With my husband out for the afternoon, I thought it would be fun to surprise Jack and Sammie with a chocolatey treat. I was looking through Classic Southern Desserts and when I came to the picture of fudge pie, I was stopped dead in my tracks. Like most people I love brownies and I love pie. Not much could be better than a combination of the two. I don’t make pie very often, mostly because I don’t always have time to make a homemade crust. But, this pie has no crust. How great is that? You just make a simple brownie batter with ingredients that most people probably already have on hand and if you like, add a sprinkling of pecans. I am a brownie purist, so I left them out. Instead, I decided to throw in some mini chocolate chips to add some little pockets of melted chocolate goodness. The batter is poured in a pie plate and baked. It really is as easy as that. I like to pull my pie out of the oven a little bit underdone, so I can achieve maximum gooeyness. When it is still warm, it is best served with a big ol’ scoop of your favorite ice cream and a generous drizzle of chocolate syrup. I called Jack and Sammie to the table for a surprise. When they arrived, with their eyes large and fixated on the pie, they both asked “Why do we get to eat dessert before dinner?” Do you guys really want to question me on this? Yeah, I didn’t think so. Grab some forks and let’s eat!
Fudge Pie
3/4 cup butter or margarine
3 (1-ounce) unsweetened chocolate squares I used Callebaut
3 large eggs
1 1/2 cups sugar
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup chopped pecans, toasted and divided optional
1/4 to 1/2 cup mini semisweet chocolate chips optional
Preheat oven to 350. Cook butter and chocolate in a small saucepan over low heat, stirring often until melted. I put the cut butter and chopped chocolate in a bowl and microwaved them carefully until almost all melted, then let the residual heat melt the rest of the chocolate.
Beat eggs at medium speed with an electric mixer 5 minutes. Gradually add sugar, beating until blended. Gradually add chocolate mixture, flour, and vanilla, beating until blended. Stir in 1/2 cup pecans (if using) and mini chips (if using).
Pour mixture into a lightly greased 9-inch pie plate.
Bake at 350° for 35 to 40 minutes or until center is firm. Cool. Top each serving with vanilla ice cream and chocolate syrup.
