Grams’ Famous Pecan Pie

Dec 25, 2020 | Baking

Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

As far as pies go, my Grams’ pecan pie absolutely takes the cake. It’s the perfect ratio of sweet, gooey, and flakey, and topping it with some vanilla ice cream or whipped cream truly takes it to another level. I think everyone deserves to experience that kind of happiness, so I highly recommend trying it out.

I am a sweets person, no doubt about that, but I truly think this is my favorite of all the desserts my family made while growing up. I actually can’t imagine having a Thanksgiving without it. Pumpkin pie is not even on my mind if I know this baby is gonna be at the table. With that said, I am turning a corner with pumpkin pie, and do quite enjoy my recipe, which you can check out here.

Obviously, I always prefer to use a homemade crust for this pecan pie. I have always loved America’s Test Kitchen and their recipes are always 10/10, and their pie dough is no exception.

However, there’s no need to make it more difficult on yourself and make every single thing from scratch. I fully believe in mixing in some store-bought items and preventing a little extra stress. Frozen pie dough works very well and I have used it with this recipe many times. There is no need to prebake your pie crust.

Print Recipe

Gram’s Famous Pecan Pie

The best pecan pie of all time that can be made by you!
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time40 minutes
Total Time1 hour
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Keyword: dessert, homemade, pecan pie, thanksgiving, thanksgiving desserts

Equipment

  • 9" pie plate

Ingredients

  • 1 1/4 C sugar
  • 1/2 C lite corn syrup
  • 1/4 C butter
  • 3 eggs at room temperature
  • 1 C pecans whole or chopped
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 1 9" pie crust homemade or store bought

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350
  • Using cooking spray or butter, grease your pie plate and roll out the pie crust. Set aside
  • In a small bowl, whisk the eggs thoroughly until there are no large streaks of egg white
  • In a saucepan, melt the butter and add in the sugar and corn syrup on low to medium heat. Stir continuously for about 5-10 minutes or until the sugar crystals have dissolved and the mixture is thin and smooth. Once this is accomplished, turn the heat to low
  • Temper the eggs by adding a spoonful of the sugar mixture into the eggs, while stirring continuously. If the sugar hardens around the fork, just add it back into the saucepan. Once the eggs are warmed, slowly add them to pot with the sugar, stirring constantly
  • Add vanilla and pecans
  • Fill pie shell and create a collar to protect the pie crust by lightly covering just the edges of the pie plate with tin foil. Bake for 40-45 minutes

Notes

The eggs should be room temperature to easier incorporate them into the hot sugar mixture. If the eggs are too cold and added too quickly to the hot mixture it will cause them to scramble. Ensure are warmed slightly, either by using ones that are room temp or have been slightly heated by a small amount of the hot mixture. It is common for them to be too cold and the corn syrup will harden around the fork immediately- just scrape it back into the pot and it will redissolve. If this happens, try again and then very slowly add them to the hot pan. 
You may add the collar to the pie crust either from the start or halfway through baking to prevent the pie crust from burning before the filling is fully cooked

If you can manage to have leftovers, keep them covered in a container at room temperature for up to 3 days or in the refrigerator for up to 5.