Here is a recipe that was requested by so many of you on my Instagram–pecan pie!
Truth be told, I didn’t really like pecan pie until I had this version. But I love, love this recipe. It hasn’t failed me (or anyone I know who’s tried it) for years. It’s packed full of pecans and has an amazing flavor. If you’ve wanted to try pecan pie but wasn’t sure which recipe to try, this is the one, guys!
You’ll need a digital food thermometer for this recipe, but it is well worth the investment (if you don’t have one already). I have this Thermopop by Thermoworks and I absolutely love it!
The Pie
Start by making the crust and doing a blind bake. To blind bake, you roll out the pie crust, put it in your plate, fill it with parchment paper or aluminum foil, fill with pie weights, then bake. When it comes to blind baking, I like to use rice and/or lentils as a filling. They’re cheap, easy to store, and disposable, if needs be.
After the crust has a short bake in the oven, it’s filled with the pie filling then baked a little longer until the filling is set. Easy, right? And as you know, with many pies, you can make this ahead of Thanksgiving before you get down to more of the serious cooking.
You’ll want to buy raw pecans and give them a quick toast, either in a saucepan or on a baking sheet. If you’re using a saucepan, let them toast for a few minutes on medium-high heat. Stir frequently and watch very closely so they don’t burn. Pecans can burn very easily, so don’t leave them alone while you’re doing this step. They will start to smell a little toasty and start turning a little darker. At this point, you can remove them from the pan.
If you want to use an oven, preheat it to 350 F. Spread the pecans evenly on a cookie sheet and, once the oven is preheated, pop them in for about five minutes or less. Watch very closely so they don’t get burned.
After they’re toasted, give them a rough chop before you use them in the pie. Now you’re ready to get going!
I hope you love this pecan pie as much as I do, and that you’ll add it to your lineup for Thanksgiving. Gobble gobble!
Pecan Pie
This pie is so chock-full of toasted pecans, you won't believe it's amazing flavor!
Ingredients
For the crust:
- 1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 tablespoon sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 8 tablespoons cold butter, cut into 32 pieces
- 2 1/2 tablespoons ice water (plus extra, if necessary)
- 1 1/2 tablespoons sour cream
For the filling:
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 6 pieces
- 1 cup packed dark brown sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 3 large eggs
- 3/4 cup light corn syrup
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups pecans, toasted and chopped into small pieces
Instructions
For the crust:
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Start by adding the flour, sugar, and salt into the bowl of a food processor. (If you don't have a food processor, that's okay--you can do this with a pastry cutter.) In a separate, small bowl, whisk together the sour cream and water until smooth and set aside. Sprinkle the small butter pieces evenly over the dry ingredients, then pulse a few times until the butter is the size of peas.
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Add the sour cream mixture into the bowl of the food processor while you pulse a couple of times. Pulse the dough a few more times. To test if the dough is ready, press it together with your fingers. If it sticks together, it's ready. If not, add a tablespoon or two of ice water. It should start to form bigger clumps.
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Dump the dough out onto a well-floured surface and use your hands to press the dough crumbles into a ball. It is going to seem messy, but this just means you're going to have awesome, flaky crust. Wrap the ball in plastic wrap and let it chill for an hour.
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Adjust rack to middle position and preheat the oven to 375 F.
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Working quickly, roll out the pie dough, place in a 9" pie plate and trim and crimp the edges. Fill the shell with a double layer of aluminum foil and fill with pie weights. Make sure the weights are evenly distributed inside the crust. Bake for about 25 minutes or until the crust looks dry and very lightly browned. Remove from the oven and remove the aluminum foil and pie weights.
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Reduce oven temperature to 275 F.
For the filling:
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While the crust is baking, start preparing the filling.
Place a heatproof bowl over a low-simmering saucepan of water (water bath). Add the butter to the bowl and allow it to melt. Remove the bowl from the heat, add the sugar and salt and stir to combine. Add the eggs and stir to combine. Then, add the corn syrup and vanilla and stir well until smooth. Place the bowl back over the saucepan with simmering water and stir until the temperature reaches 130 F. The mixture will be hot to the touch and shiny. Remove from the heat and stir in the pecans.
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Pour the filling into the warm crust and bake at 275 F for an additional 50-60 minutes. The filling will look set and feel like Jello when it is pressed with the back of a spoon. Let cool for at least 2 hours for the filling to finish setting up. Best served slightly warm or at room temperature. Enjoy!
-recipe modified from this America’s Test Kitchen recipe.
