Pecan Pie

The perfect pecan pie with a sweet and nutty filling surrounded by a buttery crust

Pecan pie is one of my all-time favorite holiday desserts and this recipe is pretty close to perfect. Some pecan pies can be too sweet, but this one has the right balance and gets a little added flavor from the bourbon in the filling. I used the all butter pastry recipe from The Smitten Kitchen cookbook which takes just a minute to come together in the food processor and can last in the fridge for several days before rolling it out. It serves as a flaky, buttery container for the chewy, nutty filling. I like to serve it warm with vanilla ice cream.

More Recipes for Pies & Tarts:

- Cherrium Almond Tart
- Kale, Onion, and Potato Pot Pies
- Plum Tartlets

Pecan Pie:
Ingredients
- 1 1/4 c. all-purpose flour
- 1 stick + 5 tbsp. cold butter, diced
- 2 c. chopped pecans
- 1 c. brown sugar
- 3/4 c. light corn syrup
- 2 tbsp. bourbon
- 2 tsp. vanilla extract
- 3 eggs, lightly beaten
- 1/4 c. ice cold water
- 1/2 tbsp. white sugar
- 1 tsp. salt

Recipe

For Crust

• Pulse all-purpose flour, white sugar and 1/2 tsp. salt in a food processor until combined.
• Pulse in 1 stick cold butter until the butter is the size of peas.
• Slowly stir in ice cold water until the dough just barely comes together to form a ball.
• Flatten dough into a disk, wrap in plastic, and chill for at least one hour* in the fridge.

For Filling

• Preheat the oven to 400F.
• Roll out the pie dough to 1/8" thick and place in a 9" pie dish. Crimp the edges and trim any excess dough from the sides.
• Fill the pie with pie weights or dried beans and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until barely golden.
• Meanwhile, toast chopped pecans in a dry skillet for 2-3 minutes, or until warm and nutty smelling.
• In a small sauce pot, bring 5 tbsp. butter, brown sugar, light corn syrup, and 1/2 tsp. salt to a boil. Boil for 1 minute.
• Stir in the pecans, bourbon, and 2 vanilla extract and let cool for 5 minutes.
• Whisk in eggs and pour the filling into the pie dough.
• Lower the oven to 350F and bake for 40 minutes, or until filling is set and just slightly jiggly.
• Let pie cool on a baking rack before slicing.

Serves eight-ten

*If you're in a rush, you can cool it in the freezer for 20 minutes instead.