Everyone’s Favorite
Okay, so admittedly by “everyone’s favorite” I mean everyone who comes to my house for the holidays who loves pecan pie in general. But most notably, I mean my dad and Brad. For these two gentlemen – the most important guys in my world – pecan pie is their #1 fave. I’ve made this pie and sent it through the mail, from California to Massachusetts, to my dad for his birthday. I’ve made it for Brad for every holiday, special occasion, poker party, and “just because” for over a decade. Personally, I am actually not a huge pecan pie fan – I’m just not a lover of nuts in dessert unless it’s a peanut-buttery-something. I’ll take ALL the pumpkin pie though! And that makes for a very happy relationship: no fighting over pie leftovers, haha.
Easy Peasy Pie
Despite not being one to dive into this pie myself, I can say it has been met with rave reviews by guests for years (and always disappears quickly – a sign that people aren’t just saying they like it to be nice!). The good news for you is: it’s SO easy to make! Like, almost too easy. I’m giving you a recipe for homemade crust but in all honesty, I used Betty Crocker premade crusts from the grocery store for YEARS (the kind you roll out and place in your pretty pie plate in 2 minutes) and they worked great. So if you’re stressing having a bunch of things to cook for Thanksgiving this year, rest assured that this pie will not be something you’ll have to sweat over. And if you decide to make the crust, this crust recipe is actually much easier than most I have made in the past. It does help to have a pastry cutter like this or a food processor works as well (I have this one which has a special button for “dough” although I don’t actually know what the difference is!). If you use your existing food processor, just pulse the dough rather than just turning it on and letting it run.
A Word About Pie Plates
I have amassed a large assortment of pie plates over the years, and these ones from Emile Henry are my favorites. They’re my favorite because they’re deeper and the fluted edge means you don’t have to crimp your pie crust edges! You just lay it in there and boom! Beautiful, professional-looking pie crust and it looks lovely on the table. There are other versions of ruffled pie plates, even Emile henry ones, where the “ruffle” is less exaggerated, but after many years of use (and I have several of the other versions) these remain my favorites. Disclaimer: I made the pie in these photos in my favorite pie plate, but the one I have is green… I lifted it out and put it in a (less “ruffled”) white one for photos purely for color-aesthetic reasons.
If you’re not looking to drop $50 on a pie plate, but also don’t want to use the aluminum pan that frozen grocery store pie crusts come in, you can get two traditional Pyrex glass pie plates for around $20 here. These will work just fine (you may even be able to find these in your local grocery store “bakeware” section if you’re in a pinch), you’ll just need to crimp your own crust edges to get a decorative look.
Fancy Shmancy: Extra Decoration
If you’re wanting to impress your guests even more and dress up your pecan pie (or pumpkin pie or whatever pies you make) a bit further, I also love these pastry stamps. This set in particular comes with the shapes of fall leaves and an acorn, which is perfect for a Thanksgiving pie. I also like that they have springs that press your dough out once you’ve stamped it. No frustrating attempts to shake the dough out or pry it out without ruining the shape!
Since pecan (and pumpkin) pie fillings are quite liquid, I do NOT place these cut-outs on top before baking (they would very likely sink, which would be a real drag!). Instead, I punch out the designs I like from the dough and bake them on a parchment-lined cookie sheet at 350 degrees until they’re a nice golden brown. If you’re serving the pie that day, you can put a little corn syrup (just to make them stick to a pecan pie’s hard top) on the back and lay them on when the pie has cooled. If you’re making a pumpkin pie you can just lay them right on top, no sticking mechanism necessary. I do recommend doing this close to serving time though, as the moisture from the pumpkin pie especially will cause the pieces to get soggy over time and you’ll want them looking fresh and crispy for the big fancy shmancy pie reveal.
An Important Note About the Eggs
The most important note I can give you about this recipe is: LET THE SUGAR/CORN SYRUP MIX COOL BEFORE YOU ADD THE EGGS! I cannot stress this enough. It doesn’t have to be all the way to room temp, but it does need to be cool enough OR you need to know how to temper eggs properly. This is to avoid what happens if you just dump the eggs into the hot sugar mix: your pecan pie filling ends up full of scrambled eggs! Gross, right? This has happened to me before and it’s a mistake you only make once. To this day, even after making this recipe a hundred times, I’m still just a little nervous every time I mix in the eggs. But if you keep your heat on medium and you let your mix cool for about 15 minutes after your sugar is melted (stirring occasionally as it cools), you should be fine. (Also, as a side note, please also try to buy eggs that are from free range (not just cage-free), pasture-raised chickens if you can!)
The Best Pecan Pie
Ingredients
Pecan Pie Filling
- 1 stick unsalted butter
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 cup granulated (white) sugar
- 1/2 cup light corn syrup
- 1/2 cup dark corn syrup
- 3 room-temperature eggs, beaten (you can place the eggs in a bowl of warm water to expedite the process of bringing them to room temperature)
- 1 cup pecan pie pieces, broken by hand into quarters (plus 8 nice halves for decoration on top)
- 1 unbaked pie crust (store bought or homemade, recipe to follow)
Homemade Butter Crust (optional, makes two crusts)
- 2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1-1/2 tsp salt
- 8 tbsp unsalted butter, cold and cut into small cubes
- 8 tbsp vegetable shortening, chilled
- 1/2 cup ice water
Instructions
Pecan Pie Filling
- *If making the crust from scratch, please read instructions below first.
- 1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- 2. IF using a premade refrigerated crust, roll it out and lay it in a buttered (or sprayed, I like to use Pam for Baking) pie plate. Then put the plate and crust back in the fridge until it's ready to be filled.
- 3. In a medium saucepan, melt the butter but do not let it brown.
- 4. Add the two sugars and two corn syrups and stir with a wooden spoon over medium heat until the sugar has dissolved, about 5 minutes. When you hold the wooden spoon vertically and tap it on the bottom of the pan, you don't want to feel the crunch of the sugar. It's okay if you leave it for a moment and it bubbles a bit around the edge of the saucepan, but you'll want to stir the mix for the majority of those five minutes.
- 5. When the sugars have melted, remove the saucepan from the stove and set it somewhere to cool for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally to help release the heat. This is SUPER important, as adding the eggs immediately to this mixture will cause them to scramble!
- 6. While your sugar mixture is cooling, prepare the pecans. I like to buy pecan halves so I can set aside 8 to decorate the top. I break each pecan by hand, splitting it into quarters (see instructional video in my Instagram pecan pie story highlight), setting aside the 8 "nicest" halves as I go. It is fast and easy to do, and you only need one cup of pecan pieces. If you prefer smaller pieces you can of course chop or prepare your pecans however you like.
- 7. When the sugar mixture has cooled, pour in your three room-temperature beaten eggs and combine quickly. Then add the chopped pecans.
- 8. Remove your pie crust from the fridge and pour your filling in. Take the 8 pecan halves that you set aside and place one near the crust edge for each slice. I find it easiest to place two across from each other, creating a cross first, then filling in the remaining four on the diagonals.
- 9. Bake for approximately one hour or until your center is set. That doesn't mean it's hard, the middle may be puffed up and jiggle a bit, but it should jiggle as a whole, not move like it's still wet and sloshy. The center will fall and set as it cools, it will not stay puffy.
- 10. Set on a wire rack until pie is cooled. Pie can be made up to two days in advance and kept, covered tightly, in the refrigerator. Bring to room temperature before serving. Top with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream if you like!
Homemade Butter Crust (optional, makes 2 crusts)
- 1. If you are making your crust from scratch, prepare it first as it will need to rest in the fridge for around two hours before use.
- 2. Mix the flour and salt together in a large bowl or in the bowl of a food processor. Add the butter cubes and shortening. Using a pastry cutter, two forks or your food processor in pulses, cut the butter and shortening into the mixture until it resembles a coarse meal. It's okay if there are still some pea-sized lumps in there.
- 3. Add a few ice cubes to your 1/2 cup of water and mix them around, allowing the water to chill. After a moment or two, remove the ice cubes and re-measure your 1/2 cup (as some of the water will have melted from the cubes).
- 4. If using a food processor, pulse your dough while adding the cold water, in a slow drizzle or a tablespoon at a time. If making by hand, use a wooden spoon to mix in the water one tablespoon at a time until the dough forms large clumps. It should stick together well but not feel "wet." If you need to add a little more than 1/2 cup of water that's fine too, just do so in small increments.
- 5. Transfer the dough to a floured surface and work it into a ball, ensuring the flour is incorporated. It should not feel sticky (if it does, add a little more flour and work it into the dough).
- 5. Divide the dough in half and form each half into a ball, then flatten into a thick disc. Wrap each disk in plastic wrap.
- 6. Refrigerate the dough for at least two hours, or up to five days, until you are ready to use. If you don't need the second crust, freeze it (wrapped tightly in plastic wrap for up to three months) and thaw overnight in the fridge before using.
- 7. Using a rolling pin, take a disc and roll it out from the center to the edges, rotating it as you go. Because I tend to roll out and rotate on a cutting board, I like to flip my dough after every few passes of the rolling pin, in order to prevent it from sticking. You can also do this by lifting and turning the dough with your hands. Keep rolling until the dough fits comfortably in your pie plate. Keep in mind your crust edge will likely shrink down a bit as it bakes.
- 8. Butter or spray your pie plate with a nonstick cooking spray (I like Pam for Baking). Lay your rolled out crust in the pan, and crimp or style your edge however you like. Put your pie plate and crust back into the fridge until it's ready to be filled. If you don't need the second crust just yet, wrap tightly and freeze for up tp three months.
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