This Thanksgiving, we’re heading out to Smith Rock in Oregon for a Friendsgiving. We’ll be staying in a house in Bend and enjoying our turkey dinner with some of our closest climbing compadres. I love this time of year — in case I haven’t said it 100 times before, Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. I love the tradition, the food, the family, the friends.
A Tradition of Gratitude
Last year, after we enjoyed our potluck Thanksgiving meal, we started what I’m hoping will become a new tradition among friends. We picked one person at a time and each of us said what we were grateful for about that person — our favorite thing about them and why. And then we all jumped in the hot tub on a cold desert night. It was beautiful. Unfortunately this year’s destination doesn’t include the hot tub, but I’m crossing my fingers we’ll share our gratitude together again.
A Tradition of Pecan Pie
One thing’s for sure. I’ll be bringing not one but TWO pecan pies this year. One maple bourbon pecan pie, and one chocolate pecan pie. Pecan pie is my absolute favorite holiday dessert. It reminds me of home, and especially of my grandmother who passed away a couple of years back. She used to make the best pecan pie ever. My pecan pies are all grain- and gluten-free, and they work great for those with lactose or casein allergies, because I use ghee instead of butter. The crusts are made with almond flour.
In the course of doing this blog, I’ve learned that as I improve and perfect recipes over time, it never hurts to share the improvements, even if I’ve already posted a recipe here at CWB. If you’re a CWB veteran who’s been with me since the beginning, you know that I posted a chocolate pecan pie recipe waaaaaay back in the first month of this blog’s existence. But I’ve improved upon that recipe — I’m sharing both versions of my favorite holiday dessert with you today. Get excited. They’re delicious.
Maple Bourbon Pecan Pie
- 2.5 cups almond flour
- 1 egg
- 2 tbs palm shortening (CWB Favorite Pick
)
- 1 tbs bourbon (I used Bullet)
- pinch of salt
- 3 large eggs
- 1 cup maple syrup (I use grade B)
- 4 tbs ghee (CWB Favorite Pick
)
- 1 tbs bourbon
- 2 tsp vanilla
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 1/4 cups pecans
- Preheat oven to 350
- Place all ingredients into a food processor and process until a ball of dough forms and all ingredients are incorporated
- Shape in a pie dish by hand and place pie crust in the freezer while you prepare the filling
- Using a hand mixer or immersion blender, combine the first 7 ingredients, mixing until all ingredients are completely incorporated and you have a uniform liquid (you want all the sugar to dissolve into the liquid and the ghee to be mixed in completely)
- Stir in pecans
- Remove crust from the freezer and pour in the filling
- Cut a pie-sized circle out of a piece of foil or use one of these
and place on the exposed crust to protect it from burning
- Bake for 30 minutes
- Allow to cool before slicing and serving
Chocolate Pecan Pie
- 2 cups almond flour
- 1 egg
- 2 tbs palm shortening (CWB Favorite Pick
- pinch of salt
- 3 large eggs
- 1 cup maple syrup (I use grade B)
- 4 tbs ghee (CWB Favorite Pick
- 2 tsp vanilla
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 1/4 cup pecan halves
- 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips (CWB Favorite Pick
)
- Place all ingredients into a food processor and process until a ball of dough forms and all ingredients are incorporated
- Shape in a pie dish by hand and place pie crust in the freezer while you prepare the filling
- Using a hand mixer or immersion blender, combine the first 6 ingredients, mixing until all ingredients are completely incorporated and you have a uniform liquid (you want all the sugar to dissolve into the liquid and the ghee to be mixed in completely)
- Stir in pecans
- Remove crust from the freezer and pour in the filling
- Evenly sprinkle chocolate chips into the filling
- Cut a pie-sized circle out of a piece of foil or use one of these
- Bake for 30 minutes
- Allow to cool before slicing and serving
FTC DISCLOSURE: This post contains affiliate links (CWB Favorite Picks), which means I may receive monetary compensation for my endorsement, recommendation, testimonial and/or link to any products or services from this blog. All opinions are my own.
About Toni Sicola
I'm a wellness professional with a Master's in Integrative Health, passionate about spreading health, happiness and personal fulfillment to as many people as possible. I have a professional background in health and wellness, dietary supplements, and nutrition, and embark every day to live a well, balanced, happy life. In being true to myself and what I seek in life, I hope to inspire others to do the same, to cultivate wellbeing in their own lives.
- Find more about me on:
One thought on “Pecan Pie Two Ways: Maple Bourbon and Chocolate [RECIPE]”