The Abyss Chocolate Pecan Pie Recipe
The sweetness in this chocolate pecan pie is complemented by the bitter roast, hints of molasses and subtle licorice of The Abyss. The bourbon barrel aged flavor brings notes of vanilla and oak, making this an extra-special nut pie. Chocolate Abyss Stout Pecan Pie is sure to be a hit at any holiday gathering, especially if you serve it alongside a taste of The Abyss for a truly special dessert experience.  

Prep the dough

The first step to making a pie is creating the dough. While you can certainly use store bought dough, it just tastes, and feels, better knowing you made it yourself. 

For the pie dough, you have many options for fat. Butter is the most flavorful and delicious, while shortening provides a flakier crust without a whole lot of flavor. This recipe complements the sweetness of the pie recipe by using equal parts butter and shortening but feel free to play around with those ratios or use your own favorite pie dough recipe. 

  • 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour 
  • 1/2 tablespoon sugar 
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt 
  • 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes 
  • 4 tablespoons chilled vegetable shortening, cut into 1/2-inch cubes 
  • 3 tablespoons (or more) ice water  

Keeping the fat cold is very important! The goal is to get the fat to coat the flour, not hydrate it. This is what ensures a tender, flaky crust. You can work your cold fat into the flour by hand (adding the sugar and salt as you go), or more easily pulse them together in a food processor. You may have some big chunks of butter at this point, but don’t worry it will get blended through. Add 3 tablespoons of ice water and pulse just until moist clumps form. If the dough doesn’t stick together when you press it between your fingers, it may be a little dry. Add extra water, ½ tablespoon at a time, until the dough just barely comes together but isn’t saturate. From there, roll the dough into a ball, wrap it up, and stick it in the fridge for at least one hour. (The dough can be made up to two days in advance. Keep chilled and soften slightly at room temperature before rolling.) 

Roll out the dough into a 9-inch deep-dish pie pan. The dough should be about ¼ inch thick. Form your desired edge for the crust. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees while letting the pie dough chill out in the fridge for a bit longer.  Once the oven is pre-heated, take the pie dough out of the fridge. Using a fork, poke a few holes in the dough on the bottom of the dish. Place parchment paper or foil over the pie dough. Throw some pie weights or dried beans in the bottom on top of the parchment or foil if you've got them (this will keep the dough from poofing up in the oven), and pre-bake for about 10 minutes.

Create your filling woman holds a piece of pecan pie outdoors

  • 4 whole eggs 
  • 3 egg yolks 
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla 
  • 3 tablespoons The Abyss Stout 
  • 1 cup brown sugar 
  • ¼ teaspoon salt 
  • 2 tablespoons melted butter 
  • 1 ½ cups light corn syrup 
  • 1 ½ cups pecan pieces 
  • ¾ cup dark chocolate pieces 

While the dough is chilling, evenly spread the pecans on a baking sheet. Toast for 5 minutes in the oven, or until they fill the air with nutty aromatics. Be sure not to over brown the pecans or your pie will be bitter.  

Turn the oven up to 375 degrees and let pre-heat while you mix up the rest of the pie filling. 

Now is the fun part! Pop open that bottle of The Abyss. You might as well sample a bit while you’re at it (there will be extra). Mmmm...tasty!  

Grab a mixing bowl, combine the eggs and the egg yolks. Whisk until smooth. Next, add the vanilla, Abyss Stout, brown sugar, salt and melted butter and whisk until well blended. Take another sip of Abyss and then slowly blend in the corn syrup, mixing well.  Stir the pecans into the corn syrup mixture.

Sprinkle the chocolate over the pie dough and pour the pecan batter on top, making sure to leave about ¼" to the top of the crust.  

Place your pie on a baking sheet, just in case there is some bubble over in the oven, and bake for 15 minutes at 375 degrees. Sit back for a minute and enjoy another sip of that delicious, velvety smooth Abyss. 

After 15 minutes, reduce the oven temp to 300 and bake until the pie has completely set and the center puffs up, about 40-60 minutes. 

Pro-tip: If it looks like your crust is browning too quickly, you can wrap it with tin foil. Remove the foil for the last few minutes of baking to ensure a crisp crust. 

You can dig in as soon as the pie is cool enough to eat but, for the best results, let cool completely and stick it in the fridge for a few hours and up to a day. This will allow the filling to fully set and the flavors will intensify. Before serving, let the pie come up to room temperature or warm up in a 300-degree oven for 15-20 minutes.  

Serve a la mode or with whip cream, alongside a taste of The Abyss.

Images courtesy of nikohoshi / unsplash.com