A recipe for Brownie Pecan Pie in celebration of #FoodieExtravaganza’s American Pie event! This pie has a fudgy and gooey brownie-like filling with toasted, chopped pecans that pairs perfectly with the flaky crust.
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#FoodieExtravaganza
Foodie Extravaganza is a monthly party hosted by bloggers who love food! Each month we incorporate one main ingredient or theme from The Nibble into recipes to share with you and Wendy from A Day in the Life on the Farm chose to celebrate American Pies! Other foods celebrated in February include the potato, tortellini, sticky bun, banana bread, breakfast, pancake, pizza, grapefruit, and chocolate.
Posting day is always the first Wednesday of each month. If you are a blogger and would like to join our group and blog along with us, come join our Facebook page Foodie Extravaganza. We would love to have you! If you’re a spectator looking for delicious tid-bits check out our Foodie Extravaganza Pinterest Board!
Brownie Pecan Pie
For the event, I made a Brownie Pecan Pie! Also known as Tar Heel Pie (found the filling recipe here at I am a Honey Bee) in North Carolina, this pie has a decadent brownie-like filling with toasted, chopped pecans. I especially love to serve the pie alongside vanilla ice cream to help contrast the rich chocolate.
I included a recipe for my go-to homemade pie crust. You can also use your personal favorite pie crust or a good quality store-bought refrigerated one.
To help create the buttery flaky texture for the pie crust, I used a dough blender to cut in the diced butter. You can also use two forks or the tips of your fingers. Just try to work as quickly as possible to keep the butter from melting. I added just enough water (also chilled) to bring the dough together, but try to avoid adding too much. Overworking the dough will cause the crust to toughen a bit. Make sure to refrigerate the dough for at least 30 minutes before rolling out and transferring to the pie pan.
As far as pie fillings go, this one is fairly simple. I melted the butter and chocolate in the microwave, but you can also use a double boiler on the stove.
Toast the pecans before adding them to the filling to help bring out the flavor. Toasting them in a skillet on the stovetop is faster, but you have to constantly stir to keep them from burning. Remove once they are slightly darkened and fragrant. You can also bake them in a single layer on a baking sheet at 350˚F until fragrant and golden, about 8 minutes. I mixed the toasted pecans into the batter, but some recipes keep them separate- creating a layer of pecans right on top of the pie crust, them covering with the chocolate batter.
You want to bake the pie until the crust is golden and the filling is just set in the center. Be careful not to overbake or you will lose the gooey texture. Allow the pie to sit at room temperature for an hour before serving. Once you refrigerate the pie, the center will become like a thick fudge.
Check out what everyone else made for the event!
- BLT Pie by Georgina of G’Gina’s Kitchenette
- Cheddar Leek Potato Pie by Lauren at Sew You Think You Can Cook
- Grapefruit Pie by Rebekah at Making Miracles
- Ham and Broccoli Quiche by Wendy at A Day in the Life on the Farm
- Penne Pie by Terri at Our Good Life
- Red Velvet Pudding Pie by Teri of The Freshman Cook
- Brownie Pecan Pie by Tara of Tara’s Multicultural Table
- The Impossible Coconut Pie by Stacy of Food Lust People Love
- Walnut Crumble-Topped Apple Tart by Caroline at Caroline’s Cooking
Brownie Pecan Pie Recipe
Adapted from I am a Honeybee
Brownie Pecan Pie
Ingredients
Pie Crust:
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons granulated sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 10 tablespoons unsalted butter chilled and diced
- 3-4 tablespoons chilled water
Brownie Pecan Pie:
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter
- 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
- 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon instant coffee granules
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup toasted, chopped pecans chopped pecans
- Whipped cream or vanilla ice cream for serving
Instructions
To make the pie crust:
- In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, and salt.
- Add the diced butter and blend in using two forks, your fingers, or a dough blender until combined with a crumbly texture and no pieces are larger than the size of a pea. Slowly add the cold water just until the dough comes together.
- Form the dough into a flattened disc, wrap in plastic, and refrigerate for 30 minutes or up to 2 days.
- Preheat oven to 350˚C (180˚C) and lightly grease a 9 inch (23 cm) pie pan.
- On a lightly floured surface, roll the refrigerated dough into an even, thin circle about 12 inches wide. Transfer to the prepared pie pan and decorate the edges as desired. Refrigerate until filling comes together.
To make the Brownie Pecan Pie:
- In a large microwave safe bowl, add the butter and chocolate chips. Microwave in 30 second increments, stirring in between, until smooth. Stir in the granulated sugar, brown sugar, flour, eggs, vanilla extract, coffee, and salt until smooth. Fold in the chopped pecans.
- Pour the mixture into the prepared pie dish and smooth the top. Place on rimmed baking sheet.
- Bake in preheated oven until the crust is golden and the filling is set, but still gooey, 30-35 minutes.
- Allow to rest for an hour before serving with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.
Carlee
Oh my, that does look sinfully decadent and wonderful! I can see why you’d want whipped cream or ice cream to go with it. Though I’d be perfectly happy to have a slice right now with my morning coffee!
Lauren
LOVE!! I am going to try this out on my pie lovers! I whip out 7-10 pies every Friday for the Mr’s family sale barn kitchen (they own it) and I’ve been searching for new pies to try and this one seems perfect!
Wendy, A Day in the Life on the Farm
My heart melted when I saw that gooey delicious chocolate spreading onto the plate. Absolutely going on my to make list.
Stacy
So what I’m hearing you say is gooey fudge with toasted pecans. In a pie crust. Awesome, Tara!
Georgina
Tara your pie is so tempting! Chocolate, Coffee and pecans and …aaah! Just love it! I don’t mind being alone with this luscious pie 😀 To try and curtail the temptation for now (owing to the fact its almost midnight here) I had to have a candy bar and… Still want the pie 😀
Elaine Matthews
OMG!! I think I just died and went to heaven! This is my favorite Pie so far!! Love! Going to steal this recipe and try it myself!…:-)
carolinescookingblog
I wondered what this was going to be when I saw the title, but now I know – incredibly delicious! Sounds so good
Laura Dembowski (@piesandplots)
Oh my, this pie has my mouth watering! It’s like pecan pie and brownies combined in one amazing dessert!
Kathleen
Holy Cow! Serve me up a slice and poor me a glass of milk. This is awesome! It looks like a pecan pie, but it so isn’t. I have to make this.
Tara
Thanks everyone!
lk529
Stuart would absolutely love this! Pecans aren’t my favorite nut variety but I bet I wouldn’t care with this pie. P.S. – I never knew WHY NC was called the Tar Heel State. Learn something new every day. 😉