Best Pastry (below)
2/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup stick margarine or butter,* melted
1 cup corn syrup
2 tablespoons bourbon, if desired
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 eggs
1 cup pecan halves or broken pecans
1 package (6 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips (1 cup)


Heat oven to 375 F. Prepare Best Pastry.

Beat sugar, margarine, corn syrup, bourbon, salt and eggs in large bowl with hand beater. Stir in pecans and chocolate chips. Pour into pastry-lined pie plate. Cover edge with 2- to 3-inch strip of aluminum foil to prevent excessive browning; remove foil during last 15 minutes of baking.

Bake 40 to 50 minutes or until set. Cool 30 minutes. Refrigerate about 2 hours until chilled.

Best Pastry:
1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon shortening or 1/3 cup lard
1 cup Gold Medal all-purpose flour*
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 to 3 tablespoons cold water

Cut shortening into flour and salt, using pastry blender or crisscrossing 2 knives, until particles are size of coarse crumbs. Sprinkle with cold water, 1 tablespoon at a time, tossing with fork until all flour is moistened and pastry almost cleans side of bowl (1 to 2 teaspoons more water can be added if necessary). Gather pastry into a ball. Shape into flattened round on lightly floured cloth-covered board. Roll into circle 2 inches larger than upside-down glass pie plate, 9x1 1/4 inches, with floured cloth-covered rolling pin. Fold pastry into fourths; place in pie plate. Unfold and ease into plate, pressing firmly against bottom and side. Trim overhanging edge of pastry 1 inch from rim of pie plate. Fold and roll pastry under, even with plate; flute as desired.

*If using self-rising flour, omit salt. Pie crusts made with self-rising flour differ in flavor and texture from those made with all-purpose flour.

**Spreads with at least 65% vegetable oil can be substituted.

Makes 8 servings

This recipe displayed with permission from General Mills, Inc.