A pecan pie studded with chopped, toasted pecans all throughout the pie.
Ingredients:
- 1recipe Pie Dough(for single crust)
- 6tablespoonsunsalted butter(cut into 1-inch pieces)
- 1cupdark brown sugar
- ½teaspoonsalt
- 3large eggs
- ¾cuplight corn syrup
- 1tablespoonvanilla extract
- 2cupspecans(toasted and chopped into small pieces)
Directions:
- 1. Prepare the crust and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
- 2. Adjust the oven rack to the center position and heat the oven to 400 degrees F. Remove the dough from the refrigerator and roll it out on a lightly floured work surface to a 12-inch circle about 1/8 inch thick. Roll dough loosely around rolling pin and unroll into pie plate, leaving at least 1-inch overhang on each side. Working around circumference, ease dough into plate by gently lifting edge of dough with one hand while pressing into plate bottom with other hand. Refrigerate 15 minutes.
- 3. Trim overhang to ½ inch beyond lip of pie plate. Fold overhang under itself; folded edge should be flush with edge of pie plate. using thumb and forefinger, flute edge of dough. Use a fork to prick the dough all over the bottom and sides of the pie plate. Refrigerate dough-lined plate until firm, about 15 minutes.
- 4. Remove pie pan from refrigerator, line crust with aluminum foil or parchment paper, and fill with pie weights or dried beans, filling the whole way up to the rim of the pie plate. Bake for 15 minutes. Remove foil/parchment and weights, rotate plate, and bake 5 to 15 additional minutes until crust is golden brown and crisp. Remove pie plate from oven.
- 5. Meanwhile, melt the butter in a medium heatproof bowl set in a skillet of water maintained at just below a simmer. Remove the bowl from the skillet; stir in the sugar and salt with a wooden spoon until the butter is absorbed. Beat in the eggs, then the corn syrup and vanilla. Return the bowl to hot water; stir until the mixture is shiny and hot to the touch, about 130 degrees on an instant-read thermometer. Remove from the heat; stir in the pecans.
- 6. As soon as the pie shell comes out of the oven, decrease the oven temperature to 275 degrees F. Pour the pecan mixture into the hot pie shell.
- 7. Bake on the middle rack until the pie looks set and yet soft, like gelatin, when gently pressed with the back of a spoon, 50 to 60 minutes. Transfer the pie to a rack; cool completely, at least 4 hours.
Nutrition:
Calories: 555kcal
Fat: 32g
Saturated fat: 8g
Cholesterol: 83mg
Sodium: 274mg
Potassium: 179mg
Carbohydrates: 64g
Fiber: 2g
Sugar: 52g
Protein: 5g
Vitamin A: 365%
Vitamin C: 0.2%
Calcium: 60%
Iron: 1.6%
I made this recipe and another pecan pie version that used maple syrup instead of corn syrup. This one won:)
I have been using this recipe for 7 thanksgivings in a row. Great recipe! Thank you! I am trying the pumpkin pie recipe that I also downloaded and printed 7 years ago for the first time this year. I expect great things. Thanks being a part of our family’s tradition. Happy holidays!
Aww I love this! Thank you for the kind words :) Happy Thanksgiving!
I made this pie yesterday and it tasted fantastic but didn’t setup completely. Do you know what would cause this?
Hi Krystal, Did you use a thermometer for heating the mixture? Press with the back of a wooden spoon to check for doneness? And did you allow it to cool and set completely for 4 hours? I make this multiple times a year and love it because it always sets up perfectly!
Tried this one this year for a family New Years Day dinner and unfortunately didn’t have the resources to give it more than three hours’ cooling time — it was a soupy mess, though the two lovely humans who tried a piece were kind enough to say that it tasted pretty good. Personally not a huge fan of how sweet non-fruit pies wind up being, but I think with a little more cooling (maybe if I popped it in the fridge?) it could have been a hit…Side note: your Pâte Brisée recipe is still my gold standard for pie crusts and my family insists on it whenever we need something of the sort! Thank you for that and the kitchen cred it has given me.
Made this pie as a last minute addition to a dinner gathering… it was one of the best and easiest pecan pie recipes I’ve ever used! Everyone raved about the filling from taste to texture. I totally gave your website the credit and can’t wait to try other recipes
Made this for Thanksgiving. The best pecan pie I have ever had. Delicious, rich flavor – like candy. Everyone loved it. After I went to bed, the family all had seconds! The only change I made, I don’t liked toasted nuts so I just used the pecans raw. I broke them by hand so I would have pieces, but larger pieces. What a great hack breaking the nuts – never thought of that. The pie is easier to cut and the nuts are everywhere. My new go-to pecan pie.
I am also thinking of making this for Thanksgiving. Could this be made in advance, baked and frozen? There is no way with all the cooking we do for thanksgiving that I could make this the day before. Any suggestions would be appreciated. Love your site!
Hi Barbara, I think this would work just fine to bake ahead and freeze. Enjoy! :)
So, if I were to bake it prior to freezing would I heat it again in the oven. Or make it ahead, freeze it prior to baking, and then take it out of the freezer and bake as directed? What would be your suggestion? I have never frozen pies but it seems like a good idea with everything else that needs to be done on Thanksgiving. Again thanks for your suggestions.
Hi Barbara, You could either let it thaw in the refrigerator overnight, then serve it cold or take it out and let it come to room temperature before serving; or you could reheat in an oven around 300 degrees or so. You could also freeze unbaked and then bake (although it would take longer to bake from a frozen state). I would probably make it totally ahead of time and then thaw or reheat.
Michelle,
I’m making two of these. What are your thoughts about baking two pies in the oven at the same time? Any adjustments to time? Do you recommend not doing that and baking separately?
Hi Katlyn, I’ve never baked two of these at once, but I think it should be okay. You might need to increase the time, but I’m not sure. Let me know how they turn out!
Hi Michelle, I love your dough recipe for the pecan tassies, but the ingredients for the regular pie crust is very different. Will there be a huge difference if I use the dough recipe for the pecan tassies on a bigger pie? Will I have trouble fluting the edges? Thanks so much!!
Hi MaryAnn, I’ve never tried to use the dough from the pecan tassies for a pie. I’m not sure how it would hold up. If you try it, please let me know how it goes.
My go to is Lyle’s Golden Syrup in place of corn syrup. The golden buttery flavor of the cane syrup really gives a pecan pie something special. A nip of honey bourbon along with the vanilla ups the flavor as well.
I just made this pecan pie recipe for thanksgiving with a slight twist, i did 1 cup pecans and 1 cup cranberries and i had all my guests telling me that it was the best pecan pie they had ever had. This is going to be my go to recipe for pecan pie in the future!
This is my go to pecan pie recipe with a little tweaking. I do half white, half brown sugar, add some Colorado honey bourbon whiskey, and replace the Karo with Lyles Golden Syrup. The buttery flavor Lyles imparts (without using butter) makes a lovely difference.
Someone suggested to sub corn syrup with maple syrup. Would the taste change and is it the same amount if I sub for corn syrup??
Hi Erika, The taste would change significantly, and the texture would certainly not turn out like traditional pecan pie.
You mentioned you could make this pecan pie one day before Thanksgiving. Would you keep it on the counter or in the refrigerator overnight? Also do you ever make it the day before? Thanks!
Hi Kathy, I keep it on the counter, lightly covered with foil. The earliest I’ve made it is the day before Thanksgiving.
First let me say this is THE BEST pecan pie recipe! However, I was very nervous when I made this pie the first time … using a pyrex bowl sitting in the skillet. I had visions of the bowl exploding, glass shards everywhere! Instead of placing a pyrex bowl in a skillet of water, can I just use a double boiler … or can I use a metal bowl in the skillet of water? Thank you for your recipe and any advice!
Hi Sybil, Yes, definitely use a metal bowl!
BEST pie I ever ate, making it again
I had no idea that it was so easy to make Pecan Pie! And this is just delicious!
When you put the bowl in the skillet of water is like a double boiler or is the boil actually sitting flat on the bottom of the skillet with the water surrounding it?
Hi Katlyn, The bowl is actually sitting on the bottom of the skillet with the water surrounding it.
Thank you so much! I’m a huge fan of your recipes!
If we “cheat” a bit and use a premake/frozen pie shell, do you recommend that we still brown it? Or just put the filling in and bake as recommended in the pie shell package.
Thanks in advance – can’t wait to try this recipe!
I can’t get my hands on corn syrup in Ireland. Could golder syrup or maple be used instead?
Yes, something like Lyle’s golden syrup would work, as well.
I’ve been making pecan pie using the techniques of toasting and chopping the pecans ever since I found the recipe in Baking Illustrated a few years back. It’s hands-down the best way to distribute the crunch through each and every bite. Another plus is that it makes for the easiest cutting. The toasting increases the depth of flavor of the nuts. After much experimentation, however, I have found that for our palates, at least, we like it with brown sugar in place of white (not too firmly packed, so as not to introduce too much sweetness) and dark corn syrup in place of the light. Also, I cut the vanilla back to a dash and add 4-5 tsp Old Grand Dad 100 proof Kentucky Bourbon (although I used Jim Beam’s once when I was out of OGD, and it was pretty darned fantastic, too.) Off the flippin’ HOOK!!!!! This year at Thanksgiving I topped it with my home made eggnog ice cream, and the crowd went crazy. This makes a splendidly impressive holiday dessert. Not quick and easy with the pate brisee crust, but SOOOOO worth the time.
Correction: I meant to say that one of the things we like is the brown sugar of this recipe as opposed to the white that most recipes call for. It’s part of what makes it for us, as well as taking it one step further with the sub of dark corn syrup for light, which further deepens the earthy flavor. I have made it exactly as written, however, and gotta say, it’s pretty darned fine!! I wouldn’t turn my nose up at it as is, either. I just believe that the dark corn syrup and bourbon send it even further into the stratosphere. Bottom line: Run, don’t walk, to make this. Yes, it IS that good!!
Your pecan pie looks delicious!
I just made this for thanksgiving. It wasn’t anymore difficult than regular Pecan Pie. It looks though it looks. Lovely
I only bought light brown sugar. Could I use that with dark Karo syrup??? Thanks!
Hi Sarah, I think that would work fine.
looks so tempting. i love pecan pie. but nobody else at home
can we make tassies with this recipe? thanks
I actually have a recipe for Pecan Tassies, if you’re interested: https://www.browneyedbaker.com/2010/12/17/pecan-tassies-recipe/
Thanks Michelle so much. Love your posts, look forward to the Friday post especially. Like to see what’s happening to duke and Einstein . Have 2 guys like that myself both labs though- one is almost 14 and the other is a 4 1/2 month old one. We all look at your pics every week and give out comments to our dogs as why can’t you guys be like Einstein and duke!
I LOOOOOOVE pecan nuts, and this pie looks absolutely amazaing! Can’t wait to try it!
(Too bad pecan nuts are really expensive where I live..)
I used the two recipes for my Thanksgiving, and although I was positive I destroyed the pie crust, the whole pie was. amazing. I prepped the dough, and set the crust, but I accidentally baked it for the twenty minutes on the wrong temp. (yeah, don’t try to bake a pie crust at 7am) I then drove three hours, with a half baked pie crust. But after I finished cooking it, everyone was amazed. Thank you, I am now the sole baker of Pecan Pie for holidays from here on out.
i can’t stand corn syrup…. can I change it for regular sugar? it looks divine!!
Hi Claudia, You definitely can’t substitute regular sugar for corn syrup in a pecan pie recipe. It’s pretty much the key ingredient and gives it the characteristic flavor/texture.
Wow, this pie looks amazing. This is one of my favorite desserts to enjoy on Thanksgiving.