This little beauty is a family recipe that I LOVE. It is, by far, my favorite pie. And thus, it is the perfect way to bring in Pie-tober. It brings together the flavors of both pumpkin and pecan pie. But I will tell you right now, the combination gives the pumpkin a richness that you just don't get with plain pumpkin pie. And it is super simple.
SPOILER ALERT! As you are looking through the ingredients, don't be turned away from this recipe just because it has dark corn syrup in it. 99% of pecan pies contain some type of corn syrup. You just can't get the richness without it. And yes, there is also sugar in it. People, this is a dessert - it's supposed to be unhealthy! And if you really love pecans, feel free to add more pecan pieces to the bottom of the pie. It will not affect the baking time.
A great thing about this pie is that it refrigerates well. That means you could make it a day or two ahead of Thanksgiving and it would taste even better when you serve it on the holiday. That's one of my favorite things about Southern cooking - it gets better with age. Not too much age, but just a couple days is perfect. It gives the flavors time to blend. Top it with a scoop of real whipped cream and you have one of the most decadent pies I've ever had.
Pumpkin Pecan Pie
Ingredients:
1, 9" pie crust, uncooked
3 eggs
1 cup dark corn syrup
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup butter, melted
1 cup canned pumpkin
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 cup chopped pecans
Pecan halves (for garnish)
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lay pie crust into pie pan and flute edges.
2. In a large bowl, beat eggs on low speed. Add corn syrup, sugar, butter, pumpkin, and vanilla. Beat on medium speed until blended.
3. Pour chopped pecans into unbaked pie crust and pour pumpkin filling over pecans. Place pecan halves on top of pumpkin mixture, around edges and in center.
4. Bake for 50-60 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool completely before serving.
Makes 1, 9" pie
Serves 8