Homemade Pecan Pie

The holidays have a way of feeling a bit chaotic at times, but I so much enjoy the baking that goes with them. I had not made pie in years, but really wanted to make a pecan pie for Thanksgiving this year. First hurdle, was I could not find my box of recipes anywhere. I think it may be waiting to be unpacked. Thus, this left me starting completely from scratch. I looked over numerous recipes online, looking for something that would lend itself to modification with greatest chance of working. I ended up modifying a crust recipe from a cook book and a filling recipe that I made up using what sounded feasible. I was taking this pie to a large family Thanksgiving get together. Thus, I really wanted it to turn out, but had no way to check until the pie was served.

Pecan Pie Recipe

Pie Crust
3 cups whole wheat flour (I used white whole wheat)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup butter
1 egg
3-4 tablespoons water.

Mix salt and flour. Cut in butter until mixture is crumbly. Beat egg, add water to egg, then pour into flour mixture and mix until dough forms. Roll out to desired thickness, fit into pie pan.
Notes: I suspect this was supposed to be a double crust based on amount of flour and butter, the amount it made confirmed this guess. However, with whole wheat crusts, I find it more challenging to get them rolled as thinly as with all white flour, and I find whole wheat crusts to be a bit more fragile. Thus, it is easier if there is excess dough. the excess dough scraps bake up nicely as "crackers" of sorts.

Pecan Pie Filling
2 cups pecans
1 cup honey
3 eggs
6 tablespoons butter, melted
1 tablespoon vanilla
1/4 teaspoon salt
sprinkle of cinnamon and nutmeg

Spread pecans in bottom of pie shell. Mix together honey and eggs, stir in melted butter, vanilla, salt. Whisk all together. Pour over pecans in pie shell. The pecans will float to the top. I pressed them in enough to make sure the tops of the pecans were coated with the filling mixture.

Bake at 350 degrees ~25 minutes, with foil covering edges of crust. Then remove foil, bake additional 20-25 minutes until knife in center comes clean, or the filling is set.

The pie came out of the oven absolutely beautiful! I was so excited. But, I still was not sure on taste. The extra pie crust scraps gave us a sneak preview on the crust--it was really good! Thanksgiving Day came and pies were brought with us. The pie turned out well! I was not the only one who liked it! So pleased it worked!

Homemade Pecan Pie!

Note: this post was written 11/29/18, but I did not get photos edited before surgery early December 2018, then have not gotten around to finishing the post until now. The pie turned out well and I made it again this year, relying on the draft of this post for my recipe!

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