Chocolate Coconut Pecan Pie

328.  There is no better way to start off your week than with a slice of warm Chocolate Coconut Pecan Pie.  And don't forget the whipped cream on top.
I adapted my recipe to satisfy the chocolate lovers, coconut lovers and pecan pie lovers in my household.  Needless to say, all the lovers were satisfied.

Chocolate Coconut Pecan Pie

1 pie crust (or two if you double the recipe)

1/2 cup light brown sugar
1/4 cup soft butter
1 cup light corn syrup
3 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon coconut extract
pinch of salt
1 cup sweetened flaked coconut
8 oz dark chocolate chips or chopped Ghirardelli baking bar
2 cups pecan halves

Directions:

Prepare your crust, roll out and place in a 9" pie plate.  Crimp edges to your desired look.

First, spread flaked coconut in a non-stick pan and toast on the stove.  Allow the coconut to heat up watching carefully and stir occasionally making sure edges do not burn.  Remove from stove and allow to cool completely.
In a mixing bowl place brown sugar, butter, corn syrup, eggs, salt and extracts.  Blend till incorporated.  With a spatula, stir in the toasted coconut, chocolate and pecans.  Transfer the mixture to your prepared pie crust.  Turn over the pecans with your fingers for desired look and even texture on top. The filling will rise in baking so make sure you do not overfill your crust.
Bake at 350∘ for approximately 50 to 55 minutes or till no longer wet in center. Check by running a cool knife into the center. The filling is set when the knife comes out clean.

Serve warm or cooled with a dollop of whipped cream

You may choose to toast coconut in the oven but for myself, it is easier to eliminate burned batches.

I used dark chocolate chips but would have preferred the chopped chocolate bar.  The chocolate just seems to be softer and doesn't harden up once the pie cools.  

 This was a delicious pie!  The chocolate hides beneath the surface and is a sweet surprise.  If you are a hardcore pecan pie lover...you may want to stick to the original.  But if you are a chocolate lover...this is the pie for you!

"I just clipped two articles from a current magazine. 

 One is a diet guaranteed to drop 5 pounds off my body in a weekend.  

The other is a recipe for a 6 minute pecan pie."

- Erma Bombeck

Dark Chocolate Cake with Raspberry Sauce

49. Today, we picked up a can of yummy Red Raspberries in Heavy Syrup.  When I was unpacking the groceries, my "honey" said..."Wouldn't these taste great with a chocolate cake?" What a great idea!  Warm chocolate cake is always a welcome addition to life!  

I found a wonderful recipe from The Steamers Stop Inn, Village of Gagetown, New Brunswick in the  Country Inn and Bed and Breakfast Cookbook Volume Two.

"Dark Chocolate Cake"

page 592

2 cups sugar

1 ½ cups all-purpose flour

¾ cup cocoa

2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

½ tsp salt

1 cup buttermilk or sour milk

1 cup strong coffee

½ cup oil

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla extract

Grease 2, 8" round cake pans.  In a large bowl combine the sugar, flour, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.  Add the buttermilk, coffee, oil, eggs, and vanilla.  Beat with an electric mixer at low speed for 2 minutes.  It will be a thin batter when finished.  Pour into the prepared cake pans.  Bake in a 350º oven for 30-35 minutes.

Cool the cakes.  Put the cakes together and frost with chocolate icing.  

Serves 16 ❧ ❧ ❧ ❧

So I pulled out my mini bundt baking pan set to make individual cakes and

baked them for 25 minutes.

They turned out beautiful!  And smelled so good.

I plated them individually and then made the sauce.

Raspberry Sauce was made with the Red Raspberries in heavy syrup,

lemon zest and corn starch to thicken.  I didn't need to add sugar, the

syrup was so delicious.  I poured the hot sauce over 

the cakes, sprinkled them with powder sugar and a dollop of whipped cream.

What a great finish to the day...while we played "Outburst" and sipped coffee and savored warm Dark Chocolate Cake.  You will love this recipe!!!  

"I don't understand why so many "so called" chocolate lovers complain

about the calories in chocolate,

when all true chocoholics know

that it is a vegetable!

It comes from the cocoa bean, beans are veggies, 'nuff said."

~ Anonymous