Bourbon Pecan Pie
It is pie season and what could be better than a classic pecan pie with a splash of bourbon?
About this recipe:
This bourbon pecan pie is an amalgamation of my husband’s grandmother’s pie and the Garden & Gun sorghum pie recipe. One was too simple and sweet and the other was too sweet. I remembered a Garden & Gun recipe from their cookbook: The Southerner’s Cookbook which had a shortbread cookie crust and a sorghum-bourbon filling. Okay- now we’re talking. But that recipe proved to be a tad too sweet for me and sorghum is not readily available everywhere.
Using perfect pecans matters:
Lane Southern Orchards is where I source my pecans. It is just off Interstate 75 in Georgia- which is a perfect stop for its’ charm, ambiance, and the huge pecan groves. We stopped in the cafe and picked up several bags of Lane’s gorgeous fragrant pecans.
Let’s support Pecan Growers:
Buy here for the freshest nuts:
- Millican Pecans-Texas Pecan growers since 1888
- Comel Pecan Farm- Texas 5th generation farmers
- Swift River Pecans- Texas Hill Country- they sell honey and pecan wood as well
- Double Q Pecans– over 100 years growing pecans in Ft. Valley, GA
- Adcock Pecans– Tifton Ga- everyone’s must stop off I-75.
- Hudson Pecan Farmers– This family has been farming in Ocilla, Georgia since the 1700’s
Ingredients in Bourbon Pecan Pie:
- pecan sandies cookies
- all purpose flour
- light brown sugar
- dark Karo Sugar
- molasses
- pure Vanilla Extract- Buy Pine & Palm Kitchen Premium extract HERE.
- salt
- unsalted butter
- eggs
- bourbon
- heavy cream
- pecans
Special Equipment needed for this recipe:
My process in making this recipe perfect:
No sorghum, but molasses, way less Karo syrup, lots more pecans, and a touch of sea salt. Bam! The molasses has a slightly smokey flavor and mixed with the soft floral notes of the bourbon- pie heaven! Oh me- Oh my! Serve with unsweetened whipped cream unless you have a wicked sweet tooth and want to add a pinch of sugar.
Other great pecan recipes to try:
Click Here to Buy Pine & palm Kitchen Vanilla Products:
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Ingredients
Fot the Crust
- 16 shortbread pecan sandies
- 6 tbsp all-purpose flour
- ½ tsp sea salt
- 4 tbsp unsalted butter- cut into pieces- cold
For the Filling
- 1 ½ cup pecans, (6 oz) chopped and lightly toasted
- 6 tbsp unsalted butter
- ⅓ cup light brown sugar, packed
- ¼ cup dark Karo syrup
- ½ cup molasses
- ½ tsp kosher salt
- 1 ½ tsp pure vanilla extract
- 3 large eggs, beaten well
- 3 tbsp Bourbon
- butter for the pie plate
- heavy cream- for topping
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a pie plate very liberally.
- For the Crust: In a food processor, process the shortbread cookies and the flour until well combined. Add in the salt and butter and pulse until the mixture resembles fine crumbs. Pour the crumb mixture into the buttered pie plate. With the back of a 1 cup measuring cup, press the pie crust into shape and up the sides of the dish. CHILL for 30 minutes. Bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove, set on a wire rack, and let cool completely.
- For the Filling: Put the 6 tbsp of butter, light brown sugar, and 1/2 tsp of kosher salt into a saucepan and cook over medium-low heat until melted and fully combined. Whisking, add in the Karo syrup, molasses, and bourbon. Beat eggs in a small bowl. Off heat, add 1/8 of a cup of the bourbon-sugar mixture to the eggs, whisking constantly to temper them so they do not scramble. Add a small amount of the bourbon mixture three to four more times to the eggs. Then pour the tempered egg mixture back into the saucepan and cook until glossy- about 2-3 more minutes. Off heat, pour in the vanilla. Fold in the toasted pecans.
- Pour the filling into the cooled pie crust and place on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake for 40-45 minutes at 350 degrees until the pie is set.
- Let the pie cool on a wire rack.
- Serve with unsweetened freshly whipped heavy cream. The pie will keep up to two days in the fridge if well-wrapped with plastic.
Nutrition
Carolyn Wilson’s Classic Pecan Pie:
This recipe is my husband’s grandmother’s pie recipe which is as classic as they come:
3 medium eggs
1 cup dark Karo Syrup
1/2 cup sugar
4 tbsp butter
pinch salt
1 tbsp vanilla
1 cup chopped pecans
It is baked in a pastry shell and is as perfect as you can get. Delicious.
