My family always seems to serve the same things every Thanksgiving. You know, the usuals. Turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy, green beans, cranberry sauce, stuffing, are most likely the “usuals” for most American families. Then there is the pie. My most favorite Thanksgiving pie is Pecan Pie. I think I may be in the minority, though, because every Thanksgiving the person responsible for bringing pies brings only pumpkin. Don't get me wrong, pumpkin pies are tasty. But not as tasty as Pecan Pie. And that is why, dear friends, I made my own this year.
I wanted a pie that was prepared with nourishing ingredients (as nourishing as can be in a dessert) and it had to be easy. I didn't want a labor intensive crust that takes days to prepare. What I came up with, all you homemade pecan pie lovers out there, is a pie that is simple to make and oh so delicious!!
Let's start with the crust. Four ingredients. Whole wheat pastry flour, sea salt, lard, and water. That is all. Combine the flour and salt and then cut in the lard until you find pea-sized crumbs.
Next you will add COLD water, 2 tablespoons at a time until all of the water has been incorporated into the dough. It will be wet and sticky.
Dust your surface and rolling pin generously with flour. Divide the dough into two pieces and roll out until it overlaps the pie plate edge by an inch or two. Transfer the dough to a pie plate and adjust it to fit.
Look, I don't make pies often. Cut me some slack on the appearance of my pie crust. It all looks the same in my belly, so I am not sweating this one much.
Last, you will pour your pecan pie filling into the crust, top it with pecans and pop it in the oven! Now you wait. You can clean up your mess because it is going to be a while. Not only do you need to wait for it to cook, you have to wait for it to cool!!! I know. The torture. It will be worth the wait, though! The buttery, gooey, butterscotch-y middle was worth the wait and was just what I was hoping for.
Now, are you ready to make your own?
- 1 cup maple syrup
- 1 cup coconut sugar
- 3 eggs, slightly beaten
- 1/3 cup butter, melted
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1 heaping cup pecan halves
- Mix the flour and salt in a medium sized bowl. Cut in the lard until you have pea-sized crumbs.
- Add the COLD water 2 tablespoons at a time and mix until all of the water has been added. Your dough will be pretty sticky.
- Divide your dough in 2 pieces and roll out on a (heavily) floured surface.
- Transfer the dough to your pie plate and trim the edges accordingly.
- Combine the maple syrup, coconut sugar, eggs, butter, salt and vanilla in a bowl and mix well.
- Pour the mixture into the prepared pie crust and sprinkle with the pecan halves.
- Bake at 350F degrees for 50 minutes, or until the center is set.
- Cool completely
- *I do want to note that this recipe makes enough dough for 2 9-inch pie crusts or one 9-inch pie that has a top and bottom crust.
- *I baked my pie for 50 minutes because I was worried about over baking. If your pie is still wiggly in the middle and looks like it could go longer, don't be afraid to tack on another 10 minutes to your baking time. Just keep an eye on it.
What is your favorite Thanksgiving pie? Please share in the comments!
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5 Comments on “Homemade Pecan Pie”
This looks super simple and easy. A few questions; Do you think I could use sucanat or rapadura sugar instead of coconut sugar? I don’t think I have enough of that left, and I’m making this Wednesday. That leads to my next question; does this have to be refrigerated if I make it the day before? Don’t want a soggy crust…But I also don’t want to make anyone sick.
Yes, you can use sucanat or rapadura. I prefer the taste of coconut sugar, so I used that. Also, it has been refrigerated and I have been loving it. I will say that the crust is a bit soggy (only on the bottom) – but that could be because I slightly undercooked it.
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Ermagersh! This is seriously the BEST pecan pie ever!
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