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A slice of pecan pie on a plate
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Pecan Pie

This Southern classic pecan pie features sweet rich custard & plenty of toasted pecans in a flakey golden crust that’ll put them in a yummy flavor coma.
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Keyword desserts, fall recipes, pecan recipes, pie recipes, thanksgiving desserts
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 50 minutes
Servings 6 servings
Calories 687kcal
Author Kathleen

Ingredients

  • 4 large eggs
  • 1 cup dark brown sugar firmly packed
  • 3/4 cup dark corn syrup
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 cup unsalted butter melted and slightly cooled
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 2 cups pecans chopped
  • 1 (9-inch) unbaked pie crust
  • 3/4 cup pecan halves

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 425°F.
  • Line a 9-inch pie pan with prepared pie crust. Bake in preheated oven just until crust is set, about 8 minutes. Let cool 2 to 3 minutes on a wire rack. Cool 30 minutes. Brush lightly with beaten egg. Reduce oven temperature to 400°F.
  • In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together eggs (4) well. Add brown sugar (1 cup), corn syrup (3/4 cup), salt (1/2 teaspoon), melted butter (1/4 cup), and vanilla (1 teaspoon) to the bowl. Whisk until the mixture is well combined.
  • Sprinkle chopped pecans (2 cups) into the pie crust, then add the egg mixture. Arrange the pecan halves (3/4 cup) in a decorative pattern on top of the filling.
  • Bake in the center of the preheated oven for 10 minutes. Reduce heat to 325 degrees and continue to bake 25-30 minutes or until the filling is firm in the center. (shake the pie gently and, it should give a little jiggle in the center but it should have some stability. If the filling shows horizontal movement on shaking, then it is not done yet.) If edges of crust begin to brown too quickly, cover with foil.

Notes

  1. Eggs: Bring eggs to room temperature before adding them to pie filling. Forgot to set them out before you started prepping? No problem! Check out this article from Bon Appetite on how to do it quickly!
  2. Dark Brown Sugar: I prefer dark brown corn syrup over light.  Many recipes call for light corn syrup, but for my tastes, I find the dark tastes richer in this recipe. Light brown and dark brown sugar both contain molasses. The main difference is, is that dark brown sugar contains all most twice as much molasses. The extra molasses gives a deeper caramel flavor to the pie.
  3. Vanilla: Use real/pure vanilla extract and skip the imitation vanilla flavor.
  4. Toast Your Pecans: Don’t skip this step! It’s the key to a fabulous pecan pie recipe!! But only toast the pecans that go into the filling, not the ones you use to decorate the top. Here’s how to do it:
    1. Spread pecan halves in a single layer on a heavy baking sheet.
    2. Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes.
    3. Stir halfway through baking.
    4. Cool completely.
  5. Pecan Pie Crust: This pie is wonderful when made with a homemade crust. Quite frankly, I love the ease and convenience of a premade crust.
  6. Don’t Overbake: Because of the high-fat content in the pecans, they can and will burn if you bake the pie too long. Also, because the filling is custard, if overbaked, the protein in the eggs will clench up and curdle.
  7. Let it Set: After your pecan pie recipe has cooked, you need to let it sit on a wire rack for 2 hours to set the filling before slicing and serving.
  8. Storing: Because this pie contains eggs it needs to be stored in the refrigerator. To store, cover a completely cooled (not just set) pie with plastic wrap.
  9. How do you know a pecan pie is done? I use the wiggle versus jiggle test. Take the pie out of the oven and set it on the counter. Using hot pads, place one hand on each side of the pie, and give it a little shake. If the filling moves in a wave to the edges it is not cooked enough. When it’s done it will jiggle in the center, not the edges, kinda like Jell-o. The internal temperature will be 185 degrees when done.

Nutrition

Serving: 1/6 of the recipe | Calories: 687kcal | Carbohydrates: 75g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 43g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Cholesterol: 129mg | Sodium: 313mg | Potassium: 294mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 70g | Vitamin A: 415IU | Vitamin C: 0.3mg | Calcium: 89mg | Iron: 2.1mg