This classic recipe is sure to be a dessert time favorite that’s also perfect for your next upcoming holiday. This classic pecan pie recipe from Louisiana Kitchen and Culture is easy to make, guaranteed to satisfy your sweet tooth, and minimize any kitchen cleanup.
One of the features of this recipe is the instruction to begin by “blind baking” the pie crust. Simply put, “blind baking” a crust is a term for partially baking a pie crust before adding in the pie filling. This baking process is perfect for recipes where the pie filling takes less time to cook than the crust itself. Additionally, it helps to prevent a soggy bottom crust, thus ensuring a perfect texture to your pecan pie through and through.
Ingredients for your crust:
- 1 ½ sticks (12 tablespoons) of unsalted butter, sliced into small cubes
- 1 ½ cups of all-purpose flour, plus an additional ¼ cup for rolling
- 5-7 tablespoons of ice water
- 2 tablespoons of sugar
- ½ teaspoon of salt
Ingredients for your filling:
- 1 ½ cups of fresh pecan pieces
- 1 stick of unsalted butter, sliced into small pieces
- 5 large egg yolks
- 1 large egg
- ½ cup of heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
- ⅔ cup of cane syrup
- ⅔ cup of light brown sugar
- ¼ teaspoon of salt
Directions:
- In order to start making the pie crust for this recipe, know that you can either purchase a pre-made pie shell if you’re running low on time or follow the following directions. If making your own, you’ll want to pulse your flour, sugar, and salt together in the bowl of your food processor until the ingredients are combined.
- Then, add in your butter and continue to pulse until the small butter pieces are approximately the size of corn kernels, which should take about 10-12 pulses.
- Add about 5 tablespoons of water and continue to pulse the dough until it’s no longer dry. When the dough is squeezed into your hand, it should form a ball and hold its shape if it’s no longer dry. If your dough is still dry, you can add another tablespoon or two of the ice-cold water.
- Spread some flout onto your baking surface and turn your dough out, forming it into a disk. Then, wrap the dough in plastic wrap and chill it for at least one hour and no longer than three days. If you’re freezing your dough, know that you can freeze it for up to a month and that you should defrost it in the refrigerator overnight before using it.
- When ready to bake, preheat your oven to 325°F, remove your dough from the refrigerator, and allow it to sit out at room temperature for five minutes in order for it to soften.
- Once again, flour your work surface and roll your dough into a 12-inch circle that’s about ⅛ inch thick. Then, fold the dough into quarters and transfer it to a 9½-inch pie plate.
- Unfold the dough, fit it into the pie plate, and then trim off all but a ¼ inch of the overhang. Pinch the edge of the dough together to form a crimp by using your thumb and index finger. Chill while you begin to make the pecan pie filling.
- Begin the filling by whisking your egg and egg yolks together in a large bowl. Set this aside and combine your cane syrup, sugar, cream, and salt in a medium saucepan.
- Add your butter into the saucepan and melt it over medium heat. Once your butter has melted, continue to cook the mixture until it stops bubbling. This should take approximately 1 minute.
- Whisk the sugar mixture into the egg yolks gradually, just until the bottom of the bowl is warm to the touch, and then add in your remaining sugar mixture and stir in your vanilla.
- Take your chilling pie plate out of the refrigerator, sprinkle the pecan pieces into the pie crust, and then carefully pour your filling on top. Spread an additional layer of pecan pieces atop the filling to cover the surface and then set the pie into the oven.
- Bake your pecan pie until its center has a little resistance, similar to a soft-setting custard, which typically takes about 30 to 40 minutes. Once finished, remove the pie from the oven and allow it to cool for at least 1 hour prior to serving.
- Enjoy!
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