Best Ny Times Pecan Pie Recipes

MAPLE-HONEY PECAN PIE

Steps:

• On a lightly floured surface, roll dough into a 12-inch circle, and transfer to a 9-inch metal pie plate. Fold over any excess dough, crimping the edges. Transfer crust to the freezer for 30 minutes or up to 24 hours.
• When ready to bake, place a rimmed baking sheet on the middle oven rack and heat oven to 425 degrees.
• Heat a small saucepan and melt the butter over medium heat. Cook, swirling occasionally, until the foam subsides, the milk solids turn golden brown and the butter smells nutty and toasty, about 5 minutes. Add maple syrup to the pan and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until the mixture thickens and reduces slightly, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from heat, and whisk honey into the warm syrup mixture. Let cool at least 10 minutes.
• While the syrup mixture cools, combine sugars, eggs, bourbon (if using), vanilla and salt in a large mixing bowl. Gradually pour syrup mixture into the egg mixture, whisking constantly, then use a rubber spatula to scrape in all the brown bits at the bottom of the pot.
• Remove pie crust from freezer and place pecans along the bottom of the crust. Carefully pour the filling over the pecans. Place pie plate on the hot sheet pan and bake for 10 minutes. Reduce heat to 350 degrees and continue to bake for another 35 to 45 minutes, until the center of the pie has puffed up and turned golden brown.
• Transfer pie to a wire cooling rack, sprinkle with flaky sea salt, if you like, and allow to cool for at least 2 hours before serving. Serve warm or at room temperature.

BOURBON PECAN PIE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Mix together eggs, sugar, corn syrups, butter, bourbon, vanilla and salt until well blended.
• Prick the sides and bottom of the pie shell with a fork at 1/2-inch intervals. Spread the pecans on the bottom and pour the mixture over them. Bake for 35 to 45 minutes, until just set around the edges but still slightly loose in the center. (It will continue to set as it cools.)
• Place on a rack to cool slightly.

CHOCOLATE PECAN PIE

Steps:

• Make the crust: In a food processor, pulse together the flour and salt. Add butter and pulse until the mixture forms chickpea-size pieces. Add ice water, 1 tablespoon at a time, and pulse until the dough just comes together. It should be moist but not wet. On a lightly floured surface, gather the dough into a ball. Flatten into a disk with the heel of your hand. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour and up to 2 days.
• On a lightly floured surface, after removing plastic wrap, roll out dough to a 12-inch circle. Transfer crust to a 9-inch pie plate. Fold over any excess dough, then crimp edges. Prick crust all over with a fork. Chill crust for 30 minutes.
• While the dough chills, heat the oven to 375 degrees. Line chilled crust with aluminum foil and fill with pie weights or dried beans. Bake for 25 minutes. Remove foil and bake until very pale golden, 5 to 10 minutes longer.
• Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees. Spread pecans on a rimmed baking sheet. Toast nuts, shaking pan occasionally, until fragrant, 8 to 10 minutes. Cool.
• Make the filling: In a small saucepan over low heat, melt butter and chopped chocolate, stirring until smooth; cool.
• In a large bowl, whisk together cooled chocolate-butter mixture, corn syrup, eggs, sugar, cocoa powder, bourbon and salt. Pour the mixture into the prepared crust. Arrange pecans over filling. Transfer to a large rimmed baking sheet. Bake until the filling is just set when the pan is jiggled, 30 to 40 minutes. Remove pie from the oven and cool completely on a wire rack before serving.

PECAN PIE SANDWICH COOKIES

Steps:

• Make the cookies: Combine the pecans and 1/2 cup/65 grams flour in a food processor or blender and pulse until the pecans are coarsely ground with pebbly bits remaining.
• Using a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter, both sugars and salt on low speed until creamy and smooth. Scrape the bowl and add the egg yolk and vanilla. Beat on medium-low speed until fully incorporated. Scrape the bowl and add the pecan mixture and remaining 1 1/2 cups/190 grams flour. Beat on low speed until the dough comes together. Press into four 1/2-inch-thick squares and wrap each in plastic wrap. Refrigerate until firm, at least 3 hours and up to 2 days.
• When you're ready to bake, heat oven to 350 degrees. Place 1 dough square on a generously floured surface and sprinkle with more flour. With a floured rolling pin, roll to a scant 1/4-inch thickness, moving and flouring the dough as needed to prevent sticking. Using a floured 2 1/2-inch round cutter, cut out rounds as close together as possible and transfer to a parchment-lined cookie sheet, using a thin spatula if necessary, spacing them 1/2 inch apart.
• Gather the scraps, roll and cut again. If desired, cut out a 1-inch circle from half of the cookies using a cookie cutter or the wide end of a pastry tip. If your dough becomes too soft to cut after rolling, pop it in the freezer until firm again.
• Bake until golden brown, about 15 minutes. Repeat with the remaining dough. Cool the cookies completely on the sheets on wire racks.
• Make the filling: Combine the butter, brown sugar, corn syrup and salt in a small saucepan and clip a candy thermometer to the side of the pot if you have one. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally to melt the butter. Continue boiling, stirring occasionally, until dark brown and thickened to the consistency of caramel sauce, 2 to 4 minutes. The candy thermometer should register 230 degrees. Remove from the heat and carefully add the bourbon. Stir until incorporated, then stir in the pecans until evenly coated.
• Flip over half of the cookies. Carefully scoop a tablespoon of the hot filling and scrape it onto a cookie with another spoon. Spread it in an even layer with the spoon and very gently press another cookie on top to sandwich. Flip the sandwich over so the filling can set evenly. Repeat with the remaining cookies and filling. Cool completely.

PALM SUGAR PECAN PIE

Steps:

• Make the pie dough: Using your fingertips or the pulse function of a food processor, blend together the flour, sugar, butter and salt until the mixture resembles a coarse meal. There should be pebbles of butter throughout the mixture.
• Drizzle 1/4 cup ice water over the dough, and gently stir or pulse to combine. Gather a golf-ball-size bit of dough, and squeeze to combine. If it does not hold together, add remaining tablespoon of water.
• Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface, and gather together into a rough ball. Divide the ball in half with a knife or a pastry scraper, then divide each portion in half again to create 4 portions. Using the heel of your hand, flatten each portion of dough once or twice to expand the pebbles of butter, then gather the dough together again in one ball.
• Flatten ball into a 5- or 6-inch disc. Wrap the disc in plastic wrap, and place in the refrigerator for at least 60 minutes.
• Heat oven to 350. To blind bake the crust, roll out the pastry on a lightly floured surface to a thickness of about 1⁄8 inch. Fit dough into a 9 1/2-inch deep-dish pie pan. Crimp edges, and pierce the bottom crust with the tines of a fork 8 times. Line dough with a large sheet of parchment paper, and spread evenly with pie weights so they reach up the sides of the crust. Bake 30 minutes until edges are set. Remove parchment and weights, and bake until pale golden brown all over, about 15 minutes longer. Cool completely on a rack.
• Meanwhile, make filling. Toast pecans in a 350-degree oven until just fragrant, 8 to 10 minutes. Allow to cool completely.
• Whisk together palm sugar, butter, cream, powdered milk and salt in a medium bowl until smooth. Add eggs and vanilla, whisking again until smooth. Place cooled nuts in crust, and pour the filling over the pie crust. (Pecans will float to top of pie while baking.)
• Place pie on a sheet pan, and bake in center of oven until filling is set with a slight jiggle and filling is pale golden around nuts, about 30 to 40 minutes.

SOUTHERN PECAN PIE

Steps:

• Line a pie pan with the pastry and crimp the edges. Refrigerate the pastry shell while preparing the filling. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• In a large bowl beat the eggs until blended but not frothy. Stir in the corn syrup and the vanilla.
• Mix the brown and granulated sugars together in a small bowl, making sure there are no lumps. Stir the sugars, the melted butter and the salt into the egg mixture.
• Spread the pecans over the bottom of the pastry shell. Pour the filling mixture over the pecans.
• Bake the pie 55 to 60 minutes, until the filling is slightly puffed and a knife inserted in the filling off-center, about 2 1/2 inches from the edge, comes out clean.
• Allow the pie to cool to room temperature. If desired, whip the cream and serve it on the side.

PECAN PIE ICE CREAM

Steps:

• Place milk and cream in a heavy saucepan. Stir in the sugar. Heat on medium until scalded (about 180 degrees) - bubbles will form around the edges. Remove from heat.
• Beat eggs in a small bowl until well-blended. Gradually whisk several tablespoons of the hot milk mixture into the eggs, then slowly pour the egg mixture back into the pan, whisking all the while.
• Place over medium-low heat and cook, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until the mixture thickens enough to coat the spoon, 6 minutes or so. As soon as you see the first wisps of steam, remove the pan from the heat. Keep stirring another 5 minutes or so as the mixture cools down. Stir in the vanilla. Transfer the custard to a bowl, cover and refrigerate until very cold, about 6 hours or overnight.
• Place the pecans in a small, heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Toast them, stirring, until lightly browned. Remove from heat. Pour in the maple syrup and add the butter and salt. Stir to coat pecans completely. Transfer to a bowl and refrigerate.
• Add the cold custard to your ice cream maker and churn until the mixture reaches the consistency of soft ice cream, 40 to 50 minutes. Transfer it to a bowl. Fold in the cooled nuts and syrup, swirling them in so they are not thoroughly mixed in.
• Transfer the ice cream to one or more containers and freeze until firm, at least 2 hours. If necessary, let the ice cream soften a bit in the refrigerator or at room temperature before scooping.

RYE PECAN PIE

Steps:

• Make the crust: In a mixer fitted with paddle attachment, combine flour, salt and white sugar at low speed. Add butter and mix until pea-size lumps form. Raise the speed to medium-low and add 1/2 cup ice water in a slow, steady stream, mixing just until dough holds together. To test, pinch a small amount of dough. If it is crumbly, add more ice water, one tablespoon at a time. Shape dough into a ball and wrap it loosely in plastic, then roll it into a disk. Refrigerate at least one hour, or up to 3 days, before rolling. (Dough can be frozen for up to a month.)
• Open a 10-inch springform pan, flip the bottom over so the outside surface faces in, then close. This will make removing the pie easier when it is done, by preventing the dough from sinking into the pan's crease. On a lightly floured surface, roll chilled dough into a circle 16 inches in diameter. Lift it and let it settle into pan, fitting the dough down into the edges. Press the sides firmly against pan and pinch around the top rim. Trim dough with kitchen scissors so it hangs over the rim by one inch, reserving excess. Refrigerate in pan until very cold and firm, at least 45 minutes.
• Heat oven to 400 degrees. Prick bottom of dough with a fork. Lay a piece of parchment or wax paper in pan, then a piece of aluminum foil. Fill foil lining with dried beans to top of pan. Bake 15 to 25 minutes, until the sides of the crust have set and turned a light golden brown. Remove from oven and lift out the beans, foil and parchment. Patch any holes with reserved dough, pressing firmly. Bake 10 to 15 minutes more, until golden brown. Let cool at least 30 minutes before filling.
• Fill the pie: Heat oven to 325 degrees. In a bowl, whisk together the eggs, brown sugar, melted butter, molasses, corn syrup, vanilla, salt and rye or bourbon. Place baked pie shell, still in the pan, on a sheet pan. Gently pour in the filling. Sprinkle chopped pecans evenly over surface. Working from outside in, arrange pecan halves in concentric circles, without overlapping, until entire surface is covered. (Use only as many as needed.)
• Bake 50 to 60 minutes, just until filling is firm and a wooden skewer comes out clean when inserted into center. (Do not worry if the overhanging crust becomes very dark brown.) Let cool completely. Use a serrated knife to saw off all overhanging pie crust. Carefully remove outer ring of pan. Slice with a large, very sharp knife and serve with whipped cream.

PECAN PIE TRUFFLES

Steps:

• In a medium bowl, stir together pecans, graham cracker crumbs, brown sugar and salt until well combined. Add maple syrup, bourbon and vanilla, stirring thoroughly. Use your hands to make sure the mixture becomes fully incorporated.
• Form mixture into walnut-sized balls, then place on a cookie sheet and freeze for 2 hours.
• In the top of a double boiler or in a medium stainless steel bowl set over a pot of gently simmering water, melt chocolate (we recommend tempering the chocolate, but if you don't, they'll still be delicious, just a bit messy). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Dip the frozen balls into the melted chocolate, then place onto prepared baking sheet. Let sit for 15 minutes or until firm.

PECAN PIE BROWNIES

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly butter an 8-inch square metal baking pan and line it with parchment paper, leaving about 2 inches of excess on each side to help you lift the cooked brownies out of the pan.
• Make the brownies: Put butter and chocolate into a medium pot and place it over low heat. Melt the mixture, taking care not to let the chocolate burn and stirring constantly with a rubber spatula until smooth. Scrape chocolate mixture into a large bowl and mix in the sugar. Let mixture cool until it's just warm to the touch, about 5 minutes.
• Whisk eggs into cooled chocolate mixture. Whisk in flour, cocoa powder, vanilla and salt. Mix in chocolate chips, if using. Scrape batter into prepared pan and smooth it into an even layer. Set aside.
• Make the pecan layer: In a medium bowl, whisk together butter, honey, brown sugar, heavy cream and fine sea salt. Fold in pecans until well coated.
• Pour pecan mixture in an even layer on top of the brownie batter. Sprinkle the top lightly with flaky sea salt. Bake until the top is set and firm to touch, especially in the center, 45 to 55 minutes. Transfer the pan to a wire rack to cool completely before cutting into 16 squares.

BOURBON PECAN PIE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spread pecans on baking sheet and roast them for about 7 minutes, until toasted. Remove them from the baking sheet, and cool. Raise oven temperature to 450 degrees.
• In a large bowl, beat eggs slightly, and whisk in the dark brown sugar and corn syrup. Whisk in the salt, butter, vanilla and bourbon. Mix flour with pecans, and add.
• Prick the bottom of the pastry all over with the tines of a fork. Pour the filling into the crust, and put the pan on a flat baking sheet. Place on the lower level of the oven, reduce the temperature to 350 degrees and bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until filling is puffed and firm. Check after 20 minutes; if the crust is browning too quickly, loosely drape a piece of aluminum foil around the edges.
• Remove to a rack, and serve warm or at room temperature, with whipped cream, creme fraiche or vanilla ice cream.