TWD: Pecan Chocolate Mini Pies

Tuesdays with Dorie this week is brought to us by Beth at Someone's in the Kitchen with Brina. She chose Dorie's "My Favorite Pecan Pie" recipe - for which I am grateful since it was one of the recipes I had earmarked for my choice (back when I thought I would be choosing close to the Thanksgiving holiday instead of last Easter).

I love pecan pie, but often, as Dorie describes herself in the notes before the recipe, pecan pie can often be so cloyingly sweet that a few bites is more than I can handle. I actually made this recipe two times over the holidays - once at Thanksgiving at my parents' home where I made the 'plain' version with really no changes - I just left out the espresso powder, chocolate and cinnamon per Dorie's alternate instructions. If you are looking for a really great, simple and not too sweet straight-up pecan pie then this one is a real winner. I did take some really terrible pictures with my Dad's camera - just bad lighting and unfamiliar equipment, etc etc - but it didn't matter since I never had a chance to get the pictures off the camera.

Since I had really wanted to try Dorie's version (or at least closer to it) with the chocolate though, I decided to just rectify the situation by making the pie again. We are staying home alone this week for the holidays though - just the hubs, me and the two little hooligans I call my sons. Therefore, there was no need to make an entire pie. I made one-third of the recipe, with a few little tweaks here and there (I left in a little more chocolate, vanilla and pecans - just because) and made 4 really adorable 4.5-inch mini pies in little aluminum pie tins I picked up at a local restaurant supply store. I like making the individual portions and serving everyone their own little cute pie sometimes, so these come in handy.

The only other change I had to make to the recipe as far as that goes was in the actual baking times, which was understandably cut in to a much smaller time amount. Once I get all my changes written down and figured out, I promise to share them soon!

Though I have now made Dorie's pie crust recipe several times, it just doesn't quite replace my favorite (1/2 shortening 1/2 butter style recipe) so I went with that this time as well. Mainly, the reason I use that recipe is because it gives me the ability to 'style' the dough a bit more than I ever seem capable of with Dorie's dough - probably just me though.

We really enjoyed our mini pies and I really loved them with the chocolate and cinnamon added in. Really it just depends on your mood I think because this recipe is a real winner either way.

These also made a nice little dessert that I'm saving for dessert tonight -

since today (December 22nd) marks my 11th wedding anniversary!

Happy Anniversary to my husband, Dusty - never a dull moment!