This is a bit involved, yet very worth it, 10/10. I did not want to make the full recipe due to it making such a huge amount, so I halved it...and even so, still had to modify a bit, as the pan I was using was amount 40% of the area of the one requested in the recipe (8.5"x11.25" vs. 18"x13"). I'm listing the amounts below for the FULL recipe and added notes for parts I had to modify for halving the recipe.
Original recipe credit (you may hit paywall if you are not subscribed, apologies in advance): https://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/chocolate-pecan-sheet-pie-with-molasses
Recipe below contains my modifications.
Ingredients:
crust--
3/4 c. pecans (about 2 oz.)
1 1/2 T. sugar
2 1/2 tsp. kosher salt
4 1/2 c. all-purpose flour
3 sticks (1 1/2 c.) chilled unsalted butter, cut into small bits (I cut pats, then cut them in fourths)
3/4 c. ice water (amount is for water after ice is removed)
first filling--
2 sticks (1 c.) unsalted butter
2 c. sugar
1 2/3 c. light corn syrup
1/3 c. molasses (NOT blackstrap)
2 T. fresh lemon juice
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 tsp. kosher salt
8 large eggs, lightly beaten
candied pecans--
1 large egg white (if halving, still use this amount)
1/4 c. brown sugar (packed)
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
2 c. pecans (about 8 oz.)
1 T. sugar
second filling--
8 oz. bittersweet chocolate, chopped (note: original recipe indicates you can use semi-sweet chips instead; I did this, and while it did work, I do not recommend it)
1/2 c. heavy cream
Directions:
1. for the crust: Add the pecans, sugar, and salt to the receptacle of a large food processor. Pulse until finely ground. Then add the flour and pulse again until combined. (NOTE: if you are doing the full recipe, you may want to do this part in halves, as I think there would be too much to process all at once in the full quantity).
2. Add the butter and pulse until pea-sized crumbs texture is reached. Then, with motor running, slowly pour in the ice water and let run until dough comes together.
3. Knead dough a couple of times, forming a ball. Then press flat into a rectangular slab, cover in plastic wrap, and chill in fridge for an hour.
4. Line countertop with a long piece of parchment (at least 20" if doing full size, 13" for half). Lightly dust with flour and transfer dough to the center. Flatten as much as you can with palm of hand, then lightly flour and cover with a second piece of parchment on top. Roll the dough (you will either need someone to hold the parchment or you can tape it down) until it is 1/4" thick and is just slightly larger than the baking sheet size in dimensions.
5. Remove the top sheet of parchment and transfer the dough (with bottom parchment) to baking sheet. Crimp edges for "pie crust" edge look and press dough as need to fit into pan. Prick dough all over bottom with a fork. Freeze for 20 min.
6. While dough freezes, heat oven to 375°F. When dough is finished freezing, transfer to oven and bake for 20 min. Cool completely on wire rack before continuing to next step.
7. If you turned your oven off while crust cooled, you need to reheat it to 375°F now. For the first filling: Melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Continue heating and stirring until brown solids start to show (around 5 min). Remove from heat immediately and stir in the sugar.
8. Add the corn syrup, molasses, lemon juice, and salt. Stir to combine, then whisk in the eggs. Pour mixture into the baked crust shell but DO NOT OVERFILL! In my case (when I halved the recipe), I ended up tossing out about half of the halved filling mixture because it would not have fit. Basically, use your own judgment here. If you are doing the full recipe, you may want to pull out the oven rack, place your sheet, then pour in mixture (rather than try to not slosh as you put it in oven; this was not necessary with a smaller pan, but was suggested in original recipe).
9. Bake for 10 min, then REDUCE oven temperature to 325°F. Bake for additional 25 min. Transfer to wire rack and cool completely.
10. Meanwhile, INCREASE oven temperature to 350°F. For the candied pecans: Whisk the egg white in a bowl until frothy. Whisk in the brown sugar and salt. Stir in the pecans to coat in mixture.
11. Line a baking sheet with foil. Spread coated pecans out in single layer on the foil and transfer to oven. Bake for 4 min, stir/toss the pecans around on the sheet, then bake for 4 more min.
12. Remove from oven and transfer pecans to a heatproof bowl. Sprinkle the sugar over them and toss to coat. Once pecans have cooled, chop coarsely.
13. For the second filling: Place the chopped chocolate in a heatproof bowl. In a small saucepan, heat the cream, stirring frequently, until simmering. Pour over the chocolate and let sit for 3 minutes. Whisk the mixture until smooth, then spread atop the first filling in the pie.
14. Sprinkle the pecans over the melted chocolate mixture (this must be done immediately while still warm!) and let cool for at least 2 hours before serving. Enjoy!
