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Pecan Pie

November 11, 2021 by Maddie & Jules

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Each Thanksgiving we have the same conversation to pick the pies for the Thanksgiving dessert table (or maybe debate is a better word for it based on how strongly our family feels about pie). For many years, pecan pie always made its way into the conversation but never was the source of anyone’s heated rebuttal. Thanksgiving after Thanksgiving, pecan pie was the forgotten pie on our Thanksgiving table. Some years it would make an appearance, while other years it would get the boot to make space for apple or pumpkin pie. We always went back and forth on pecan or no pecan pie until we recipe tested this version.

pecan pie

This pecan pie is truly the best we’ve ever had. It turned the pecan pie skeptics in our family into fanatics. It has become one of our favorite pies and is now a staple on our Thanksgiving table. 

pecan pie

What makes this pecan pie the best?

The pie, like any great pie, starts with a flaky, all butter, blind baked crust. If you’ve seen our pie recipes before, most of our pies start this way to ensure maximum flake texture and golden color. The middle layer is sticky yet not overly sweet. It’s soft and flavored by the brown sugar, vanilla, and a touch of bourbon. The star of the filling is our secret ingredient, orange zest. The orange zest adds a bright note to the sticky, sweet filling that makes it balanced and irresistible. All these flavors marry together and form a perfect soft layer sitting above the flaky crust. We then pour pecans through the filling for a nutty taste and crunch. This pecan pie is soft, buttery, and scattered with toasted pecans throughout. Plus the addition of our secret ingredient, orange zest, cuts through the sweetness of the filling adding complexity to this traditional Thanksgiving pie. 

pecan pie ingredients

Making the pecan pie:

To make the filling, start by beating together the butter and brown sugar until combined. Once they are combined, add in the eggs one at a time. Whip everything together until the mixture is well combined. Next, add in the vanilla extract, vanilla bean paste, dark corn syrup, salt, bourbon, and orange zest. 

Once the filling is made, place the 1 ½ cups of the pecans into a par-baked pie crust. Pour the filling over top of the pecans only until it is just under filled. If you have a smaller pie pan or your filling is reaching the brim, reserve the filling for another use. You don’t want to over fill this as it will puff a little when it bakes. Once the pie is filled, place the reserved half of the pecans over top. You can do this in a pattern for a more ornate look. 

pecan pie filling

Notes:

  1. Orange Zest: this is the secret ingredient that makes this pie so great. You can leave it off if you don’t like the taste but we strongly recommend it! 
  2. Bourbon: the bourbon adds a depth of flavor that pairs so well with the sweet, buttery pecan filling. You barely notice it, but we strongly recommend this step for the best taste. For this pie we recommend using Maker’s Mark as it has notes of butterscotch which pair well with the brown sugar and citrus in the filling.
  3. Blind baking the pie shell: If you have made our pies before, we almost always recommend this for the flakiest bottom, but you can use a raw pie crust, too. This is our favorite flaky all butter recipe.
pecans in pie shell
pre-baked pecan pie
pecan pie
pecan pie
Print

Pecan Pie

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes
Cook Time 50 minutes minutes
Total Time 1 hour hour 5 minutes minutes

Ingredients

  • 6 tablespoons salted butter room temperature
  • 1 cup dark brown sugar packed
  • 3 eggs
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla bean paste or 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • ¾ cup dark corn syrup
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 2 tablespoons bourbon Maker’s Mark
  • Zest an orange
  • 2 ½ cups pecans
  • 1 baked pie shell

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 350. In the bowl of a stand mixer or with a hand mixer, cream together the butter and brown sugar
  • After butter and sugar are well combined, add in the eggs one at a time. Mix the eggs and butter together until fully incorporated
  • Add the vanilla bean paste, dark corn syrup, salt, bourbon, orange zest and mix. Set the filling aside
  • Coarsely chop 1 ½ cups of the pecans. Lay the chopped pecan in an even layer on the bottom of the par-baked 9” pie shell. Pour the filling over top. Only fill until the pie filling is just under the rim. (note: be careful not to over fill the pie as it will puff slightly when it bakes.)
  • Arrange the remaining cup of pecans on top of the filling and bake for 50 minutes-1 hour. You will know the pie is done when if you shake it there is just a slight jiggle in the middle of the pie
pecan pie

Entertainer’s Note:

We love to serve this pie with a cinnamon whipped cream for a silky topping with each bite!

pecan pie

Related posts:

  1. Pie Dough
  2. Pumpkin Pie
  3. Triple Berry Pie with Cardamom Crumb
  4. Banana Cream Pie

Filed Under: Pie, Pie Table, Recipe

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  1. Thanksgiving Table - Kitchen-by-the-Sea says:
    November 23, 2021 at 7:12 pm

    […] With that admiration, we’ll stop talking about pies and save that for these posts (pumpkin, pecan, berry, and pie […]

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