I’m not gonna lie: I’m a sucker for a good pecan pie.  I like frozen, store-bought pies, but there’s something about homemade pecan pie that’s especially tempting.

In my opinion, the best pecan pies are made 100% from scratch using everyday cooking ingredients and pecans freshly picked from a pecan orchard (although if you don’t have an orchard nearby, grocery stores usually have a decent supply of bagged pecans on-hand).

I’m not gonna lie: Making a pie from scratch is a fair amount of work.  The good news is the crust is the hard part, and you can buy canned or frozen pie crusts at just about any grocery store.  So if you aren’t feeling particularly adventurous, you can forgo the crust-making part of this recipe, and simply skip to the pie filling recipe–although I believe you’re still missing out a little if you go that route.  So without further adieu, let’s make a pie!

Pie Crust Ingredients:

• 1 Cup all purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/3 Cup Crisco
• 2-3 Tablespoons ice water (make sure it’s extremely cold)

Pecan Pie Filling Ingredients for a 9″ Pie

• 3 eggs
• 2/3 Cup sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon of salt
• 1/3 Cup melted butter/margarine
• 1 Cup light or dark corn syrup
• 1 Cup of pecan halves or pieces

The Process for the Pie Crust:

1. Mix flour and salt in a mixing bowl.
2. Add the Crisco, and cut it into the flour/salt mixture with a fork or pastry cutter.
   
3. Begin dipping ice water from a glass 1 Tablespoon at a time, and pour it into the dough, mixing it thoroughly after each Tablespoon is added.
   
4. Add enough water to make the dough stick together without becoming damp or heavy.  Adding too much water will make the crust heavy instead of light and fluffy, so be very meticulous about the amount of water you use. (This is very important).
   
5. Place the dough on a flat, floured surface–like a clean counter-top, cutting board, or pastry sheet of some kind.  Make sure your flour is spread evenly across the surface to prevent the dough from sticking.
   
6. Put some flour on your rolling pin, and go for it! Roll the dough into a flat, round crust using long, even motions rolling the dough from the center to the outer edges.  Keep rolling until the dough is about 1/4″ thick and fairly round.
   
7. Do not bother greasing your pie pan (there’s enough Crisco in the crust that sticking shouldn’t be an issue).  Instead, just lightly flour the dough (yes, the dough), and fold its four edges in to its center.
   
8. Place the folded dough in the middle of your pie plate, and carefully unfold it.  If done properly, you should now have your round pie crust neatly situated in the center of your pie plate, ready for some serious pie-making-action.
   
9. Next, lightly poke the center (and surrounding area) of your crust with a fork to prevent bubbles from forming in the crust.  Bubbles can make the pie overflow as it cooks, ruining your pie and making a mess in your oven.
   
10. If you care about looks, work the edges of your pie crust with your fingers, smoothing out uneven portions and folding the top of the crust into neat, little v-shaped waves (it’s not hard, but looks impressive).
    
11. Now, set your crust aside, and mix up your pie.
    

The Process for Pecan Pie

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Mix sugar and salt in a mixing bowl.
3. Add beaten eggs to the mix.
   
4. Pour in your melted butter (make sure it isn’t too hot, or it might cook the eggs–which is a major No-No at this point).
5. Add corn syrup, and mix well.
6. Stir in the pecans
7. Pour the mixture into your pie crust.  Pecans will float to the top; make sure they’re dispersed relatively evenly across the pie.
   
8. Carefully (we don’t want to spill) place the pie in the oven, and let it cook for 50 minutes.
   
9. Pull it out, let it cool, and enjoy!
   

Tips and Troubleshooting:

1. Put a pizza pan or cookie sheet beneath your cooking pie to catch any spills in the event that your pie overfloweth.
2. My crust cracked while I was placing it in the pie plate! Using a drop or two of ice water, try to smooth out the crack.  Ice water will help the dough stick to itself, sealing the crack; try transplanting a little excess dough from one corner of the pie, if you need to patch a serious hole.  Then, simply pat the dough smooth, sealing it tightly.
3. The top of my crust always comes out too brown as it cooks. Consider purchasing a “pie saver” (a metal or silicone ring) to set on the top of your pie crust.  This will divert some of the heat your crust is taking, and help it cook more slowly so that it isn’t done before the rest of your pie. You can also make a ring out of aluminum foil, and set that on top of your pie when you place it in the oven.
4. Let the pie cool completely before cutting. Otherwise it won’t “gel,” and you’ll just end up with a gooey mess.
5. Don’t put a 9″ pie in an 8″ pie pan, unless you just feel like cleaning up a huge mess.

It sounds like a lot of work–and it is, when you consider the alternative of purchasing a pecan pie at the grocery store–but it really isn’t that hard.  And besides that, there’s something about homemade pie that makes people go “Wow!”

A homemade pecan is a little expensive.  You might save a few dollars by making it yourself, but the end product is miles beyond anything you’ll find at the store. For the quality, I believe it’s well worth it to spend the extra time, money, and energy making a pie yourself.  You’ll have fun doing it, and you’ll get to enjoy the tasty result this recipe produces.

Pecan pies are a perfect addition to summer cookout, office parties, and family get-togethers.  They tend to impress people, and I haven’t met a person yet who didn’t like a good, homemade pecan pie.  So as you’re thinking about all the events and parties you’ll have going on this summer, consider adding a pecan pie to the list of dishes you’re likely to take with you.  I can guarantee you won’t regret it.

Filed under: Recipes

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