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Classic Pecan Pie

Toasted pecans in a glossy vanilla-scented filling, baked in an all-butter crust and served with vanilla whipped cream.

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Classic Pecan Pie

What it's made of

CrustAll-Butter Flaky Pie Dough FillingClassic Pecan Pie Filling TopVanilla Whipped Cream for Pie
Makes 8 servings Active 1 hr 50 minChill or rest 3 hr 0 minParts 3
Contains milk, wheat, egg, tree nuts (check labels)

Each part is a full recipe as written; the Dessert Builder scales them to fit this pie and merges the shopping list. Open it with the button above to adjust servings or swap any part.

Ingredients

All-Butter Flaky Pie DoughCrust · makes 8 slices

  • 1.25 cupsall-purpose flour (160.0 g)
  • 1.0 tbspgranulated sugar (12.0 g)
  • 0.5 tspfine sea salt (3.0 g)
  • 0.5 cupcold unsalted butter, cut in 1/2-inch cubes (113.0 g)
  • 4.0 tbspice water, as needed (60.0 ml)
  • 1.0 tsppure vanilla extract (5.0 ml)

Classic Pecan Pie FillingFilling · makes 8 servings

  • 1.0 unbaked 9-inch pie crust, homemade or store-bought, chilled in the pie plate
  • 1.5 cupspecan halves, coarsely chopped (150.0 g)
  • 1.0 cuplight corn syrup (328.0 g)
  • 0.75 cuplight brown sugar, packed (160.0 g)
  • 3.0 large eggs (150.0 g)
  • 3.0 tbspunsalted butter, melted (43.0 g)
  • 1.0 tspVanillaGoods pure vanilla extract (5.0 ml)
  • 0.25 tspfine sea salt

Vanilla Whipped Cream for PieTop · makes 8 servings

  • 1.5 cupsheavy cream, cold (360.0 ml)
  • 3.0 tbspconfectioners' sugar (22.0 g)
  • 1.0 tspVanillaGoods pure vanilla extract (5.0 ml)

Method

1. All-Butter Flaky Pie Doughfull recipe

  1. Whisk the flour, sugar and salt in a wide bowl. Add the cold fat and cut it in with a pastry blender or your fingertips until the largest pieces are the size of peas, with some smaller flakes.
  2. Stir the vanilla into the ice water. Sprinkle most of it over the flour and toss with a fork until the dough holds together when squeezed; add the rest a teaspoon at a time only if it stays dry.
  3. Press the dough into a disk, wrap and refrigerate at least 1 hour so the flour hydrates and the fat firms.
  4. Roll on a floured surface into a 12-inch circle, turning it a quarter turn after every pass. Fit it into a 9-inch pie plate without stretching, fold the overhang under and crimp the edge.
  5. Chill the shaped crust 20 minutes before filling; cold dough holds its edge in the oven.

2. Classic Pecan Pie Fillingfull recipe

  1. Heat the oven to 350°F with a rack in the lower third. Toast the nuts on a baking sheet until fragrant, 6 to 8 minutes, then cool.
  2. In a large bowl, whisk the eggs, then whisk in the light corn syrup, light brown sugar, vanilla, melted butter, and salt until smooth.
  3. Scatter the nuts in the crust and pour the filling over them.
  4. Bake until the edge is set and puffed and the center jiggles only slightly when you nudge the pan, 50 to 60 minutes (the center reaches about 200°F). Tent with foil after 30 minutes if the crust browns quickly.
  5. Cool on a rack for at least 3 hours; the filling finishes setting as it cools.

3. Vanilla Whipped Cream for Piefull recipe

  1. In a chilled bowl, whip the cold cream, confectioners' sugar, and vanilla on medium-high speed to medium peaks, 2 to 3 minutes. Don't overwhip or it turns grainy.
  2. Spread or pipe over a completely chilled pie just before serving.

4. Put it together

  1. Make the All-Butter Flaky Pie Dough and chill it in the pie plate while you make the filling.
  2. Make the Classic Pecan Pie Filling.
  3. Fill the crust, add the Vanilla Whipped Cream for Pie, and bake as the filling directs; cover the crust edge with foil if it browns too fast.
  4. Cool on a rack until set, at least 3 hours for fruit pies and overnight in the fridge for cream pies.