Pecan pie is one of our go-to pie recipes around the holidays and we’ve tinkered around over the years with all the recipes we can come up with. We’ve tried pecan pies with chocolate components, maple syrup, molasses, brown sugar, white sugar and corn syrup, so we’ve had plenty of opportunities to sample and decide the ones we like best.
Which brings us to this pioneer pecan pie. Now, aside from being a catchy name in general, that’s also what we’ve dubbed our no-corn-syrup pecan pie. Why corn syrup became so popular in pecan pies is beyond us – you don’t need it!
With brown sugar, white sugar, butter and eggs, this has the amazingly crisp and crunchy top layer and the ooey-gooey bottom layer we love so much about pecan pies. It’s got a round depth of flavor that we adore, and you can have at least two slices of it without it being cloying (thanks, salt!)…we might retire all our other pecan pie recipes – this one is just so good! Plus, this is an easy recipe to throw together that anyone can tackle, so don’t be intimidated; your pioneer pecan pie is about to be a crowd favorite!
Pioneer Pecan Pie
Yield(s): Serves 8-10
1 hour 15 minutes
Ingredients
- 1 pie crust, homemade or store-bought (plus extra dough for decorating, optional)
- 1 1/2 cups brown sugar
- 1/2 cup white sugar
- 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted and browned (optional)
- 3 large eggs
- 1 1/2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 1/2 tablespoons heavy cream
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 cups pecans, plus extra for garnish
Preparation
- Preheat oven to 375º F and roll out pie crust to a 12 or 13-inch circle, big enough to fit a springform pan or tart or pie dish.
- Gently place dough in pan, pressing into the bottom and sides of pan and trimming excess.
- Optional: cut out pie dough flowers or other designs to decorate crust later.
- Place pie dish in fridge until ready to fill.
- In a large bowl, beat eggs until foamy and fluffy, then beat in browned butter.
- Once combined, beat in brown and white sugar until sugar granules are dissolved.
- Sprinkle in flour, cinnamon and salt, then stir in heavy cream and vanilla extract.
- Once fully incorporated, fold in pecans, then pour mixture into pie crust.
- Decorate pie crust with any pecans or cut outs you made earlier.
- Place pie pan in oven and bake for 40-50 minutes, or until center is just set and no longer jiggly.
- Remove from oven and let cool completely before serving.
