Chocolate Bourbon Pie with Sugar Encrusted Cranberries

This is our daughters go to recipe every holiday. Everyone looks forward to it. It’s just so decadent. And actually, leftovers are great with coffee the next morning. This is a recipe she developed from a chocolate bourbon pecan pie. But unfortunately, we have pecan allergies so the pecans have disappeared from the house. If you want to add pecans, just use the same recipe, add them and make two pies instead. It will freeze well. The cranberries are just great to make a bunch and have in the refrigerator for everything. They are crunchy, a little tart and a little sweet and can be added to your hot chocolate, your bread puddings, a wheel of brie, a cheese platter, or basically any pie or dessert for a pretty decoration.

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cooking Time: 50 minutes

Serves: 8

Pie Ingredients:

1 pre-made or homemade pie crust

2 ounces unsweetened baking chocolate

1 cup sugar

4 ounces dark chocolate

3 eggs

¾ cup corn syrup

1 tsp vanilla extract

¼ cup bourbon

1/2 stick unsalted butter

¼ tsp salt

1 tart pan with a removable bottom (you may also make this in a pie pan)

Optional Toppings:

Chocolate Curls

Powdered Sugar

Whipped Cream

Directions, Chocolate Bourbon Pie:

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Melt the chocolate and the butter together over very low heat in a small saucepan. Remove from heat and cool.

Beat your eggs in a large mixing bowl and add the sugar. Stir in the corn syrup, vanilla, bourbon, salt and the melted chocolate/butter mixture.

Place your crust in your tart pan with a removable bottom or a pie pan. If you do not buy a pre-made crust, this pie is excellent with a oreo, graham cracker or a pecan pie crust.

Pour the chocolate/boubon/egg mixture into your pie shell. Bake the tart on a cookie sheet for 45-50 minutes. Pie is done when it puffs up a little bit. You can also test it with a toothpick stuck in the middle to see if the middle is moist or done. If done, the toothpick will come out relatively clean.

Sugar Encrusted Cranberries:

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cooking Time: 5 minutes

Drying Time; 2 hours

Ingredients:

2 cups sugar

1 bag fresh cranberries

Directions Cranberries:

Combine ½ cup of water and ½ cup of the sugar in a medium saucepan and bring to a simmer for just a moment until the sugar is dissolved. Stir in the cranberries and stir well. Drain the cranberries and remove to a rack over parchment paper to drain well. Dry 1 hour.

After 1 hour, place the remaining 1 ½ cups sugar in a medium bowl. Add about ½ cup of cranberries at a time and coat well in the sugar. Remove them to a piece of parchment paper to dry. Do this in batches until all of the cranberries are coated. Let them dry at least one hour before use.