Ingredients
Crust:
2 ¼ C All Purpose Flour
½ t. salt
1 T. sugar
1/3 C cold water
½ cup cold butter cut into ¼ inch pieces
3/8 C. cold lard or shortening cut into ¼ inch pieces
Filling:
1/2 C Semi Sweet Chocolate Chips
1.5 T Heavy Cream
8 oz Cream Cheese
3/8 C Sugar
1 whole egg
1 egg yolk
1 t. vanilla extract
¼ salt
1 C Karo Syrup (light or dark, or half and half)
3 T melted butter
3 eggs
1 t. vanilla extract
¼ c. sugar
1-1 ¼ C. pecan pieces or pecan halves
Directions
Crust:
Mix Flour, salt, and sugar. Cut in butter and shortening/lard until the fat is the size of a rice grain or less. Add water and blend until a ball forms. Cut in two and form into disks. You will use one disk for the recipe. Chill for an hour, then roll out and put into a pie pan.
Filling:
– Melt chocolate and add cream, and blend. Gently spread on bottom of crust.
– Blend cream cheese, egg, yolk, vanilla, sugar, and salt until smooth. Spread on top of chocolate.
– Mix Karo, melted butter, 3 eggs, vanilla, and sugar until smooth. Add pecans, then gently pour on top of the cream cheese mixture.
Bake:
Bake at 325 on low oven rack for 55 minutes (or until center is set like Jello- may take up to 30 additional minutes). Cover crust edge if it is getting too dark.
Garnish and decorate as desired. Top with a favorite whipped cream, if desired.