pecan pie. it’s one of my favorites but i’ve always been afraid to make it. when it comes out of the oven it looks so elegant like it took 1000 tiny grandmas to perfect each one. it seems intimidating with all the pecan floating perfectly on the top and the warm gooey filling underneath. yum and yikes. but guess what? it’s totally easy. like one of the easiest pies i’ve ever made. and you don’t even have to use those ooky syrups that usually go into them-yet another point for the ‘not actually scary’ count.
i kinda hate the idea of corn syrup, or weird kinds of milk-like condensed or evaporated so i try to avoid them as much as possible when i bake. so this pecan pie is sans weird goo and con lots of brown sugar, maple syrup and scotch! yep. scotch. the scotch isn’t necessary but it makes it extra yummy.
my husband drinks scotch. i think it’s really manly of him to do so. i try to love it. and so i drink it, with an ice cube because i’m not as manly as he. but i also bake with it. it makes this pecan pie feel a little sexier…but not sexy like the leg lamp in the christmas story…sexy like….a lumberjack (shhh- just go with it).
scandalous pecan pie (but not really that scandalous)
one ‘adayforpie’ pie crust
filling:
1 1/2 cups packed dark brown sugar
1/2 cup maple syrup
1/4 cup melted butter
4 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
1 1/5 tablespoon scotch (optional. could also be replaced with bourbon or whiskey)
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
a dash of nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups pecan halves
preheat oven to 350 F. place your pie shell into a pie dish and refrigerate until filling is ready.
mix the sugar, syrup, butter, eggs, vanilla, scotch, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt into a medium sized mixing bowl until well combined. stir in pecans and pour into pie shell. bake for 40-45 minutes or until center of filling is set. cool for 2-4 hours before serving and serve with just barely sweetened whipped cream…and maybe a glass of scotch too
note:
this recipe yields a pretty sweet pie. if you want to cut the sweetness just a tad replace the 1/2 maple syrup with 1/2 brown sugar (making it 2 cups brown sugar in total). maybe also add another 1/2 tablespoon of scotch (or bourbon) to make up for the lack of liquid. either way you do it you’ll get a delicious pie. promise.
