Chocolate Caramel Pie

Crust:

1/2 C. soft butter

1/4 t. salt

1 t. vanilla

1/3 C. confectioner’s sugar

1/4 C. dutch-process cocoa

1 C. unbleached all-purpose flour

1/2 C. chopped pecans, toasted

Caramel Filling:

2 C. (12 oz.) caramel pieces

1/2 C. heavy cream

1 C. white chocolate

Chocolate Glaze:

1 C. chopped bittersweet chocolate

1/2 C. heavy cream

2 T. corn syrup

1/2 C. chopped pecans, toasted

Crust: In a medium-sized bowl, beat the butter until fluffy. Add the salt, vanilla, sugar and cocoa, and blend until smooth. Add the flour and stir to blend. Finally, add the nuts. The mixture will be dry.

Lightly grease a 9-inch pie pan. Press the crust into the bottom and up the sides of the pan. Bake in a preheated 400°F. oven for 15 to 18 minutes, until it’s set. (The dark color makes it hard to tell, but it’s done when you can just begin to smell the chocolate.) Remove the crust from the oven and set it aside to cool.

Filling: In a medium sized saucepan, set over low heat, stir together the caramel, heavy cream and white chocolate until they’re melted and smooth. Pour the filling into the cooled crust and set it aside to firm while making the glaze.

Glaze: Melt the chocolate with the cream and corn syrup over low heat, stirring until smooth. Drizzle the glaze over the filling and sprinkle with the toasted pecans. Refrigerate the pie for 1 hour or more before serving. It’s best served chilled but not cold; remove the pie from the refrigerator about 15 - 20 minutes before serving.

Yield: 12 servings, 1 pie