Pecan Pie

Buttery shortcrust pastry with a sweet pecan filling, a UK recipe for an American classic!

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Keyword Pie

Prep Time 1

Cook Time 1

Total Time 2

Servings

Calories 415kcal

Author thebakingexplorer

Ingredients

For the shortcrust pastry base

200 g Plain flour
1 tbsp Caster sugar
100 g Butter or baking spread cold, unsalted
1 Egg large

For the pecan filling

70 g Maple syrup
70 g Golden syrup
125 g Light brown soft sugar
85 g Butter unsalted
3 Eggs medium
½ tsp Salt
1 tsp Vanilla extract
¼ tsp Cornflour optional, sieved, also known as cornstarch
250 g Pecans (140g chopped, rest whole)
1 tsp Coarse sea salt optional, for sprinkling on top after baking

Metric - US Customary

Instructions

To make the pastry, put the plain flour and caster sugar into a bowl and stir it together. Add the butter and use your fingers to rub the butter into the flour mixture until it resembles breadcrumbs. You can also do this in a food processor
Add the egg and mix to form a dough, be careful not to over work it or knead it
Roll out the pastry on a work surface or silicone mat dusted with flour. Line a 9 inch loose bottomed tart tin with the pastry and trim off any overhang
Use a fork to prick the bottom of the pastry then chill it in the fridge for 30 minutes
Pre-heat your oven to 180C Fan/350F/Gas Mark 5
Scrunch up some baking paper and line the pastry, then add baking beans (pie weights) or some dry rice on top. Bake it for 15 minutes
Take the pastry out of the oven and remove the baking beans and paper. Bake the pastry again for 10 minutes on the same temperature, or until golden and it no longer looks raw on the base. Set aside while you make the filling
Reduce the oven temperature to 150C Fan/325F/Gas Mark 3
In a pan on a low heat, melt the butter, golden syrup, light brown sugar and maple syrup together. Once the butter is melted, take it off the heat. Leave to cool for 5-10 minutes
Add the eggs, salt, cornflour and vanilla extract and whisk them in
Stir in the chopped pecans and pour the mixture into the pastry base. I like to put the tart tin onto a baking tray so it's easier to carry to the oven once it's full of the filling
Arrange the other pecans on top, start with the outside circle then work your way to the middle
Bake for 35-40 minutes, until it has a slight wobble to it. Leave to cool fully then refridgerate
Serve with a sprinkle of salt on top, and either ice cream or whipped cream
Store leftovers in the fridge and eat within 4 days

Video

Notes

I used unsalted butter for the pastry, you can also use a baking spread like Stork.
You can use shop bought pastry, or even a pre-baked pie shell, if you need to save time.
Make sure to use pure maple syrup and not a maple flavoured syrup for the filling.
I really recommend using light brown soft sugar if you can for the filling, but if you can't get hold of it, caster sugar will work well too.
Golden syrup is sold all over the world, so check the international section in your supermarket if you're not based in the UK. You can also buy it online from Amazon (see link below). If you can't get hold of it, light corn syrup is the closest thing to it, please note I've not tested this recipe with light corn syrup.
The cornflour is optional, if you prefer a slighter more gooey filling then leave it out.
If you like you can add 2 tbsp alcohol - brandy, rum or kahula are great choices, to the filling mixture before baking.
Although I provide cup measurements, I highly recommend weighing your ingredients out using digital kitchen scales*. It is the most accurate way to measure ingredients and will ensure the best results. Digital scales are very low cost and can be purchased for around £12 ($16.50) .
For teaspoon (tsp) and tablespoon (tbsp) measurements, please use measuring spoons* and not the type of spoons you eat with. Again this will ensure accuracy and provide the best results.

Nutrition