Toasted Pecan Pie from Hometown Cooking

Even though we just celebrated Thanksgiving, and I have plenty for which to be thankful, this will be a short post this week.

Why?

I’m getting ready for Christmas.

Again.

Every year it arrives so quickly, and every year I’m not ready in time, even after swearing that I will start earlier the next year. (And I imagine that I’m not alone.)

But it never happens…except for this year.

I want to spend time with my family in the days leading up to Christmas...baking cookies, making candy, eating pie (wait till you see what I have planned for this next Sunday!), sledding, drinking hot cocoa, (or dreaming of sledding while drinking hot cocoa, since we probably won’t have any snow by then), shoveling snow, building snow forts, (again, just dreaming), reading Christmas stories, watching Christmas movies, helping my kids make their Christmas presents…all the fun stuff that makes the season bright.

What I will not be doing this year is what I do every year...staying up until 2 a.m. on Christmas Eve wrapping presents because I waited until the last minute. (Literally. I’m still wrapping presents after Santa lays a finger aside his nose, gives a wink – or is it a nod? – and up the chimney he rises.)

 

I have a good start. I spent much of this weekend shopping and running errands, so I’m ahead of the game, and I want to keep it that way.

So, I’m sharing the recipe for the Toasted Pecan Pie that I made for Thanksgiving. (My mom also made a delicious traditional pumpkin pie. I’ll have to share the recipe with you sometime.)

For now, I’m off to do more shopping and prepping for Christmas. Only 29 days left!

Hoping you had a happy Thanksgiving!

Yours in pie,

Mindy

My 4-year-old daughter couldn't wait to eat this pie and started with the crust.

 

This is my favorite pecan pie. Well, just barely, after diving into the Chocolate Chip Pecan Pie I made last week to celebrate my son’s birthday. This pie is so yummy! I entered it in the Iowa State Fair in 2004 and took first place in the pecan pie class. Toasting the pecans brings out their flavor and gives them a nice crunch, and the added buttery, maple pecan topping really puts this pie over the top!

I found this recipe more than ten years ago, in the August 2001 issue of Hometown Cooking Magazine, and it’s been my favorite pecan pie ever since. Hometown Cooking is also my favorite cooking magazine. Or I should say, was. It’s no longer published. It ran from October 1999 until its last issue in August 2002. I know because I have every issue. (Yes, still. And they are not going anywhere.) Each issue featured the best hometown cooks from across the country and their favorite recipes, and highlighted the community cookbooks which featured those recipes. The magazine was such a great source of delicious tried-and-true dishes, which were also tested in the kitchens at Better Homes & Gardens. (Meredith Corporation published both magazines.)

 

 

 

So while you make and enjoy this tried-and-true Toasted Pecan Pie, I’ll be scanning recipes and catching up on old issues of Hometown Cooking – after I finish my Christmas shopping!

 

Toasted Pecan Pie

from Hometown Cooking Magazine, August 2001

Pastry for single-crust 9-inch pie

4 slightly beaten eggs

1 c. sugar

2/3 c. light corn syrup

1/3 c. pure maple syrup

¼ c. butter, melted

1 tsp. vanilla

1/8 tsp. salt

¾ c. pecan halves, toasted and chopped

¾ c. pecan halves, toasted

3 T. sugar

3 T. pure maple syrup

1 T. butter

 

For filling:

Combine eggs, 1 c. sugar, corn syrup, 1/3 c. maple syrup, ¼ c. melted butter, vanilla, and salt. Mix well. Stir in ¾ c. chopped pecans. Pour filling into prepared pastry shell. Cover edge of pie with foil to prevent overbrowning. Bake pie in 350° oven for 45-50 minutes, until knife inserted off-center comes out clean.

 

For topping:

Combine ¾ c. pecan halves, 3 T. sugar, 3 T. maple syrup, and 1 T. butter in microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on 100% power (high) for 1 ½ minutes; stir. Spoon the topping over the warm, baked pie. Cool completely on wire rack.

 

To toast pecans:

Spread pecan halves in a single layer in a shallow baking pan. Bake in 350° oven for 5-10 minutes or until light golden brown, watching carefully and stirring once or twice to prevent burning.

 

Special note: The magazine gives nutrition information for each recipe. This recipe was divided into 12 servings, and I don’t think I’ve ever cut a pie into that many slices! Even so, I’m not going to freak you out with the fact that this pie has 453 calories per serving (that’s 1/12^th of the pie)…just enjoy it before you set your New Year’s resolutions.