Ina Garten’s Bourbon Chocolate Pecan Pie Recipe (2025)

I’ve been making a very similar recipe for years, and it’s always a hit at gatherings. You can use any ratio of brown sugar to white sugar, so long as the total comes to 1 cup. I typically use only about 1/2 cup of chocolate chips, and increase the pecans to 1-1/2 cups - the chocolate flavor comes through but it keeps the emphasis on the pecans. I also like to take about 3/4 cup of intact (unchopped) pecan halves and arrange them on the top of pie before baking, just for presentation’s sake.

Does the sheet pan lined with parchment paper go in the oven under the pie plate?

Yes. Keep the pie plate on the parchment-lined sheet pan. It is meant to catch any drips and to also make it easier to take the finished pie out of the oven.

I made this last night. It’s good but think it would benefit from flaky sea salt sprinkled on top prior to baking. I put some on afterward and it really brought the flavors out.

So you don’t pre-bake the crust before filling it?

The crust on top isn't a pie crust, it's a natural crust from the bubbles in the wet filling rising to the top and baking. I've made plain pecan pies every Thanksgiving for about 10 years now and always get a similar looking upper crust on those.

trust the contessa

I laugh when recipes like this call for "good bourbon". After baking with sugar and chocolate, you'll never taste the difference between Maker's Mark and Fred's bourbon.

This is from Florence Fabricant in the NYT 1994:Anyone who wants to prepare the pie will find it easy enough. Mix 1 cup sugar; 6 tablespoons flour; 2 eggs; 4 ounces melted butter; 1 cup chopped pecans; 1 cup chocolate chips; 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla, and 1/4 cup bourbon in a bowl; then, pour the ingredients into a partly baked 9-inch or 10-inch tart shell. Place in a 350-degree oven for about 30 minutes. Serve warm.Ref https://www.nytimes.com/1994/04/27/garden/food-notes-908070.html?searchResu

If you’re expecting a soft gooey pecan pie consistency, this recipe will disappoint. The final product is dense and unpleasant. Plus, with so many chocolate chips added it’s impossible to taste the pecans. I’d be embarrassed to serve this pie at Thanksgiving

For those concerned with alcohol, and propose substituting vanilla and/or almond extract, please note that those extracts are also very alcoholic. The alcohol “boils off” either way leaving the underlying flavoring behind. Might as well enjoy the lovely sweet caramel notes of corn mash Oakes bourbon.

This happens naturally. The ingredients in a derby pie tend to separate into layers as it bakes: the chocolate sinks to the bottom, the nuts rise to the top, and a crust forms on the surface.

Struggling with how to know if it's done. A knife inserted is not coming out clean even after 40 minutes in my oven, which runs hot. I usually have to worry about over-baking, not under. So how do you know when it's done? I didn't find the directions helpful for this.

Good and quick to put together but VERY sweet. Next time I’ll try increasing the amount of pecans and decreasing the chocolate chips

You might want to check the ingredients of your extracts.

Reduced the chocolate chips, as suggested. Didn't mind the unique consistency but far too much salt. Wow. It was like a salt bomb for me. I plan to make again and use only 1/2 teaspoon of kosher salt.

40 minutes it was still soupy, 2 hours it was like cookie pie. Maybe next time 1.5 hours and let cool completely

For a ready-made pie crust, Ina Garten recommends Marie Callender's Deep Dish Pastry Pie Shells. https://www.foodrepublic.com/1363866/store-bought-is-fine-substitutions-ina-garten-approved/

Any recipe that calls for brown sugar, that doesn't give a weight measurement, should be illegal.This pie was very sweet. If it was any sweeter, it might be inedible. But it was edible, and we ate a lot of it. Decrease chocolate chips. Increase pecans. Bourbon flavor was mild. 4 stars overall. Make at your own risk.

Browned the butter. Used a bit less than 1/2 cup for each sugar. 3/4 cup chocolate chunks + 1 1/4 cup pecans. Used brandy . . . only because I didn't have any bourbon.

Everyone liked it. It tastes like a chocolate chip pie with pecans. Light bourbon flavor. The recommendation to serve with ice cream or whipped cream is a must. The texture was chunky which I really liked. It seems like a fun pie to tinker with the proportions depending on your mood.

This is easy to make and very tasty. It is more cake-like than I expected. I followed the recommendations of others and used 1/4 cup of bourbon, decreased the chocolate chips to 3/4 cup and increased the pecans to 1 1/2 cups. Adding the extra bourbon gave it a distinctive taste that everyone enjoyed. I made with Wholly Wholesome crusts (did I mention easy to make?) and would use those again.

Made this for Thanksgiving, trying to make one for my son who had had something like it at a restaurant a few months ago. Read the reviews and did only 1 cup of chocolate chips and add some whole pecans as decor. I used a roll out pie crust. Turned out great and plenty rich. My son heated it and said it was fantastic! I had thought about melting the chips some before adding them in, but may just leave it like this and heat it up.

This recipe is sooo delicious. The final texture is a bit like a cookie dough pie. My only critique is that the bourbon flavor is pretty light, so I’m experimenting with adding a bit more.

Simply too sweet and not interesting enough. I tried it twice. Once as written and once with the nuts/chocolate proportions swapped. Both times ... just cloyingly sweet.

Made this pie after reading some of the notes. Just the right amount of chocolately sweetness with 1 Cup of chips & 1 1/4 Cups pecans. I upped the bourbon (had 4 Roses Single barrel on hand) to 1/4 Cup which imparted enough bourbon flavor. I happened to have 2 extra large eggs, but search on internet says that large & extra large can be interchangeable on certain recipes. It was a big hit with the Thanksgiving guests.

Also used salted butter & didn’t add the Kosher salt.

The chocolate seemed gratuitous. Loved the pie part but the chunks of chocolate made it too rich. Some of our eaters loved it though. I would make again without chocolate chips

So easy and delicious! Made exactly as written.

Tasty but too chocolate forward and sweet for me as written. I made it again with half the chocolate and more pecans and it was much better.