• Prepare and blind bake pie shell. Directions below.
• Preheat oven to 350° F.
• Lay pecan halves out on a baking sheet and bake for 5-6 minutes, until starting to smell nice and toasty. Keep your eye on them. Remove from oven and cool. This step can be done several days ahead of time.
• Increase oven temp to 375° F
• In a mixing bowl blend melted butter, beaten eggs, brown sugar, salt, agave syrup, and spiced rum. Mix until well-integrated.
• Stir in toasted pecans and chocolate chips.
  
• Pour filling mixture into prepared pie shell (see pie crust direction below) and bake for 50 minutes +/-, or until it looks set when you give it a light shake. If it’s too jiggly, return to the oven for just 2 mintues at a time until the center is set. The filling will poof up a bit and may crack just a little bit, but no worries, it will all settle as it cools.
  
• Cool to at least room temp, so the pie filling settles into place. Serve cold or at room temp. You can also make this ahead of time and reheat in a low temp oven for a warm serving of pie.
• Serve with a dollop of whipped cream.

Aunt Clara’s Flaky Pie Crust

• Preheat oven to 400 F. Fetch a 9-inch pie dish out of the cupboard. (Measure the pie dish across the top of the dish from the inside on one side to the inside on the opposite side.)
• Mix flour and salt in a large bowl. With a pastry cutter or cold fingertips, cut butter into the flour until well integrated. Sprinkle cider vinegar over mixture and stir in well with a fork. Add ice-cold water a little bit at a time and blend with a fork until the dough is moist enough to roll into a ball, but not too wet. Roll into one large ball for the pie crust and a smaller ball to use for the leaf cutouts for the edge of the crust.
• On a floured cloth or board, roll out pie dough to a circle about 14-15 inches in diameter. Fit the dough circle into a 9-inch pie shell. Line up the edge of the dough with the outer top edge of the pie shell. Trim off any excess dough that hangs over the outer edge.
• Roll out the second ball of dough and with a paring knife cut out leaf shapes about 1 1/2-inches by 1/2-inch. Indent a leaf vein pattern using the knife.
• Brush the flat top edge of the pie shell with beaten egg white to help the leaves adhere to the top.
• In alternating directions, lay leaves over each other all the way around the top edge of the pie shell. Gently press down to keep the leaves in place.
  
• Using a fork, poke holes in the bottom and sides of your crust before baking to prevent it from bubbling up.
  
• Fit a piece of foil or parchment into the bottom of the crust and cover it with baking weights or dried beans. This prevents the empty crust from bubbling up while baking.
  
• Prebake the pie shell for about 7 minutes or until just beginning to firm up a bit. Remove from oven and cool for about 10 minutes before adding pecan pie filling. Bake according to directions in the pecan pie recipe above.