Everyone has a favorite holiday pie. Mine happens to be pumpkin. To be honest, I often find pecan pie to be too cloying, too one-note. Until this version, that is. See, this version has a few special additions that balance it out beautifully. Thanks to some salty pretzels and pecans (and some chocolate), it’s a pie that’s the epitome of the perfect balance of sweet and salty.

Is it any more trouble to make than a ‘regular’ pecan pie? No. Is it much better in every way? If you’re asking me, yes. It’s just so much more interesting! Every bite has a combination of crunchy-chocolatey-salty-sweetness that keeps you wanting more. It’s layered with flavor and it’ll have you wondering why you haven’t been making it this way for years.

I mean… just look at that!

It still has that signature pecan pie gooeyness, but it just has a lot more good stuff to back it up. You might be thinking, “Pretzels in a pie?” But I promise you, it works. It works oh so well.

You can use a pre-made pie crust here or your favorite recipe for pie dough – either way, the dough is not the star in this dessert. The star is the combination of flavors in the filling. That filling takes only a few moments to mix up – a quick stir of a handful of ingredients and you’re ready to pour it into the pie shell.

It might seem like an odd combo at first glance, but there’s not a lot of mystery here. While there’s a bit of bourbon to cut through the richness, it’s otherwise a classic exercise in contrast, where chocolate lingers on the tongue and a salty crunch balances the sweet. It’s a beautiful, unique pie.