Chocolate Chunk Pecan Slab Pie Recipe

Categories: Feature, Desserts, Holiday, Recipes, Vegetarian

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I am bringing back the slab pie! This is a perfect way to enjoy pie for a crowd and also to serve in small portions. I basically double the crust for a 15 x 10 jelly roll pan and keep the filling the same as for a single 9- or 10-inch pie. The result is a thinner pie, but it also allows you to enjoy smaller portions of a pie and cut into whatever size pieces you want. I tried freezing this slab pie in advance and defrosting it in the fridge and it was GREAT! For a little extra, you can drizzle with melted chocolate and refrigerate to firm up.

Why You’ll Love This Pecan Slab Pie

It’s a great way to feed a crowd;
It’s perfect if you’re serving a lot of desserts and you want to “sample” many;
You can make it the day before or even freeze it;
It’s delicious and EASY!

Ingredients

pie dough – I make my own, but feel free to buy it. You need two for this recipe. Just defrost before you work with it.
eggs – I use large eggs
coconut palm sugar or brown sugar – light or dark brown sugar is fine, but you need the caramel undertone of the darker sugars
salt – I use sea salt or kosher salt, not table salt
brown rice syrup or corn syrup – brown rice syrup is not always easy to find, but I like it because it’s more natural than corn syrup. You can order it online or find it in many natural foods stores.
vanilla extract – go for the good stuff and not imitation
bourbon or dark rum (I prefer bourbon) – the alcohol adds a richness and depth to the pie, but you can omit. I use Maker’s Mark bourbon.
unsalted butter or vegan butter – stock up now for Thanksgiving!!
pecans – I like to buy the pecan halves so I can use them to decorate the top of the pie. Costco usually has a great price or Thrive Market.
dark or semisweet chocolate chips – or you can cut a chocolate bar or use discs.

How to Make Chocolate Chunk Pecan Slab Pie

To make pastry: place the flour, salt, and sugar in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the metal blade and pulse a couple times until blended. Add the butter to the flour and pulse until the mixture resembles small peas. Pour 5 Tablespoons of ice water on top of the flour mixture and pulse about 10 times. Avoiding the blade, carefully grab a small handful of dough and squeeze together. If the dough holds together without crumbling, it’s ready to be formed into a disc. If it’s too dry, pulse in another few teaspoons of ice water until the dough holds together.
Transfer dough to a piece of plastic wrap and flatten dough into a rectangle shape. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 30 minutes at which point it will be ready to roll out. Or you can keep the dough refrigerated for 2-3 days, or in the freezer, well wrapped for 2-3 months. (Wrap in plastic wrap and place in a ziploc bag. Defrost in the refrigerator.) If dough has been chilled for more than 2 hours, allow to sit on the countertop a few minutes before rolling.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F when ready to make the pie.
On a lightly floured surface or between two large, floured pieces of plastic wrap, roll out dough to a 17-by-12-inch rectangle, trimming excess dough. Fit into a 15-by-10-inch rimmed baking sheet, pressing into corners (pastry will hang over sides). Crimp crust by pinching the edges with your finger and knuckle. Chill while assembling the filling.
Prepare pecan filling: place the eggs, sugar, salt, brown rice syrup, vanilla, bourbon and butter in a bowl and mix to combine. Stir in the chopped pecans.
Pour the filling into your prepared pastry and sprinkle evenly with the chocolate pieces. Arrange pecan halves in a decorative pattern on top. Bake for 35-45 minutes or until filling is just set. Allow the pie to cool completely before serving. I like to make this at least one day ahead and refrigerate it.

Tips

Make your pie crust in advance so this is an easier project or use store-bought
Separate the unbroken pecan pieces first for the topping and then use the broken pieces for the filling
Use a quarter sheet pan or a jelly roll pan, NOT a half sheet pan (too big)
Make the pie a day in advance and leave at room temp or refrigerate it OR freeze it

Substitutions

Vegan butter for dairy butter
Omit the alcohol if you don’t want to use it
There are gluten-free pie doughs out there, usually in the freezer section. Defrost, and fit it into the sheet pan. You probably need two.

Chocolate Chunk Pecan Slab Pie Recipe

Pamela

Print Recipe

Ingredients

Pastry: You can also use store bought dough, defrost and “cut and paste” into the pan. There are GF pie doughs out there.
2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
1 ½ teaspoons sea salt or kosher salt
1 teaspoon sugar
½ pound 2 sticks cold unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
5 to 8 Tablespoons ice water
Pecan Filling:
3 large eggs at room temperature
⅔ cup coconut palm sugar or brown sugar
¼ teaspoon sea salt
¾ cup brown rice syrup or corn syrup*
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 Tablespoon bourbon or dark rum I prefer bourbon
3 Tablespoons unsalted butter or vegan butter melted
1 cup chopped pecans toasted at 350 F for 8 minutes (I do this in a pie plate)
4 ounces about ⅔ cup dark or semisweet chocolate chips or chunks
2 cups raw pecan halves for the topping

Instructions

To make pastry: place the flour, salt, and sugar in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the metal blade and pulse a couple times until blended. Add the butter to the flour and pulse until the mixture resembles small peas. Pour 5 Tablespoons of ice water on top of the flour mixture and pulse about 10 times. Avoiding the blade, carefully grab a small handful of dough and squeeze together. If the dough holds together without crumbling, it’s ready to be formed into a disc. If it’s too dry, pulse in another few teaspoons of ice water until the dough holds together.
Transfer dough to a piece of plastic wrap and flatten dough into a rectangle shape. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 30 minutes at which point it will be ready to roll out. Or you can keep the dough refrigerated for 2-3 days, or in the freezer, well wrapped for 2-3 months. (Wrap in plastic wrap and place in a ziploc bag. Defrost in the refrigerator.) If dough has been chilled for more than 2 hours, allow to sit on the countertop a few minutes before rolling.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F when ready to make the pie.
On a lightly floured surface or between two large, floured pieces of plastic wrap, roll out dough to a 17-by-12-inch rectangle, trimming excess dough. Fit into a 15-by-10-inch rimmed baking sheet, pressing into corners (pastry will hang over sides). Crimp crust by pinching the edges with your finger and knuckle. Or with the tines of a fork. Chill while assembling the filling.
Prepare pecan filling: place the eggs, sugar, salt, brown rice syrup, vanilla, bourbon and butter in a bowl and mix to combine. Stir in the chopped pecans.
Pour the filling into your prepared pastry and sprinkle evenly with the chocolate pieces. Arrange pecan halves in a decorative pattern on top. Bake for 35-45 minutes or until filling is just set. Allow the pie to cool completely before serving. I like to make this at least one day ahead and refrigerate it.

Notes

*Alternatively, swap in an equal amount of maple syrup, heated over medium heat to 225 degrees.

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If you give this slab pie a try, snap a pic and tag @pamelasalzman so I can see your beautiful creations. I also really appreciate readers taking the time to leave a rating and review! Subscribe for free to my site for the latest recipes, updates and things I’m loving lately. If you enjoy this recipe, I taught it last year in my online class! Give me an hour a month, and I’ll make you a better, healthier cook!

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