This healthier take on pecan pie isn't short on flavor! This low sugar pecan and dark chocolate pie is made with an easy store bought crust, and filling that's lightly sweetened with pure maple syrup!

Pecan pie has become a running Thanksgiving joke in our household.

It all started in September 2011 to be exact, when the newest issue of Garden and Gun magazine arrived with a beautiful looking pecan pie on the cover.

Scott: Ooooohhhh, can we make this pecan pie tonight???

Me: No, Scott. It's, like, Tuesday. I'm not making a pie on a Tuesday. Do you want me to get a slice of pie when I go to the grocery store tomorrow?

Scott: No, I want the Garden and Gun pie.

Me: Well, then you're not getting pie.

Scott: Ugh, fine.

It didn't end there. Two weeks later:

Me: What should I make for the tailgate this weekend?

Scott: What about the pecan pie from Garden and Gun?

Me: No, Scott. It's 85 degrees out. And who brings a pie to a tailgate??

Scott: Ugh, fine.

A few weeks after that:

Scott: You know what I'm craving? That pecan pie - let's make it!

Me: Seriously Scott? It's 10:30 at night. I'm not baking a flipping pie.

Scott: Ugh, fine.

A few weeks after that:

Me: What should I make for Thanksgiving?

Scott: Can you make that pie? If you don't want to, I'll make it. I just really want that pie.

Me: You want to help me bake a pie?

Scott: Yes.

Me: Well, okay then.

I don't think I've ever seen him so excited. I don't remember exactly, but there may have been a victory dance involved. I told him to pull out the recipe so I could pick up the ingredients when I went to the store. He skipped...err, I mean did a super manly walk into the living room to get the recipe.

A few minutes later, I heard a loud "Nooooooo!" coming from that direction.

As it turns out, there was never a recipe. The gorgeous pecan pie gracing the cover was one you could order from a bakery in Charleston, SC, not one you could make at home. With Thanksgiving in just a few days and no one with the time or desire to spend 5 hours on the road to pick up a pie, Scott was devastated.

To console him, I did my best to whip up an epic pecan pie. And since then, each year I've been sure to include pecan pie on our Thanksgiving table, trying a different recipe each year until we stumble upon "the one."

For my last installation in this Thanksgiving series, I decided to give pecan pie a healthier makeover by cutting the sugar content a bit. To be honest, this one was for me. I always think pecan pie is too syrupy sweet, and I prefer dark chocolate chunks in the filling. And because I always fail the crust year after year, I cheated with frozen. It's so easy, you can enjoy pecan pie any time a random craving pops up!

Low Sugar Pecan and Dark Chocolate Pie

Ingredients

1 frozen pie shell (I used Wholly Wholesome spelt crust)
3 eggs
1/2 cup pure maple syrup
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon whole wheat flour (or gluten free flour)
2 cups pecans
1/2 cup dark chocolate chunks

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, maple syrup, cinnamon, whole wheat flour and vanilla extract. Add in the pecans and chocolate and stir to combine. Pour into the center of the pie crust.
Place in the middle of the oven and bake 30-35 minutes until set in the middle. Remove from oven, let cool about 30 minutes before slicing and serving. Serve with whipped cream or ice cream.

More holiday desserts:

Low Sugar Dark Chocolate Chunk Pecan Pie

Low Sugar Pecan and Dark Chocolate Pie

Ingredients

Instructions