Perfect Pecan Pie with secret ingredient
Rich, buttery and full of caramel flavor this pecan pie is packed with pecans and the secret ingredient creates a smooth velvety texture. This pie is truly the star of the show. Always a crowd favorite. One is never enough so you should make two while you’re at it!
Why I love this pie so much
I have had people tell me that pecan pie is just too sweet for them, they clearly have never had this pecan pie! Yes, it is sweet, but it’s not too sweet. It is perfectly sweet, creamy, caramely, and chocked full of toasty pecans. I get the most requests for pecan pie at the holidays, more than pumpkin, almost more than dutch apple pie! The secret ingredient is a teaspoon of apple cider vinegar, the acid from the vinegar helps to break down the sugar crystals making the pie smoother, and it also helps to cut the sweetness. Food science is amazing!
Gather these ingredients
How to make the best pecan pie
Preheat oven to 375. Roll out pie crust and place in pie pan, crimp edges.
1. Place pecans on a baking sheet and put in preheated oven for 3-5 minutes. Do not leave!! Nuts toast fast. As soon as you start to smell the toasty smell of pecans remove them. Set aside to cool.
2. When nuts are cooled, chop half of the pecans and place them in the bottom of the pie crust. Leave the other half for adding to the top of the pie.
3. Add sugars, butter, and karo syrup to mixer and mix on medium speed until filling is smooth, 3 minutes.
4. Add eggs one at a time, mixing continuously, add salt and apple cider vinegar mix until filling becomes smooth and fluffy as shown in the photo above. Scrape down sides of bowl at least once during this process.
5. Add chopped pecans and fold into filling.
6. Now it’s time to fill pie crust with filling. (If you have a little extra, put it in a buttered ramekin and bake it along side your pie and, you can have yourself a little treat!)
7. Place whole pecans on top of the pie in any arrangement you prefer. If you prefer not to you can just mix them in with the chopped and see what happens. No matter how you add the pecans this pie will end up spectacular.
8. Now place in a preheated oven and bake for 50-60 minutes. (See FAQs for tips on not burning your crust.) If the pie has a little bit of jiggle in the middle when it’s time to remove it from the oven this is OK. It will also puff up, and then fall as it cools, also OK. Allow the pie to cool for at least one hour before cutting into it.
FAQ’s
- Is it possible to use light karo syrup if I am unable to find the dark syrup? Yes you can use the light syrup it will not affect your pie enough for anyone to detect it. I would not only use white sugar and leave out the brown sugar, this would take away the depth of caramel flavor.
- I don’t like the idea of using vinegar in my dessert, is there a substitute? If you must, you can use lemon juice which is also an acid, but honestly you will not taste the vinegar at all. It creates a chemical reaction that helps break down the sugar crystals creating a smoother texture, and helps cut the sweetness.
- Every time I bake a pecan pie it seems to burn on the top. How can I prevent this from happening? If the crust starts to look too brown, remove the pie and if you have a pie crust guard use it. If you are like me, take some aluminum foil and fashion it to cover the crust or just teepee a larger piece of aluminum foil over the whole pie, return to the oven and continue to bake.
- How do I know when my pie is done? The center of your pie should jiggle but not make waves. If you press your finger into the center of the pie and it feels soft but springs back this is a good sign it’s done. If you have a cooking thermometer you can insert it into the middle of the pie, if filling is between 190 -200 your pie is done.
If you know me, you know I am a pie geek. I love pie! Early on in my blogging days I had a #PieGeekWeek and I had t-shirts made that said “It’s pie o’clock”. They were (not) wildly popular. LOL. I am not doing it this year, but there have been years that I’ve made pies and sold them as a fundraiser for different causes in my area. Making as many as 125 pies one year! Pies for days. I loved it. I hope you make a pie this holiday season.
Happy Baking, Sheila
More pies to try!
The Perfect Pecan Pie with a secret ingredient
Equipment
- hand mixer or stand mixer
- 9 inche pie plate
Ingredients
- 1 unbaked pie crust
- 2/3 cup granulated sugar
- 1/3 cup brown sugar
- 1 cup dark karo syrup
- 1 cup butter soft or melted
- 3 whole eggs
- 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 1/2 cups pecans
Instructions
Preheat oven to 375°
- Roll out pie crust and place it in a 9 inch pie plate, crimp the edges.
- Place pecans on a baking sheet and place in preheated oven for 3-5 minutes. Watch them, do not walk away, or set an alarm for 3 minutes. Nuts will burn fast. As soon as you smell toasting nuts, take them out, and let them cool.
- In a mixing bowl add sugars, melted/softened butter ,and karo syrup, mix on medium-high speed until light and fluffy about 5 minutes.
- Add eggs one at a time, taking time to scrape the sides of the bowl.
- Add vinegar and salt and continue to mix for an additional 3 minutes.
- Fold the chopped pecans into the filling, pour filling into prepared pie crust. Lift up pie and tap lightly on counter to knock any air bubbles out. Arrange the remaining pecans on top of the pie.
- Place pie in preheated oven and bake for 50-60 minutes. Pie should be slightly jiggly in the middle, but not wobbly. If you give a light push in the middle it should bounce back. You can also check with cooking thermometer center of pie should be 190-200 degrees f.
