I am really excited to share this post with you since it’s my first official Thanksgivukkah post! If you’re wondering what Thanksgivukkah is, I’m guessing you haven’t been on a computer in at least a month because this Chanukkah-Thanksgiving hybrid holiday is everywhere! On November 28, 2013, we will be experiencing something so special that will only occur once in our lifetimes…the first day of Hanukkah and Thanksgiving fall on the same day. Yes, my two favorite holidays are coming together to create the ultimate foodie experience and I will be sharing recipes for the next few months that combine the flavors of both worlds. Can you tell that I’m excited??? So let’s get started! For my first Thanksgivukkah recipe, Karo Syrup was generous enough to send me bottles of dark and light corn syrup to use on my blog and I happily accepted the fun challenge. When I think of corn syrup and Thanksgiving, the first thing that comes to mind is pecan pie. I’ve seen all sorts of pecan pie recipes, including my favorite combo with chocolate, so the next obvious step to bring Chanukkah in to the mix was to use chocolate gelt in the pie. Chocolate gelt, the gold-foil-encased coins that represent the holiday, have their own unique chocolaty flavor and you can really taste it’s creamy quality in the pecan pie. The combination of Karo dark corn syrup, sweet pecans, rich chocolate gelt and an easy homemade pie crust elevates this chocolate pecan pie to Thanksgivukkah status!
Chocolate Gelt Pecan Pie
Pie Dough
1 ¼ cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp sugar
½ tsp salt
4 Tbsp butter (or margarine)
4 Tbsp vegetable shortening
3 Tbsp ice water
*you can also use a pre-made pie crust for this recipe
Pie Filling
1 1/4 cup chopped chocolate gelt (around 35 pieces)
1 1/2 cups raw pecan halves
4 eggs
½ cup Karo dark corn syrup
½ cup sugar
¼ cup brown sugar
3 Tbsp butter, melted
½ tsp vanilla extract
I started with the homemade pie dough. You can certainly use a pre-made pie crust for this recipe, especially if you are short on time. But if you have an extra hour, you can make this homemade crust in a jiffy. In a bowl, I whisked together the flour, sugar and salt. I added the butter and shortening and combined with a pastry cutter (you can also use a fork) until the mixture was the texture of coarse sand. You want to make sure there are nice big pieces of butter and shortening in the dough because that makes for a flakey crust.
I added the ice water and mixed the dough by hand until it came together in to a ball. If the dough is still too crumbly, add an extra tablespoon of ice water and mix again. I placed the dough in plastic wrap and chilled for 1 hour in the fridge. This dough can be made 2-3 days ahead and can be frozen for up to 3 months. After an hour, I removed the dough from the fridge and placed it on a lightly floured surface.
I rolled out the dough with a floured rolling pin in to a 12-inch circle. The circle does not have to be perfect since it will be trimmed once in the pan. I sprayed a 9-inch pan with cooking spray and set it right next to the circle of dough. I rolled the dough back on to the rolling pin then unrolled it on top of the pie pan. I gently pushed the dough in the pan.
Using kitchen shears, I cut the edges of the dough that hung over the sides of the pan and folded the edges of the pie dough underneath to create a thick edge. I wanted a pretty design for my crust so I cut out oval shapes with a cookie cutter, brushed the edges of the dough with water and stuck on the shapes. You can also keep the crust rustic and keep the edge simple. I refrigerated the crust for 30 minutes.
In the meantime, I preheated the oven to 375 °F. and prepared the filling. I combined the eggs, Karo dark corn syrup, sugar, brown sugar, butter and vanilla extract. I unwrapped all of the chocolate gelt and chopped it up. Okay, so maybe I ate some gelt along the way. Nothing wrong with a little extra chocolate, right?!?
Check out the after math. Hilarious!
I melted 1/4 cup of chocolate gelt in the microwave for 1 minute, stirred and added the chocolate to the filling mixture. When the crust was chilled, I placed the remaining 1 cup of chopped chocolate gelt in the bottom of the crust then topped with the pecans.
I poured the filling mixture over the chocolate and pecans.
I baked the pie in the center of the oven for 50-60 minutes, until the crust was browning and the filling was firm in the center. I set the pie aside for 1 hour to cool so the filling could set completely.
I placed one chocolate gelt coin on top of the pecan pie so everyone would know that this pie was made with gelt. Don’t put the gelt on too early or it will melt right away. I learned that one the hard way and had to top my melted gelt with a new piece.
Serve this pie warm or room temperature. Whatever floats your Thanksgivukkah boat! I devoured mine at room temperature, topped with some homemade coconut whipped cream.
Chocolate Gelt Pecan Pie
- Prep Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 50 minutes
- Total Time: 2 hours 20 minutes
- Yield: 8-10 1x
Ingredients
Pie Dough
- 1 ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 4 Tablespoons butter
- 4 Tablespoons vegetable shortening
- 3 Tablespoons ice water
- *you can also use a pre-made pie crust for this recipe
Filling
- 1 1/4 cup chopped chocolate gelt (around 35 pieces)
- 1 1/2 cups raw pecan halves
- 4 eggs
- ½ cup Karo dark corn syrup
- ½ cup sugar
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- 3 Tablespoons butter, melted
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- In a bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar and salt.
- Add the butter and shortening and combine with a pastry cutter or fork until the mixture is the texture of coarse sand.
- Add the ice water and mix by hand until the dough comes together. If the dough is still too crumbly, add an extra tablespoon of ice water and mix again.
- Place the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour. This dough can be made 2-3 days ahead and can be frozen for up to 3 months.
- After 1 hour, remove the dough from the fridge, unwrap and place it on a lightly floured surface.
- Roll out the dough with a lightly floured rolling pin into a 12-inch circle. The circle does not have to be perfect since it will be trimmed once in the pan.
- Spray a 9-inch pie pan with cooking spray or rub with a bit of butter.
- Roll the dough on to the rolling pin then unroll it right on top of the pie pan. Gently push the dough into the pan.
- Using kitchen shears, cut the edges of the dough that hang over the pan and fold the edges of the pie dough for a pretty design or keep it simple and rustic. If you use cut-out shapes of extra dough to decorate the pie edge, brush the dough with water then stick on the extra dough.
- Refrigerate the prepared pie crust for 30 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 375 °F
- Combine the eggs, Karo corn syrup, sugar, brown sugar, butter and vanilla extract.
- Melt ¼ cup of chocolate gelt in the microwave for 1 minute, stir and add it to the filling mixture.
- When the crust is ready, place the remaining 1 cup of chopped chocolate gelt in the bottom of the crust then top with the pecans.
- Pour the filling mixture over the chocolate and pecans.
- Bake in the center of the oven for 50-60 minutes, until the crust is browning and the filling is firm.
- Set the pie aside for 1 hour to cool then dig in!
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1
