Chocolate Chip and Pecan Pie

• all-purpose flour↗300g g
• salted butter↗75g g

  cut into cubes

• cream cheese↗100g g
• powdered sugar↗1 tbsp tbsp
• salted butter↗150g g
• maple syrup↗200ml ml
• soft light brown sugar↗250g g
• soft dark brown sugar↗100g g
• eggs↗4

  beaten

• vanilla extract↗1 tsp tsp
• pecans↗400g g

  finely chopped

• dark chocolate chips↗200g g

  or bar, chopped

Step-by-step instructions

1. 1

   First, prepare the dough. Transfer the ingredients into a food processor with 1/4 tsp salt. Mix until the mixture resembles bread crumbs. Gradually add 2–3 tsp cold water into the feed tube while the blade is running — the mixture should start forming clumps. Turn it onto a work surface and quickly bring it together into a ball. Flatten into a disc, wrap in cling film and chill for at least 20 minutes. Preheat the oven to 200 °C/180 °C fan/gas 6.

2. 2

   Remove the dough from the refrigerator and let it sit at room temperature for 5 minutes to soften. Sprinkle the work surface with flour, then unfold the dough and roll it out to a circle the thickness of a £1 coin. Use the dough to line a deep 23 cm round springform pan with a removable bottom — mine was about 3 cm deep. Press the dough against the sides and bottom, ensuring there are no gaps. Leave a 1 cm overhang of dough (save the excess for later). Line the pan with parchment for baking (first crumple it to make it more flexible) and fill with ceramic beans. Blind‑bake in the oven for 15–20 minutes until the sides are set, then remove the parchment and beans and return to the oven for another 5 minutes until golden. Trim the dough so it is level with the top of the pan — a small serrated knife works best. If cracks appear, patch them with the leftover dough.

3. 3

   Meanwhile, weigh the butter, syrup and sugars into a saucepan and add 1/4 tsp salt. Heat until the butter melts and the sugar dissolves, stirring to a smooth consistency. Remove from heat and cool for 10 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 160 °C/140 °C fan/gas 3.

4. 4

   Beat the eggs in a bowl. Add the syrup mixture, vanilla and pecans, mixing until smooth. Pour half of the mixture into the tart pan, sprinkle half of the chocolate chips, then pour the remaining filling and the remaining chips. Bake on the middle rack for 50–55 minutes until set. Remove from the oven and let cool, then chill for at least 2 hours before serving.