A Tale of Two Pecan Pies - Chocolate Pecan Pie & Caramel Pecan Pie

Once upon a time there was a little girl who loved Thanksgiving and especially loved dessert, but didn't love pecan pie because, "It gets stuck in my teeth and on the top of my mouth!!!".  The little girl grew up and decided to make her own pecan pies WITHOUT the sticky syrup stuff.  And so begins the 'Tale of Two Pecan Pies'.

I have worked on and tweaked this recipes for a while before sharing them with y'all.  I imagine I will continue tweaking them because, well, that's just how I roll.  Thankfully, Honey and the children don't seem to mind.  I always know when I've found the 'perfect' combination because my taste testers always let me know.  This weekend, I found what I think is the perfect combination for one of these pies and pretty darn close for the other.

Chocolate Pecan Pie

3/4 cup light brown sugar
1/4 cup white sugar
1/3 cup butter, melted
2 eggs
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon milk (I use skim because that is what's in the fridge)
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 cups pecans
1/4 cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 unbaked pie crust

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  In a large bowl, beat eggs until foamy and stir in melted butter.  Stir in the brown sugar, white sugar and flour; mix well.  Last add milk, vanilla, and nuts; mix well.  Place prepared pie crust into a greased deep dish pie plate.  Evenly distribute mini chocolate chips on top of the pie crust.  Pour sugar, butter, pecan mixture into your unbaked pie shell on top of chocolate chips.  Bake at 350 for 30 minutes and 325 for 20 minutes or until done.  Make sure you place your pie toward the bottom 1/3 of your oven so the top of your pie doesn't burn.

If you are feeling a little adventurous add about 3 tablespoons of bourbon to your mixture before baking.

What you will need

What your pre-baked pie will look like

Baked Chocolate Pecan Pie

Chocolate Pecan Pie

Chocolate Pecan Pie

 I think that this recipe has just the right combination of chocolate, pecans, and buttery goodness without the sticky syrup.  Hope y'all enjoy!

Caramel Pecan Pie

1/4 cup butter, melted
1/4 cup of milk
1/2 cup light brown sugar
3 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
2/3 cup of Smucker's Caramel Ice Cream topping
1 1/2 cup pecan halves
1 9 inch unbaked pie crust

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Combine caramel sauce, butter and milk in a saucepan over low heat and stir until smooth.  Remove from heat and set aside.  In a large bowl, combine sugar, eggs, and vanilla.  Gradually mix in melted caramel mixture.  Stir in pecans.  Pour filling into unbaked pie crust.  Bake in preheated oven for 45 to 50 minutes or until pastry is golden brown and the pie sets.

What you will need for your Caramel Pecan Pie

Baked Caramel Pecan Pie

Caramel Pecan Pie

Both Pies Side by Side

 So how do the two compare?  The Caramel Pecan Pie looks prettier baked and slices easier, but the taste of the Chocolate Pecan Pie wins.  I distributed slices of both to the neighbors for their opinions.  Honey and the neighbors loved both pies but declared that the Chocolate Pecan was just a little better.

Y'all let me know what y'all think! Now, I'm off to clean house.

Hope

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