Search over 1.4 million articles by over 600 experts
  1. Home
  2. Food & Drink
  3. Busy Cooks

More from About.com

Browse Topics A-Z

Best Pecan Pie

By Linda Larsen, About.com

This recipe makes a perfect pecan pie. By that I mean a balanced sweet flavor, lots of toasted pecans, and the pie slices beautifully into wedges, looking just like pictures of pecan pie in a cookbook.

Prep Time: 25 minutes

Cook Time: 55 minutes

Ingredients:

  • 9" pie shell
  • 2 cups pecan halves
  • 6 Tbsp. butter
  • 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 1/4 tsp. salt
  • 3 eggs
  • 1/2 cup light corn syrup
  • 1/4 cup dark corn syrup
  • 1 Tbsp. vanilla (yes, one tablespoon!)
  • 1/2 cup pecan halves

Preparation:

Place 2 cups pecan halves on a cookie sheet and toast in a 350 degrees F oven for 8-12 minutes, shaking the pan once during baking time, until the pecans are fragrant. Let cool completely, then coarsely chop.

When ready to make the pie, preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place unbaked pie crust in freezer until ready to bake. Then line pie crust with aluminum foil and pie weights or dried beans. Bake pie shell until set, about 5-6 minutes. Remove the foil and weights and bake 2-3 minutes longer until crust is just beginning to brown on the edges.

Meanwhile, melt butter in a medium saucepan. Remove from heat; mix in sugars and salt with wire whisk until butter is absorbed and mixture is smooth. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, then the two kinds of corn syrup and vanilla.

Place saucepan over very low heat. Cook and stir constantly with wire whisk until mixture is hot and looks shiny, about 6-7 minutes. You have to stir constantly so the mixture cooks evenly and the eggs don't scramble on the bottom of the pan. Remove from heat and strain into a large bowl, then stir in the cooled, toasted pecans.

As soon as the pie shell comes out of the oven, decrease oven temperature to 300 degrees. Pour pecan mixture into hot pie crust. Place pecan halves on top of the filling.

Bake the pie until center feels set but soft when gently pressed, and moves slightly when gently jiggled, about 40-55 minutes. You may need to cover the edges of the crust with foil to prevent over browning, or cover the top of the pie with foil so it doesn't get too brown. Transfer pie to wire rack and let cool completely, at least 4 hours. Best eaten within 12 hours. Serves 6-8

User Reviews Write Review
  1. Home
  2. Food & Drink
  3. Busy Cooks
  4. Recipe Box
  5. Pie Recipes
  6. Sweet Pie Recipes
  7. Best Pecan Pie Recipe - Pecan Pies Desserts Recipes - Dessert Pies Sweet Pies Pecan Pie

©2008 About.com, a part of The New York Times Company.

All rights reserved.