At every holiday, there is one staple dish on my dessert table – pecan pie. It’s utterly delicious and a treat everyone in my household definitely looks forward to.
As I’m beginning to plan my Thanksgiving meal, I’m thinking of mixing up my pecan pie this year. These amazing home cooks have taken this traditional Southern dessert and added their own tasty spin.
Double Chocolate Pecan Pie… Just looking at Charity Hullinger’s (Leon, IA) delicious recipe puts a smile on my face. “It is so rich,” explains Charity. “It has three layers to it – the pecan pie filling, then the fudge layer and a meringue layer to finish it off.”
I’m not sure which part of the pie is my favorite, but the chocolate shortbread crust and the meringue layer really sets this apart from other desserts. If you love chocolate and pecan pie, then this recipe is for you.
“This is one of the most decadent desserts I make for my husband,” says Renee Klevenhagen (Charlotte, NC). “His three favorite desserts are pecan pie, cheesecake and anything with dark chocolate and this dessert has all three.”
I loved the layers of flavors in Renee’s Chocolate Pecan Cheesecake Pie. Cheesecake is always a favorite. Pair it with chocolate and pecans… oh my! It’s one heavenly holiday dessert.
Chocolate and Kahlua are a really good team. Bailey Jane Sherry (Kansas City, KS) combines these flavors for her Chocolate Kahlua Pecan Pie.
“It’s an easy pie, with just a little extra flair,” jokes Bailey. The Kahlua is not overpowering. Combined with all of the other flavors (and chocolate) it adds a bit of a zing to an ordinary pecan pie. It’s so good.
Camille Pohtilla (Houston, TX) turned her pecan pie into balls – so fun! “These are a huge hit with all, especially my portion controlled friends,” shares Camille. “They like the fact that they could have one pie ball instead offing served one slice of pie and only eating a small portion it.”
Camille’s Pecan Pie Balls taste just like bite-sized pecan pies. She adds a touch of maple syrup, which adds a sweetness you don’t get using brown sugar alone. Since they are small you won’t feel guilty when you take two or three. If you can stop there…
Display Kathy Sterling’s (Cypress, TX) adorable Tiny Pecan Pies before dinner and you may find they’ve disappeared before the meal is served. “My grandmother used to make these for most family dinners and now my sister does the honors,” reminisces Kathy. “We love them and they go fast when put out on the dessert table during the holidays.”
These pecan pies are like a pecan pie cupcake. Kathy uses cream cheese in her crust which adds moisture and makes it easy to work with. The filling is packed with pecans too. You can make these in mini cupcake pans too (just adjust the cooking time). How adorable would those be?
Pecan pie in bar format? Yup, thanks to Shelly Powers (Black Diamond, WA). Her Pecan Pie Bars are delicious. “I love the fall and also the smell of these [bars] baking in the oven,” Shelly shares.
The Test Kitchen smelled heavenly while these were baking. The crust is sort of like a shortbread with all its buttery goodness. Then there’s a thin coating of pecan pie filling on top. They’re pretty easy to make and very easy to eat!
It’s really hard to go wrong with a pecan pie. Add one of these fabulous recipes to your Thanksgiving menu and your family will be very thankful.