A decadent American choc chip pecan pie — buttery pastry filled with maple, brown sugar, pecans and dark chocolate chips, baked until set. Best served chilled.
This chocolate chip pecan pie is a decadent twist on the American classic — a buttery cream cheese pastry filled with gooey maple-caramel, toasted pecans and pockets of melted dark chocolate. Rich, nutty and gloriously sticky, it's a true celebration bake.
Prep 35 min
Cook 70 min
Total 225 min
Medium
- 300g Plain Flour
- 100g Cream Cheese
- 1 tbls Icing Sugar
- 150g Butter
- 200ml Maple Syrup
- 250g Light Brown Soft Sugar
- 100g Dark Brown Soft Sugar
- 4 Eggs
- 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
- 400g Pecan Nuts
- 200g Dark Chocolate Chips
Tags:
Pie Desert Sweet NuttyVideo
Preparation
- First make the pastry: tip the flour, cream cheese, icing sugar and butter into a food processor with ¼ tsp salt and blend until it resembles breadcrumbs. With the blade running, drizzle in 2–3 tsp cold water until it starts to clump, then tip out, knead briefly into a ball, pat into a disc, wrap and chill for at least 20 minutes. Heat the oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6.
- Leave the pastry at room temperature for 5 minutes, then roll out on a floured surface to the thickness of a £1 coin and use to line a deep 23cm fluted tin, pressing into the corners and up the sides with no gaps and leaving 1cm overhanging (save the scraps). Line with scrunched baking parchment and baking beans and blind-bake for 15–20 minutes until the sides are set, then remove the parchment and beans and bake for 5 minutes more until golden. Trim the pastry flush with the tin and patch any cracks with the scraps.
- Meanwhile, put the butter, maple syrup and sugars in a pan with ¼ tsp salt and heat until the butter melts and the sugar dissolves, stirring until smooth, then remove and cool for 10 minutes. Reduce the oven to 160C/140C fan/gas 3.
- Beat the eggs in a bowl, add the syrup mixture, vanilla and pecans, and mix well. Pour half into the tart case, scatter over half the chocolate chips, then cover with the remaining filling and chips. Bake on the middle shelf for 50–55 minutes until set.
- Leave to cool, then chill for at least 2 hours before serving.
Tips from the ZestyPlate Kitchen
- Blind-bake the pastry properly so the base stays crisp under the gooey filling.
- Cool the syrup mixture before adding the eggs so they don't scramble.
- Layer the chocolate chips through the filling so they're distributed, not all at the bottom.
- Chill the baked pie before slicing for clean, neat wedges.
Frequently Asked Questions
It makes a wonderfully tender, slightly tangy crust that's easy to work with and stands up to the rich filling.
Yes — walnuts work beautifully, though pecans give the classic buttery pecan-pie flavour.
Keep it chilled for up to 4 days; bring to room temperature or warm slightly before serving.
