Both maple and pecans are quintessential American flavors. And when you combine them, the results are pure magic. Maple's sweet woodsy notes complement the rich buttery flavor of pecans. And in this easy Maple Pecan Pie they're spiked with the lightest touch of bourbon and nestled together in a flaky, buttery crust.
Along with Slow-Roasted Turkey, Maple-Glazed Vegetables and Pumpkin Custard, this pie always makes it to our Thanksgiving table.
Jump to Recipe | Why Maple Pecan Pie? | Making the Crust | The Filling | Tips | Variations
Why make a pecan pie without corn syrup?
Most pecan pie recipes call for a blend of corn syrup and white sugar, which yields a sticky sweet filling that coats chopped pecans. But, you can make pecan pie without corn syrup fairly easily, and often with better, deeper flavor.
A blend of both maple sugar and maple syrup work well to replace the white sugar and corn syrup you find in most recipes for pecan pie. Not only does maple work well to give the pie its classic, sticky filling, but it also gives the pie a richer flavor. Complexly sweet with subtle notes of caramel and toffee.
And for cooks looking to avoid corn syrup, maple makes a solid choice.
Making the Crust
A good homemade pie crust depends on quality ingredients, minimal handling and cold temperatures. Unbleached all-purpose flour works well because it's easy to work with, strong enough to roll out easily and hold its shape. It also has a mild, neutral flavor which works well as a complement to the more pronounced and robust flavors you'll find in the maple pecan filling.
And one of the easiest ways to make the crust, is to pulse the flour together with very cold butter, salt and a bit of ice water in your food processor until it just comes together. And then you form it into a disc, and roll it out. Working with a food processor speeds up your time, and keeps your ingredients colder than working by hand.
Pro Tip: We worked with Bob's Red Mill's Organic Unbleached All-Purpose Flour for this recipe. You can find it most grocery stores, and it has an excellent mild flavor and soft texture that works beautifully for pie crust and other pastry doughs.
Making the Filling
Pecan pie filling is very sweet and custard-like in texture. Eggs provide structure, while a blend of maple syrup and maple sugar provide sweetness and flavor. Blending them with a touch of butter gives richness, while salt provides balance.
You first begin by arrange the pecans in the crust, which allows you to make decorative patterns. Then you pour the filling over the pecans. They'll float a bit in the maple filling. But as the pie bakes and sets, they'll rise to the surface and the pie will solidify so that you can slice it easily.
And you'll know your pie is done baking by watching the filling. It will puff in the oven when it's ready, but settle as it cools.
Tips for Making Maple Pecan Pie
- Keep your ingredients cold when making the crust. Cold temperatures make for a tender and light crust.
- Freeze your crust for 15 to 20 minutes before baking. It works brilliantly to prevent a soggy crust, and keep the texture light.
- Use a mixture of chopped pecans and pecan halves. Chopped pecans give body to the filling, while pecan halves make a beautiful, decorative top.
- Your pie will puff in the oven. If you see your pie puffing in the oven and worry you've done something wrong, you haven't. Pecan pies puff in the oven (that's how you know they're ready), and will settle as they cool.
- Store the pie in the fridge up to 5 days. And you can probably get away with storing it at room temperature up to 3 days.
- Freeze your pie by wrapping it tightly or vacuum sealing it, and storing in the freezer up to 3 months.
Maple Pecan Pie
Ingredients
For the Crust
- 2 ½ cups spelt flour
- 8 tablespoons butter (diced)
- ½ teaspoon finely ground real salt
- ⅓ cup cold water
For the Filling
- 1 cup chopped pecans
- 1 ½ cups pecan halves
- ½ cup maple sugar
- 1 cup Grade A dark maple syrup
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 3 large eggs (beaten)
- ¼ teaspoon finely ground real salt
- 1 tablespoon bourbon (optional)
Equipment
- Rimmed Baking Sheet
- 10-inch tart pan
Instructions
Preheat
- Heat the oven to 350 F.
Make the crust.
- Toss the flour into a food processor with the butter and ½ teaspoon sea salt. Process until the mixture resembles coarse corn meal, and then slowly pour in the cold water through the feeder tube until the dough comes together.
- Turn the dough out onto a floured work surface. Press it down to form a thick disk about 2-inches thick, and then roll out the disk to an even ⅛-inch thickness.
- Gently place the dough onto your tart or pie pan, and then press it in. If working with a tart pan, trim away excess crust, and if you're using a pie pan, crimp the edges of the crust.
- Set the crust in the freezer about 15 minutes, until firm.
Make the filling.
- Pull the crust out of the freezer, and then sprinkle the chopped pecans evenly over the bottom of the crust. Then arrange the pecan halves on top of the chopped pecans.
- Whisk the maple sugar, maple syrup, melted butter, eggs, sea salt and bourbon together until uniform, and then pour the mixture over the pecans.
Bake.
- Set the unbaked pie onto a rimmed baking sheet, and then transfer it to the oven. Bake until the filling puffs, about 45 minutes. Next, pull the pie out of the oven and allow it to cool completely before slicing and serving.
Variations
Once you get the hang of making this Maple Pecan Pie, you can make a handful of adjustments to really pull in other flavors and make it distinctly your own.
Swap the bourbon for vanilla. Vanilla complements both maple and pecans. So if you don't have bourbon handy, swirl in a teaspoon or two of vanilla extract.
Swap sorghum syrup for maple syrup for a nice alternative.
If you can't find maple sugar, try using whole, unrefined cane sugar like jaggery or muscovado instead. Coconut sugar works well, too.
Add dark chocolate chips. You can substitute about half the chopped pecans with dark chocolate chips for an even richer version.
Substitute cold lard for all or part of the butter in the crust. Lard makes a tender, delicate pie crust with a great flavor.
Add cinnamon and orange zest to the filling, for a boost of flavor
