Description
Rich brown butter elevates classic pecan pie with a crumbly streusel topping, making this Southern dessert a luxurious twist on tradition. Warm spices and caramelized pecans create a deeply satisfying treat you’ll crave from first delectable bite.
Ingredients
Scale
Pie Crust Ingredients:
- 2 cups (473 ml) flour
- 1.5 tablespoons (22.5 ml) sugar
- 1 teaspoon (5 ml) salt
- 0.5 cup (113 grams) butter, chopped
- 6 tablespoons (90 ml) butter-flavored Crisco
- 0.5 egg
- 0.25 cup (59 ml) ice water
Main Filling Ingredients:
- 2 cups (226 grams) pecans, chopped
- 1 cup (220 grams) brown sugar, packed
- 0.5 cup (170 grams) corn syrup
- 3 large eggs
Secondary Filling Ingredients:
- 0.5 cup (113 grams) butter
- 0.5 cup (110 grams) toffee bits
- 0.25 cup (50 grams) granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon (15 ml) milk
- 1.5 teaspoons (7.5 ml) vanilla
- 1 tablespoon (15 ml) fresh lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon (8 grams) flour
- 0.5 teaspoon (2.5 ml) salt
Streusel Ingredients:
- 0.5 cup (60 grams) flour
- 0.25 cup (55 grams) brown sugar, packed
- 0.25 cup (57 grams) cold butter
Instructions
- Create a chilled water bath in a small vessel and reserve to the side.
- Combine flour, sugar, and salt in a spacious mixing bowl using a whisk.
- Integrate butter and Crisco into the dry ingredients using a pastry cutter until the texture resembles coarse pebbles.
- Separate egg liquid, retaining half and blending with ice water. Incorporate into flour mixture, stirring minimally to maintain cohesion.
- Segment dough into two portions, forming one disc. Roll out on a flour-dusted surface and carefully transfer to a 9-inch pie vessel.
- Crimp edges delicately, then refrigerate or freeze the crust to maintain structural integrity.
- Position oven rack with a baking sheet at center, preheating to 400°F.
- Melt butter in a saucepan over medium temperature, watching for golden transformation and nutty essence; approximately 5 minutes.
- Whip eggs thoroughly in a mixing bowl for two minutes, then introduce granulated and brown sugars alongside corn syrup. Beat for an additional minute.
- Fold browned butter, milk, vanilla, salt, lemon juice, and flour into egg mixture until silky smooth.
- Gently integrate toffee fragments and pecan pieces into the filling.
- Transfer filling into prepared pie shell, positioning on preheated baking sheet.
- Reduce oven temperature to 350°F and bake for initial 30-minute segment.
- Simultaneously prepare streusel by whisking flour and brown sugar, then cutting cold butter into mixture until sandy.
- Refrigerate streusel until deployment time.
- After first baking phase, extract pie and embellish with streusel topping.
- Shield pie crust and continue baking for additional 30-37 minutes.
- Verify doneness by observing a subtle center wobble.
- Remove from oven and allow complete cooling on wire rack before slicing.
Notes
- Brown butter adds a rich, nutty depth that elevates the classic pecan pie flavor, creating a more complex and sophisticated dessert experience.
- Chilling the pie crust before baking helps prevent shrinkage and ensures a flaky, tender texture that melts in your mouth.
- The streusel topping provides a delightful crunch and extra layer of sweetness, transforming this traditional pie into a show-stopping dessert.
- Baking the pie on a preheated baking sheet helps create a perfectly crisp bottom crust and ensures even heat distribution.
- Toffee bits mixed into the filling add unexpected bursts of caramel-like sweetness that complement the pecans beautifully.
- Allowing the pie to cool completely helps the filling set and makes slicing clean and precise, enhancing both presentation and texture.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
- Category: Desserts
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 8
- Calories: 450
- Sugar: 30 g
- Sodium: 250 mg
- Fat: 28 g
- Saturated Fat: 10 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 15 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 50 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 5 g
- Cholesterol: 100 mg