I love Thanksgiving. And if I am being completely honest, it’s all because of the pie!

Don’t get me wrong, I love spending the day with my family and friends. I even usually treat myself to two servings of sides such as dressing, sweet potatoes and my grandmother’s cauliflower au gratin.

But the pies are the part of the feast I look forward to the most.

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Now that I have confessed my love of pie to you, you won’t be surprised to learn I am in charge of our family’s dessert buffet each year. 

I usually go a bit overboard, making anywhere between eight and 10 pies. One year, we had even more pies than guests at the table.

I almost always make a fancy gingersnap-crusted pumpkin mousse pie. Apple pie often appears on the menu as well. Cool Whip pudding pies that my youngest daughter learned how to make in a kindergarten cooking class decades ago are often part of the spread.

But the pie that is on the table every year is my grandmother’s pecan pie.

It is a dish I have loved my entire life. A handwritten copy of the recipe in her perfect script is a treasured heirloom of mine. Every year when I pull it out for my holiday baking, I am flooded with happy memories of holidays at her table in New Orleans.

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Her recipe is a classic, made with the good-ol‘ Southern ingredient Karo syrup. She used to hand-crack Louisiana pecans for hers — a task I often had as a child.

Today I cheat and use already-shelled pecans. I like to add some chocolate chips and a little bourbon to the mix. But the base recipe is hers, and I am hoping it will be on my family’s Thanksgiving table for generations to come. 

So from my family to yours, happy Thanksgiving!

And remember, one slice of pie is not enough!

Bourbon-Chocolate Pecan Pie

For a classic pecan pie, just omit chocolate and bourbon from the recipe below. And if you would like a recipe for classic Seessel’s pie crust, click here.

Ingredients
3 large eggs
1 cup light brown sugar
1 cup light corn syrup
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
3/4 cup chopped pecans
½ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 unbaked pie crust (9-inch), homemade or store-bought
1 cup pecan halves
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into slivers
2 tablespoons bourbon

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Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Place the eggs in a large mixing bowl and whisk until light but not foamy. Add the brown sugar and stir until there are no lumps. Add the corn syrup and vanilla and stir until well blended. Stir in the chopped pecans. 

Evenly cover the bottom of the pie crust with the chocolate chips. Pour the filling over the chocolate chips.

Arrange the pecan halves decoratively over the top of the pie. Place tiny slivers of butter evenly over the top of the pie. 

Bake until the pie is firm and golden brown, about 60-70 minutes.

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As soon as you pull the hot pie from the oven, evenly sprinkle the bourbon across the top. Let cool to room temperature before serving.

Serves 8.

Pro tip: When serving guests, I like to make my pie pretty by decorating the top with pecan halves. When it’s just family, I skip that step and just mix the pecan halves in with the filling.

Recipe used with permission from “The Southern Pantry Cookbook” by Jennifer Chandler.