Chocolate Chip Pecan Pie

This pie is a point of contention in our house around the holidays. First of all, my husband wants two things when I’m making something “special.” Chocolate chip cookies and this pie. I’m a bit more adventurous when it comes to baking. I like ALL cookies and all pies. I like to make different things. But, he wants THIS pie. Also, I’m a pecan pie purist. I’m not a fan of the chocolate chips in it so I usually make a separate one sans chocolate chips. It keeps us both happy.

Let me back up a bit in explaining this recipe. I soak my nuts. Sounds funny, right? Whenever I get a new bag of nuts, the first thing I’ll do is prepare some warm water with salt and pour in the nuts. I have simple instructions here so you can check them out. Basically, it takes out a lot of the tannins and phytic acid that makes my tongue sore when I eat raw nuts. After they’re dehydrated, they’re really crispy and sweet – especially pecans. So, when my recipes call for pecans, walnuts or cashews, just know that they’ve all been soaked and dehydrated already.

Years ago when we started cleaning up our diet, I left corn syrup behind. There weren’t many things I used it for anyway, so it wasn’t a problem, most of the time – until I needed to make pecan pie.

Most recipes call for corn syrup in the mix. I found Trisha Yearwood’s recipe many years ago and it’s been a favorite since. I’ve made some tweaks over the years because that’s what I do, but it’s basically the same recipe. I can’t take credit here which is why it’s taken me so long to even post this recipe.

The recipe starts with my gluten-free pie crust recipe. It makes enough for two pies so if you’re only making one, you can easily roll the second crust out and roll it up in wax paper, wrap it in plastic wrap to freeze it. I do this all the time. It’s so great to have premade pie dough at the ready!

If you too are not a fan of chocolate chips in your precious pecan pie, feel free to leave them out. This pie is amazing both ways!