Bready or Not Original: Chocolate Bourbon Pecan Pie with Vanilla Bourbon Crust
Pie. Pie is good. The world needs more pie. Maybe you need a pie right now or next week. If so, and you like pecans, this is the right post for you. This Chocolate Bourbon Pecan Pie with Vanilla Bourbon Crust will blow your mind.
I used a tiny bottle of Jim Bean Bourbon for this recipe, one of those pocket-sized ones you find near the counter in liquor stores. A little liquor has a lot of flavor. This pie doesn’t taste boozy, but has a wonderful fresh flavor from the bourbon.
The crust recipe I use here is one you’ll see again coming up, paired with a pumpkin pie recipe!
Bready or Not Original: Vanilla Bourbon Pie Crust
Equipment
- food processor
- plastic wrap
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour plus more for dusting
- 3 Tablespoons white sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- 10 Tablespoons cold unsalted butter cut into pieces
- 1 Tablespoon vanilla paste or one scraped vanilla pod
- 1 Tablespoon cold bourbon
- 2 to 3 Tablespoons ice water
Instructions
- In a large food processor, pulse together flour, sugar, and salt. Add about a third of the butter and pulse. Add the remaining butter and pulse into it’s the size of peas. Add the vanilla paste, bourbon, and 2 tablespoons of cold water. Pulse until it comes together, adding a little more water if needed.
- Turn dough out on a surface to knead until it fully comes together. Flatten it into a disc and wrap in plastic to chill for at least an hour or up to a few days. It’s also great to freeze for future pies.
OM NOM NOM!
Bready or Not Original: Chocolate Bourbon Pecan Pie
Equipment
- pie plate
- cookie sheet
Ingredients
- 1 pie crust store-bought or homemade
- 1/2 cup brown sugar packed
- 1/2 cup white sugar
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter (1 stick) melted and cooled
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla paste or extract
- 2 1/2 Tablespoons bourbon
- 1 1/4 cups semisweet chocolate chips
- 1 cup diced pecans
Instructions
- If the pie crust is not already in a pan, rolled it out and shape it into dish, crimping edges. Set it in fridge to chill while filling is prepared.
- Preheat oven at 350 degrees. Place a metal cookie sheet in oven to heat as well.
- In a big mixing bowl, combine both sugars, the flour, and salt. Set aside.
- In another bowl, whisk together the butter, eggs, vanilla, and bourbon. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and stir until combined. Fold in the chocolate chips and pecans to coat.
- Pull out chilled crust. Pour filling inside. Carefully place it on the hot cookie sheet in the oven; this will hopefully prevent the dreaded soggy bottom on the crust.
- Bake for 40 to 50 minutes, until the middle no longer jiggles and passes the toothpick test. If the edges start to brown too much, use care to cover the crust with strips of foil. When the bake is done, the entire top of the pie should be set and golden.
- Cool completely before serving. Store covered by foil at room temperature.
OM NOM NOM!
Bready or Not: Chocolate Cake Mix Bundt Cake
I love bundt cakes. I’ve made some pretty fancy ones. This Chocolate Cake Mix Bundt Cake, however, is easy as can be… but make sure you use a large bundt pan.
I say this as a warning. I found the original recipe in a little cookbook published by Nordic Ware that I snagged at my local Friends of the Library sale (tangent: support your local library sale!) and it called for an 18-oz cake mix. Well, that size is no longer available. I thought I’d be fine using a 10-cup pan with a 15-oz cake mix.
Hahaha. No. For the first time ever, my bundt pan overflowed. The good news is that the clean-up wasn’t as bad as I feared, as the crispy cake bits broke off the rack and oven floor right away, but it could have been much worse.
That disclaimer stated, this is a delicious, super-moist chocolate cake, the kind of thing that would work for a dessert or a brunch. Pair it with fresh fruit and ice cream, and you have something very special. No one will guess it’s made from a mix.
Bready or Not: Chocolate Cake Mix Bundt Cake
Equipment
- 12-15 cup large bundt pan
- baking spray with flour
Ingredients
Cake
- 15.25- ounce chocolate cake mix
- 3.25 ounce instant chocolate pudding powder
- 3/4 teaspoon espresso powder optional
- 1 cup sour cream
- 1/2 cup warm water
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 4 large eggs room temperature
- 1 1/2 cups chocolate chips
Topping
- confectioners’ sugar optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven at 325 degrees. Generously coat a large bundt pan with baking spray with flour.
- In a large bowl, combine everything except for the chocolate chips. Mix for 2 minutes, then scrape the bottom of the bowl, then mix for another 3 minutes. Fold in the chocolate chips.
- Add batter to prepared bundt pan. Level out to make even. Bake for 55-60 minutes, until it passes the toothpick test in cake.
- Cool in pan for 15 minutes, then use mitts to carefully tip cake onto a baking rack. Cool completely.
- If desired, dust confectioners’ sugar on top prior to serving. Store in sealed container at room temp or in fridge. Cake can be cut into slices and frozen for up to a month.
