I make this bourbon chocolate pecan tart for our family holiday get-togethers every year. I’m on year 23 and still cooking, so I’ve had a lot of practice getting this one right. It’s probably the first recipe that earns the honor of The Dirty Pages.
The filling is rich, crunchy, and sweet, and the cream cheese crust gives it just enough tartness to balance the richness. It’s best served warm with some bourbon whipped cream on top, but it does just fine at room temperature.
I found the original recipe in a magazine somewhere and over the years I’ve added things, changed measurements, taken things out, tried different crusts, and I even tried to drastically reduce the sugar one year. The recipe hasn’t changed in the last decade; it’s a sure thing now.
My favorite part of the holidays is sitting around the table among all the family members (over 40 in our case) and listen to stories. Some of the stories are old and have been told every year since I can remember, and some are new but just as entertaining. There are lots of stories involving fire and emergency room visits, a couple of really good funeral stories, and even a couple of run-ins with the law. Good food lends itself well to good stories and good times, and before you know it the story-telling becomes the tradition and the bourbon chocolate pecan tart becomes legendary.
It’s that good.
Bourbon-Chocolate Pecan Tart
Print
Bourbon-Chocolate Pecan Tart
- Prep Time: 45 minutes
- Cook Time: 55 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 40 minutes
- Yield: 10 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Cuisine: Holiday
Description
This tart is legendary in our family. I’m not allowed at Thanksgiving without it. It’s exactly the kind of rich, sweet, warm dessert you want after a meal with family. It’s excellent with fresh whipped cream and chocolate shavings.
Ingredients
Cream Cheese Pastry
- 3 oz cream cheese, softened
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
Filling
- 3/4 cup Semi-sweet chocolate morsels (I use Ghirardelli 60% Cacao)
- 3 large eggs, lightly beaten
- 3 tbsp dark brown sugar
- 1 tbsp all-purpose flour
- 3/4 cup light corn syrup
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
- 3 tbsp bourbon
- 2 tsp vanilla
- 2 cups pecan halves
Instructions
- Beat cream cheese and softened butter until smooth. Add flour and beat on low until a soft dough forms.
- Press pastry into a tart pan.
- Sprinkle chocolate morsels over pastry and chill for 30 minutes.
- Beat eggs and next 7 ingredients at medium speed.
- Pour into tart shell filling half full.
- Arrange pecan halves over filling in a circular pattern
- Drizzle remaining filling over top slowly.
- Bake at 350 for 55 minutes
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 10
- Calories: 399
- Fat: 27
- Carbohydrates: 38
- Protein: 5