To make the crust: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the flour, sugar, and salt. In a measuring cup, combine the water and vodka with ice and set in the fridge until ready to use. Add the very cold butter and cream cheese to the flour mixture. Mix on low for 1 minute. There should still be large pieces of butter dotted in the mix. Add 1/3 cup of the water/vodka mixture and mix on low until the dough comes together. If it's very dry, add a little more water, one teaspoon at a time. Tip the dough out onto a lightly floured counter and knead into a rough ball. Divide the dough in two and flatten each into a disc. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

Remove the dough from the fridge and transfer it to a lightly floured work surface. Using a rolling pin, roll the dough out into a 12" circle. Transfer the circle to a 9-inch pie pan. There are two routes from here: Either trim some of the excess, fold it under itself and crimp the edges OR trim to the edge of the pie pan and add some decorative pie crust leaves to the edge, utilizing the other disc of dough. If you want to make decorative shapes, roll out the other dough disc following the same instructions and cut out shapes using cookie cutters or pie dough cutters and transfer them to a parchment-lined tray. If you are attaching leaves, beat the egg and brush it on the edge of the pie crust and attach the leaves. Reserve the rest of the egg wash. Transfer the pie dough to the fridge while you make the filling.

To make the filling: Preheat an oven to 350 degrees F. Roughly chop 2 1/2 cups of pecan halves. I put them in a large ziplock and use a rolling pin to smash them a bit. You still want large pieces. Reserve the remaining pecan halves for arranging on top, if desired.

In a small saucepan, melt the butter. Cook over low until the butter is light brown and nutty smelling. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool slightly. In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the corn syrup, brown sugar, and eggs until smooth. Whisk in the melted chocolate, cocoa powder, vanilla, butter, and salt. Switch to a rubber spatula and fold in the chopped pecans. Remove the crust from the fridge and pour in the filling. Arrange the remaining pecan halves on top in a pretty circular design, if desired. Brush the edges of the crust with egg wash and sprinkle with turbinado or raw sugar (if desired). Place the pie on a baking sheet and transfer it to the oven. Bake for 45 minutes or until the filling is mostly set and just jiggles slightly. Remove from the oven and sprinkle with flaky sea salt. Cool to room temperature for one hour and refrigerate for 2 hours before serving.