Pie with Salted Caramel

Tom Jackson

Rated 4.6 stars by 5 users

Cuisine

American

Servings

12

Prep Time

45 minutes

Cook Time

30 minutes

Calories

567

Chocolate Pecan Pie with Salted Caramel is a delectable dessert that combines the nutty flavor of pecans and, a rich chocolatey texture with a dash of bourbon under a layer of smooth homemade salted caramel sauce. Chef Tom shows us how you can present these in mini cast iron skillets for a festive gathering or you can opt to keep it as a standard whole pie.

Ingredients

Pie dough:

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cubed, frozen
2 1/4 cup (12 oz) oz AP flour
3 tbsp (2 oz) sugar
3/4 tsp Jacobsen Salt Co. Kosher Sea Salt
2 eggs
1 1/2 tbsp (3/4 oz) cold water

Chocolate filling:

3/4 cup white sugar
6 tbsp unsalted butter
3 tbsp all-purpose flour
3 tbsp cocoa powder
1 tbsp light corn syrup
1/2 tsp bourbon (or vanilla extract)
2 eggs
1/2 cup chopped pecans

Salted caramel:

1/4 cup sugar
2 tbsp Tapped Whiskey Barrel Aged Maple Syrup
3 tbsp light corn syrup
3 tbsp heavy cream
1/2 tsp Jacobsen Salt Co. Kosher Sea Salt
1 tsp bourbon (or vanilla extract)
1 1/2 tbsp unsalted butter

Topping:

3/4 cup pecan halves, toasted
1/2 tsp Jacobsen Salt Co. Kosher Sea Salt

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Directions

Preheat your Yoder Smokers YS640S Pellet Grill to 375ºF, set up for indirect grilling.
To make the pie dough, combine the dry ingredients in a Vitamix Food Processor. Add the frozen butter. Process briefly, about 10 seconds, until the butter is broken down into small pieces. Add the eggs, one at a time. After the eggs are incorporated, add the cold water. Mix just until the dough goes from a sandy texture to starting to clump together. Turn out onto a work surface. Press into a one inch thick rectangle. Wrap in plastic. Place in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.
Roll the dough out until it’s about 3/4” thick and large enough to cover six Lodge 3.5” mini cast iron skillets. Cut into six pieces and press each one into the mini skillet. Trim the excess around the edges, then crimp with a fork. Transfer to the refrigerator to chill.
To make the filling, combine all ingredients in a mixing bowl and whisk to combine.
Scoop about one quarter cup of the filling into each skillet, on top of the raw dough.
Bake the mini pies on the second shelf of the grill until the filling reaches an internal temperature of 170ºF, about 25-30 minutes. Remove from the grill and let cool.
While the pie cools, make the caramel sauce. Combine the corn syrup, sugar, maple syrup and salt in a Lodge 8” Steel Skillet over medium heat. Don’t stir, but swirl occasionally to make sure all of the sugar is hydrated and melting. Cook until caramel in color. Turn off the heat. Add the heavy cream, bourbon and butter. Whisk until smooth and creamy.
Neatly arrange the toasted pecan halves on top of the pies. Pour the warm caramel over the top. Let the caramel set up slightly, then sprinkle the salt over the top to finish.

Image of Chocolate Pecan Pie with Salted Caramel

Recipe Note

Other Recipes You Might Enjoy:

Banana Foster Creme

Smoky Candied Pecans

Recipe Highlights and Insights:

Why is corn syrup an anti-crystallization agent?

Corn syrup is considered an anti-crystallization agent in cooking and baking because it helps prevent the formation of sugar crystals in many candy and dessert recipes. The following combined factors make corn syrup an effective anti-crystallization agent in many applications from frosting to fudge. It helps to maintain the desired texture in the sweets you are making.

High Sugar Concentration:Corn syrup is primarily composed of sugars, with a high glucose concentration. When you add corn syrup to a sugar concoction, it increases the overall sugar concentration. This then inhibits the formation of sugar crystals. In candy-making, crystallization can result in a grainy or gritty texture which is not a typical desire when consuming sweets.

Invert Sugar:Corn syrup contains a small amount of acid, which helps hydrolyze sucrose (table sugar) into its constituent sugars, glucose, and fructose. This process creates what is known as inverted sugar. Invert sugar is less prone to crystallization compared to sucrose, which means it helps maintain a smoother and creamier texture in candy and syrups.

Hygroscopic Properties:Corn syrup is hygroscopic, which means it attracts and holds moisture from the surrounding environment. This moisture absorption prevents sugar crystals from forming because the presence of water molecules disrupts the orderly arrangement of sugar molecules required for crystallization.

Interferes with Seed Crystals:To initiate crystallization, sugar molecules need a starting point, called see crystals. Corn syrup helps prevent the formation of these seed crystals, as it creates an environment where sugar molecules are less likely to come together in an organized manner. Without seed crystals, crystallization is less likely to occur.