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Lighter Chocolate Bourbon Pecan Pie – Easy Kentucky-Style Recipe

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This Lighter Chocolate Bourbon Pecan Pie is a Kentucky-style dessert that balances rich dark chocolate, warm bourbon, and toasted pecans with less sugar than traditional recipes. It’s a crowd-pleasing pie that converts even pecan pie skeptics.

Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour (150g)
  • ½ teaspoon salt (3g)
  • 1 tablespoon granulated sugar (12g)
  • ½ cup cold unsalted butter (113g), cut into small cubes
  • 3–4 tablespoons ice water (45-60ml)
  • 3 large eggs, room temperature
  • ½ cup dark corn syrup (170g)
  • ¼ cup pure maple syrup (80g)
  • ¼ cup packed light brown sugar (55g)
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter (28g), melted
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (5ml)
  • 2 tablespoons bourbon (30ml)
  • ½ teaspoon salt (3g)
  • 4 ounces dark chocolate (113g), roughly chopped (60-70% cacao)
  • 1 ½ cups pecan halves (170g)

Instructions

  1. Make the crust: In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, salt, and sugar. Add cold butter cubes and use a pastry cutter or your fingertips to work the butter into the flour until it resembles coarse meal with some pea-sized pieces remaining. Drizzle in ice water, one tablespoon at a time, mixing with a fork until the dough just comes together. Flatten into a disk, wrap in plastic, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
  2. Blind bake the crust: Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C). On a lightly floured surface, roll the chilled dough into a 12-inch circle, about ⅛-inch thick. Transfer to a 9-inch pie dish, pressing into bottom and sides. Trim excess dough, leaving a ½-inch overhang, then fold under and crimp edges. Line with parchment paper and fill with pie weights or dried beans. Bake for 15 minutes, then remove parchment and weights and bake another 5-7 minutes until bottom looks dry and lightly golden. Set aside to c…
  3. Prepare the chocolate: Roughly chop the dark chocolate into small pieces. Set aside.
  4. Make the filling: In a large bowl, whisk eggs until uniform and slightly frothy, about 30 seconds. Add dark corn syrup, maple syrup, brown sugar, melted butter, vanilla extract, bourbon, and salt. Whisk until completely combined and smooth, about 1 minute.
  5. Assemble the pie: Sprinkle chopped chocolate evenly over the bottom of the par-baked crust. Arrange pecan halves on top in an even layer. Slowly pour the filling over the pecans and chocolate. Use a fork to gently rearrange any pecans that cluster together.
  6. Bake: Place pie on middle rack of oven at 375°F (190°C) for 10 minutes. Reduce temperature to 350°F (175°C) and continue baking for 30-35 minutes. Pie is done when edges are set and puffed slightly, but center still has a slight jiggle like firm custard.
  7. Cool completely: Let pie cool on a wire rack for at least 2 hours before slicing. The filling needs this time to fully set.

Notes

Don’t overwork the crust; cold butter equals flaky crust. Blind baking is essential to avoid a soggy bottom. Watch the edges and tent with foil if browning too quickly. Use room temperature eggs for best emulsion. Let pie rest at least 2 hours before slicing; overnight is even better. If bourbon is 100 proof or higher, use only 1½ tablespoons.

Nutrition

Keywords: chocolate bourbon pecan pie, lighter pecan pie, Kentucky pecan pie, easy pecan pie recipe, holiday dessert, Thanksgiving pie

Find it online: https://junomeals.com/lighter-chocolate-bourbon-pecan-pie-easy-kentucky-style-recipe/