Bourbon Chocolate Pecan Tart

It’s time to start thinking about Thanksgiving recipes, can you believe it?! I love chocolate and pecan pies, and my husband loves bourbon so it was only a matter of time before this little dessert party happened. For Thanksgiving/Christmas, I typically like to bring pecan pie to share with family and friends. This year, we’ll be hosting our first Thanksgiving and I think this recipe makes for a great little twist to the classic pecan pie. If you want to go sans bourbon too, you’re still going to end up with a super yummy dessert! Depending on the size of your tart pan, this recipe will either make 2 medium-sized tarts, or 1 large. The cool thing about using a medium-sized tart pan is that you could keep one of the tarts classic or bourbon-free, while the other tart has the bourbon-chocolate party going on.

As you know, I’m always baking with love to share with others, and since it’s not quite time for Thanksgiving yet, these delicious tart twins are being dropped off to share with some of my dear friends. ❤ Who do you like to bake for?

Tart Crust Ingredients:

• 2 sticks melted butter, unsalted
• 2 tsp bourbon of your choice
• 6 tbs pure cane sugar
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 1/2 cups flour

Filling Ingredients:

• 1 stick unsalted butter
• 1/4 cup honey
• 3/4 cup dark brown sugar, lightly packed
• 3 tbs pure cane sugar
• 1/3, plus 1/4 cups heavy cream
• 2 cups of chopped pecans
• 1 1/2 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
• Cocoa powder and confectioners sugar for dusting (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. In a large bowl, combine the melted butter, sugar, salt and 1 tsp of bourbon and mix until well-combined. Add flour and mix together until dough forms.
3. Use your hands to spread the dough evenly throughout the tart pan (make sure it has a removable bottom to make your life so much easier). Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 20-30 minutes.
4. Remove the dough from the fridge and unwrap, then prick throughout with a fork before placing pie weights overtop the dough. Bake for 15-20 minutes, then remove and allow to cool. After it’s cool, remove the tart from the pan and set aside to finish cooling (this is where the removable bottom comes into play and is super handy).
5. In a medium-sized sauce pan, melt the butter and honey together, then add the remaining 1 tsp of bourbon and both sugars and stir until dissolved. Add the 1/3 cup of heavy cream and stir constantly until smooth. Remove the pan from the heat and add the chopped pecans.
6. Pour the mixture directly into the tart shell(s) and spread mixture evenly. Bake for 20 minutes, then remove and allow to cool.
7. In a small sauce pan, bring 1/4 cup heavy cream to boil over high heat. Remove from the heat and add the chocolate, stirring until it’s melted. Spread the chocolate overtop the tart(s). *If you’re making this recipe to serve ahead of time, such as later in the evening or the next day, hold off on this step until shortly before serving for maximum delight!
8. *Optional – dust cocoa powder and confectioners sugar overtop the tart(s). If you’re feeling creative, you can create a template of your choice using parchment paper and scissors. To do so, cut a circle out of the parchment paper that is the same size as the tart, then fold the paper in half and cut out a design of your choice, placing it on top of the tart. Next, you have a few options… 1) Use the confectioners sugar first to dust over the opening in your template, then remove that template and place the part of the paper that you cut out overtop the confectioners sugar area that you dusted, protecting it as you dust the remaining portions of the tart with your cocoa powder. 2) This is an easy one – reverse #1, using cocoa powder first, confectioners sugar second. 3) Mix the confectioners sugar and cocoa powder together to use in your dusting.

Mmmm, look at this super smooth, shiny, melt-in-your-mouth chocolate ganache 😉 Enjoy!

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