#FoodieExtravaganza American Pie: Tar Heel Pie

This month, #FoodieExtravaganza is celebrating American Pies and I am joining in with a recipe for Tar Heel Pie!

It’s Foodie Extravaganza Day and this month’s theme is American Pie. This month’s host is Wendy from A Day in the Life on the Farm. What is Food Extravaganza? It’s when a group of bloggers get together and make a recipe using one main ingredient. Where do we get the ingredient? We look at The Nibble and pick something off of their list. February is Great American Pies month! (along with cherry, grapefruit, hot breakfast, sweet potato, fondue…) You can check out our group Pinterest board for past recipes. If you’re a blogger, you can join along with us by requesting to join on our Facebook page. Now, on to the goodness.

For the event, I made Tar Heel Pie. I am unsure on the exact history and origins, but this pie is named after North Carolina, the Tar Heel state (nicknamed due to the abundance of pine trees used to make tar). You won’t find any tar in this pie, but rather a fudgy, gooey, brownie-like filling with toasted, chopped pecans. I topped my pie slice with vanilla ice cream, but you can also serve it with whipped cream (or all of the above). The pie is definitely on the rich side, so the cream helped cut into the chocolate and thick texture a bit.

I used this pie dough from Annie’s Eats. You can also use your favorite pie crust recipe or a good quality store-bought one.

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 degrees 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
Cheeseburger Pie by Kathleen at Fearlessly Creative Mammas
Grapefruit Pie by Rebekah at Making Miracles
Ham and Broccoli Quiche by Wendy at A Day in the Life on the Farm
Homegrown Blackberry Pie by Carlee of Cooking with Carlee
No Bake Peanut Butter Pie by Lauren of From Gate to Plate
Peaches and Cream Pie by Elaine at Cookin and Craftin
Penne Pie by Terri at Our Good Life
Red Velvet Pudding Pie by Teri of The Freshman Cook
Tar Heel 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

Tar Heel Pie Recipe

Tar Heel Pie
Adapted from I am a Honeybee
1 pie

1 chilled 9 inch pie crust
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 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon instant coffee granules
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup toasted, chopped pecans
Whipped cream or vanilla ice cream for serving

 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9 inch pie dish with butter and lightly coat with flour. On a lightly floured surface, evenly roll out the pie crust to fit the prepared pie dish. Place in the dish, lightly pressing into the sides. Trim and decorate the edges as desired.

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.