This easy dessert recipe is just what you want if you’re in the mood for a chocolate pecan pie. You know I’m a fan of simple pie recipes like Easy Coconut Pie and Drumstick Pie. This rich dessert has all of the comfort of a chocolate chip cookie and all the class of a pecan pie. I found this recipe (okay, I begged for this recipe) 13 years ago when we were staying at a cabin in West Virginia and stopped for lunch at Granny’s Kitchen restaurant. I didn’t expect to find a treasured family recipe in the streamside cinderblock building at a curve in the road. But after one bite, we were fans!  I set aside my pride and begged for the recipe. Granny cooperated, and we added “Kentucky Derby Pie” to our binder of favorite family recipes. I made one of these easy chocolate pecan pies last week for JoHanna’s birthday.

Easy Chocolate Pecan Pie (aka Kentucky Derby Pie)

•  1 cup of chopped pecans (or Granny liked walnuts)
• 1 cup chocolate chips (I use semi-sweet or dark chocolate)
• 1 c. sugar
• 1/2 cup plain flour
• 2 eggs
• 2 t. vanilla
• 1/2 cup melted butter

Mix all 7 ingredients thoroughly and pour into a prepared pie crust. You are WELCOME to use a frozen prepared pie crust, but there tends to be a lot of whining at our house when I pull a crust out of the freezer. I always say they’re spoiled; they always answer that it’s my fault. 🙂 There are worse things than making a homemade pie crust. #LoveMyFamily

Bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes. This is the one and only tricky part in the easy chocolate pecan pie recipe. You don’t want to underbake it, because then it’s like uncooked cookie dough …. and I’m not sure why that’s bad! But … if you overbake it, then it’s too hard on top. So just watch it when it gets to 25 minutes and cover the top with foil if it’s getting brown. Let it bake the full 35 minutes, and then you will want to let it “set” for about an hour or two before you serve it. We like to top this with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream. And birthday presents. We like to have birthday presents when we serve this!

If you’re looking for a really easy dessert recipe to kick off the new year, this could be the answer to your busy schedule AND your craving for chocolate!

Here’s to great food in 2014!