Maple Bourbon Pecan Pie
Of the Thanksgiving pies, pecan has always been at the top of my list. It was the one my mom always made and brought over to whatever Thanksgiving dinner we attended. It also contained the least amount of a fruit (like apple) or gourd (like pumpkin) which was not my jam as a kid.
But as an adult, I like still like my pecan pie, but with a little help from two of my favorite Fall baking flavors: maple and bourbon.
What I love about this maple bourbon pecan pie is that it’s not quite as sweet at your typical pecan pie. Don’t get me wrong, it’s sweet. Just not as sweet.
Maple syrup takes the place of some of the corn syrup and the addition of the bourbon gives the pie a little bit more bitterness to offset the sweet.
But in the best way possible.
If you really want to get crazy, add a little sea salt on top!
How to Make It
To me, the best part of a pie is the crust. And because this filling doesn’t take very long to put together, I recommend making your crust first and par-baking it for about 15 minutes.
This will ensure that the bottom layer of crust doesn’t get too soggy once you add the filling.
To make the filling, first melt the butter in a sauce pan with the brown sugar. Then add the maple syrup, corn syrup, and bourbon.
After adding the corn syrup and maple syrup the butter mixture should be cool enough to add the eggs. Just in case, pre-whisk the eggs before mixing in with the rest of the ingredients.
The next step is controversial. I like to add my pecans into the mixture before adding to the pie. I find that it helps distribute all the pecans so they aren’t all stuck at the bottom.
But, if you prefer to add your pecans to the pie crust, then pour in your filling, that’s up to you.
Pour the filling into the par-baked crust then pop it back in the oven for another 50 minutes until the filling has completely set.
Once the pie has cooled, it’s ready to cut and eat!
Or, you can make this a day or so ahead of time and chill until you are ready for dessert.
Then, just dig in and enjoy! That is, if you still have room left in your stomach after a big Thanksgiving meal!
Recipe
Prep Time: 20 minutes Bake Time: 50-55 minutes Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
Makes 1 pie
Ingredients
6 tbsp unsalted butter
1 cup, packed brown sugar
2 tbsp flour
3/4 cup light corn syrup
1/4 maple syrup
2 tbsp bourbon
1/2 tsp salt
3 eggs, beaten
2 cups pecan halves, lightly toasted
sea salt
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Roll out the pie crust and place in the bottom of a pie pan. Cover with a piece of parchment and either dried beans or pie weights. Bake for about 15 minutes.
Melt butter in a medium sauce pan over medium heat. Add in brown sugar and flour and whisk until brown sugar has started to melt and is combined with the butter.
Remove from heat and stir in the corn syrup, maple syrup, bourbon, and salt.
Check the temperature of the mixture with your finger, it should be only slightly warm to the touch. Then stir in the eggs.
Finally, stir in the pecans and pour the mixture into the par-baked crust. Place back in the oven and bake for another 50-55 minutes. The center of the pie should be set and the crust should be golden brown.
Let the pie cool completely or chill until ready to serve.