Chocolate Fudge Pecan Pie
The gooey hot fudge layer and the toasted nuts in this Chocolate Fudge Pecan Pie will make this sweet treat a new favorite at Thanksgiving dinner.
The gooey hot fudge layer and the toasted nuts in this Chocolate Fudge Pecan Pie will make this sweet treat a new favorite at Thanksgiving dinner.
- Carbohydrate 46.0038133505188 g
- Cholesterol 10.335 mg
- Fat 55.2103691666667 g
- Fiber 6.24900811870893 g
- Protein 9.01012625002102 g
- Saturated Fat 10.4093964166667 g
- Serving Size 1 1 slice (166g)
- Sodium 170.408666671572 mg
- Sugar 39.7548052318099 g
- Trans Fat 3.04554404166667 g
- Calories 687 calories
Step-by-step
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Place the pie crust in a 9 inch pie plate and crimp the edges of the crust.
- Remove the lid from the hot fudge. Heat in the microwave for 30 seconds. Stir and pour into a large bowl.
- Add the eggs, brown sugar, whipping cream, vanilla, and salt and whisk together.
- Stir in the pecans and chocolate chips gently. Pour into the prepared pie crust and bake for 30-35 minutes.
- Remove and let cool completely. Cover tightly with foil. If you are making this more than a day ahead of time, refrigerate until needed. Let the pie come to room temperature before serving. Top with Cool Whip and chocolate curls, if desired.
Standard chess and nut pies rely on a corn syrup base that sets into a firm, gelatinous wedge, but this version incorporates a dense layer of warmed chocolate fudge for a much richer interior. Microwaving the fudge for precisely thirty seconds thins its viscosity enough to incorporate smoothly with eggs and heavy cream without prematurely cooking the proteins. Working in a nine-inch pie plate requires careful edge crimping to prevent the heavy filling from boiling over the crust border during baking at 375 degrees.
Substitutions alter the final structure significantly because commercial hot fudge contains stabilizers that mimic the setting power of traditional corn syrup. Replacing heavy whipping cream with whole milk introduces too much water content, resulting in a runny center that fails to slice cleanly after thirty-five minutes in the oven. Miniature chocolate chips distribute more evenly through the dense nut mixture than standard morsels, preventing heavy pockets from sinking to the bottom crust.
Cooling the finished dessert completely on a wire rack allows the starch and dairy networks to stabilize before slicing. Storing the pastry tightly covered with aluminum foil prevents ambient refrigerator moisture from softening the flaky crust edges over a twenty-four-hour period. Allowing the chilled segments to return to ambient room temperature before serving softens the solid fats in both the pecans and the fudge layer, yielding a creamier mouthfeel.
Small kitchens benefit from multi-use equipment, so a standard glass pie dish works identically to metal pans provided the oven maintains its target heat accurately. Residual heat from baking continues to set the interior proteins during the initial cooling phase, making knife work easier once the center stops registering as warm to the touch.
