Below is a pecan pie recipe my younger sister makes with semi-sweet chocolate and Maldon salt. This is not an advertisement for Maldon salt, but if Maldon happens to be in the market for a spokesperson, I do have a younger sister who may be accepting inquiries.
She uses Maldon sea salt flakes in many of her recipes for a delicious sweet-savory contrast, and her family is firmly on board. Big fans. Loyal constituency.
She still owes me her chocolate chip cookie recipe topped with Maldon salt, but it has not arrived on my phone yet. No problem though because it gives me a good reason to feature her or the recipe in the future :)
🥧✨
My illustration of her and sweet Kaia. Recipe and other photos follow.
Zoomed in :)
Recipe source: Celebrating Sweets by Allison Mattina
Recipe overview
Pie crust: You can use a store bought pie crust or homemade 9-inch pie crust. No need to prebake the crust. Keep it in the fridge (if homemade) or freezer (if frozen) before adding the filling.
Filling: This pecan pie filling contains no corn syrup and it is dark, rich, and flavorful. It’s made with a combination of maple syrup, brown sugar, butter, eggs, cocoa powder, and vanilla. Cook the filling on the stovetop for just a few minutes. Cool briefly, then pour into the pie crust along with pecans and chocolate chips.
Bake: Bake the pie in the center to lower third of the oven for about 45 minutes.
Topping: Serve the pie as is or top with chocolate sauce, whipped cream, flaky sea salt, ice cream, or chocolate shavings.
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes
Cooling: 5 hours
Total Time: 6 hours, 15 minutes
Servings: 10
Ingredients
Pie crust (or use your favorite 9-inch deep dish unbaked pie crust*):
▢1 ¼ cups all purpose flour, plus more for rolling out the dough
▢1 tablespoon granulated sugar
▢½ teaspoon salt
▢½ cup chilled unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
▢¼ cup ice water, plus more, if needed
Filling:
▢6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces
▢1 cup packed brown sugar
▢½ cup pure maple syrup
▢1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
▢½ teaspoon kosher salt
▢3 large eggs
▢1 teaspoon vanilla extract
▢1½ cups chopped pecans
▢½ cup bittersweet/dark chocolate chips
▢non-stick baking spray
▢flaky finishing salt, optional
Instructions
Pie crust:
In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, and salt. Add the cubed butter and use your fingers or a pastry blender to cut the butter into the flour, doing so until the butter is broken down into pea-sized pieces. Add ¼ cup ice water and stir with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula until the dough starts coming together. Then use your hands to bring the dough together. If necessary, add another tablespoon of cold water. The dough should just be sticking together. Try not to overwork it.
Transfer the dough onto a piece of plastic wrap. Flatten it into a disc and wrap it up. Roll the edges of the crust on the countertop (like a wheel) to smooth out the edges. Transfer to your refrigerator for 1 hour (or up to 2 days).
Let the pie crust sit at room temperature for several minutes until it is no longer rock-hard, but still cold (this will depend on how long it was the fridge). Roll out the dough on a floured surface until it is a 12-13 inch circle.
Lightly spritz a 9-inch deep dish pie plate with non-stick spray, then transfer the crust to the pie plate. Trim and fold/crimp the excess crust around the edges. Place the crust in the refrigerator for about 20 minutes while you prepare the filling.
Filling:
Preheat oven to 350°F with a rack in the center to lower third of the oven.
In a saucepan over medium heat, melt butter. Add brown sugar, maple syrup, cocoa powder, and salt. Whisk until smooth and combined. Bring the mixture to a low simmer (bubbles forming around the perimeter of the pan), then remove from the heat. Pour the mixture into a bowl to cool for 15 minutes.
Add eggs and extract to the syrup mixture, whisking until combined.
Sprinkle the chopped pecans and chocolate chips into the bottom of the uncooked pie crust. Pour the syrup mixture over the pecans, rearranging the pecans if necessary (most the nuts and chocolate chips will float to the top).
Lightly spritz a piece of foil with non-stick spray. Cover the pie with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the foil, then continue baking for another 15-25 minutes, until the edges are set but the center of the pie is still a bit jiggly (like gelatin). Sprinkle the top of the pie with a few sprinkles of flaky finishing salt (my sister likes Maldon sea salt flakes). Place the pan on a wire rack to cool completely; it will firm up as it cools. I like to serve this pie at room temperature.
Maldon sea salt, ready for it’s closeup 🧑🏻🎨
