Old Fashioned Pecan Pie – A Classic Holiday Dessert

When you think about Thanksgiving dessert, do you think of Pumpkin Pie and Pecan Pie? I do!

I don’t think we have ever had a Thanksgiving dinner without the dessert table lined with both pumpkin and pecan pie. They are classic desserts that are must have on Thanksgiving day in our house.

As a child, I always preferred to eat the pumpkin pie. Well sort of.  I only ate the filling and would leave the crust to feed to the dog when no one was looking.

And of course, the best part was that it was topped with a large serving of Cool Whip!

I actually never tried a piece of pecan pie until I was in my 20’s. And that was with a lot of convincing (or possibly a friendly bet).

I wasn’t a fan of nuts being in my food, and the pecan pie was filled with them. Little did I know that the filling was absolutely delicious!

One bite of my Grandmother’s homemade pecan pie and I was hooked! The nutty flavor of the pecans is balanced by a sweet and gooey filling that almost tastes like caramel.

Why didn’t I try this sooner????

Making Homemade Pecan Pie

So several years later, I was asked to bring the desserts to a family Thanksgiving celebration.

I knew that I would need to make both pumpkin and pecan pie.

I had made homemade pumpkin pie before using a pie pumpkin for the puree. But I had never attempted a pecan pie.

See: Homemade Pumpkin Pie recipe

I pulled out my Grandmother’s recipe box and began to search for the classic recipe that made me fall in love with the pie.

After going through probably a hundred of index cards, I finally found the card.

It was filled with her cursive writing that included the ingredients and instructions. But best of all, it was dotted with her special notes and food stains from use over the years.

*Side note: I really missing handwritten recipe cards that bring back memories of the special people in our lives.

I followed her instructions completely and the pecan pie came out just like a remembered! Absolutely divine!

There is one handwritten tip from Grandma that you don’t want to skip. Be sure to put a sheet pan below your pecan pie as it bakes.

This will help catch any drippings that might bubble over when in the oven. This will decrease the risk of you filling the kitchen with smoke and makes clean up a breeze!

Pecan Pie Recipe

*a printable recipe card is located at the bottom of this article

INGREDIENTS:

Filling Ingredients

1 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1 1/2 tbsp flour

2 large eggs

1 tsp vanilla

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 cup butter, melted

1 cup chopped pecans

Other Ingredients

1 9-inch pie crust, unbaked

Whole pecans

INSTRUCTIONS:

Preheat oven to 375° F

1. In a medium bowl, add all of the filling ingredients. Mix with a fork until well combined.

2. Pour filling into the pie crust. Line the top of the pie with whole pecans in whatever pattern that you desire.

3. Use a pie crust shield or make a foil ring and cover the edge of the pie crust.

4. Bake on the middle rack for 30 minutes. Remove the pie crust shield/foil ring and continue baking for an additional 10-15 minutes until done. The inside of the pie should still be slightly jiggly.

*Helpful hint:  Place a cookie sheet on the bottom rack of the oven to catch any drippings.

5. Remove from oven and cool completely on a cooling rack.

Cover tightly and store in the fridge until ready to be served.

Enjoy!

Mary and Jim

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*Click here to check out our other Thanksgiving Recipes