Chocolate Pecan Pie

This silky, crunchy chocolate pecan pie recipe comes from pastry chef Liana Sinclair, who created the recipe for Supperland in Charlotte, North Carolina—one of our 10 Best New Restaurants of 2022. Sinclair often finds traditional versions of the classic Southern holiday dessert a tad sweet so keeps her rendition in check by lacing the savory and bitter notes of dark chocolate throughout the pie. First, she adds Dutch-style unsweetened cocoa powder to the flaky, buttery pie shell. Next, she layers a handful of semisweet chocolate wafers into the unbaked pie crust before tossing in the pecan halves and pouring a brown-sugar pie filling over the lot. Don’t be tempted to swap in dark chocolate chips, which often contain emulsifiers so they retain their shape; wafers, on the other hand, will melt into deep, rich pools of chocolate that envelop the nuts.

Sinclair gilds her baked pie with a Chantilly cream (which is just a fancy word for sweetened whipped cream), except that hers is enriched with melted milk chocolate, mascarpone cheese, and a splash of bourbon. (Yes, this pie has a chocolate crust, chocolate filling, and chocolate whipped cream topping.) Feel free to swap out the spirit for hazelnut liqueur or spiced rum—or, for a booze-free version, use 2 tsp. vanilla extract. If you’re short on time, a scoop of store-bought vanilla ice cream is a good alternative.

While Supperland serves individually portioned pies like the one in the photo, we’ve adapted the recipe for a 9″ pie pan. Set the pie plate on a rimmed baking sheet to prevent bubbling drips from scorching on the bottom of your oven. Bonus: This makes moving the pie to and from the oven so much easier.

Classic pecan pie? You’ve got some competition.

On the hunt for holiday desserts? Check out our all-time favorite Thanksgiving recipes.