How To Make Bourbon-Brown Butter Pecan Pie
This brown butter pecan pie features a depth of rich sweet and nutty flavors made possible by a flaky crust filled with bourbon-spiked pecan filling.
Serves:
Ingredients
For Crust:
- 1½cupsall purpose flour,spooned into measuring cup and leveled with a knife
- ½tspsalt
- ⅛tspbaking powder
- 6tbspunsalted butter,very cold, sliced into ¼-inch pieces
- 3tbspvegetable shortening,(3 pieces) very cold
- 4tbspwater,very cold
For Filling:
- 5tbspunsalted butter
- ⅔cupdark brown sugar,packed
- ⅔cuplight corn syrup
- ½cupgolden syrup,such as Lyle’s or King
- 3largeeggs,at room temperature
- 2tbspbourbon,optional but highly recommended
- 1tsppure vanilla extract
- ½tspsalt
- 2½cupspecan halves,coarsely chop half of them, and leave the rest whole
- unsweetened whipped cream,or vanilla ice cream, for serving
Instructions
Crust:
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Combine the flour, salt, and baking powder in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a metal blade. Pulse a few times to combine.
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Add the pieces of butter and shortening and pulse until it forms coarse crumbs with lots of pea and chickpea-sized clumps of butter and shortening within.
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Add the water and pulse a few times until the mixture is just evenly moistened and very crumbly. It will not come together into a mass. Dump the crumbly dough out onto a work surface and gather it into a ball.
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Pat the dough into a 5-inch disc and wrap it in plastic. Refrigerate for at least 45 minutes or up to 3 days to rest.
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Take the dough out of the refrigerator. Dust your work surface lightly with flour and place the dough on top; sprinkle a little flour over the dough.
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Use the hands to quickly work the dough into a smooth disc. With a rolling pin, roll the dough into a 13-inch circle, turning it frequently and adding more flour as necessary so it doesn’t stick.
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Fold the dough into quarters without creasing it and transfer it to a 9-inch deep-dish pie pan. Gently fit the dough into the pan, easing it inwards rather than stretching it outwards. Don’t worry if it tears, just patch it right back up.
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Trim the edges to ½-inch beyond the lip of the pie pan, if necessary. Turn the edges under to create a rim on the crust; then press the rim against the lip of the pan, forming it into an even edge.
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Using the fingers, crimp the rim. Place the crust in the refrigerator for 30 minutes while heating the oven.
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Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Remove the crust from the refrigerator and place it on a baking sheet. Cover the crust with a piece of parchment paper and fill it at least halfway full with dried beans or pie weights.
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Bake for 20 minutes, or until the crust is pale and partially cooked. Remove the parchment and dried beans/pie weights and set it aside while you prepare the filling.
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Reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees F.
Filling:
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In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter and cook, swirling the pan occasionally, for 3 to 5 minutes until the butter smells nutty and is golden brown.
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Once it has a nutty aroma, take the pan off the heat and pour the browned butter into a large heat-proof bowl to cool.
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To the bowl with the brown butter, add the brown sugar, corn syrup, and golden syrup and whisk until smooth. Whisk in the eggs, bourbon, vanilla, and salt.
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Sprinkle the pecans in the baked pie crust and then pour the syrup mixture over them. The nuts will float to the top.
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Put the pie on the baking sheet. Bake for 50 to 55 minutes until just set and bubbling at the edges. The pie will still wobble just a bit when nudged; that’s okay – it will continue to cook as it cools.
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Remove the pie from the oven and place it on a wire rack to cool completely for about 4 hours or overnight.
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For the neatest slices, use a serrated knife to gently saw through the pecans.
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Serve at room temperature with unsweetened whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.
Recipe Notes
If the dough was in the fridge for a long time, let it sit on the countertop for 10 to 15 minutes so that it’s malleable enough to roll.
Nutrition
- Calories: 707.90kcal
- Fat: 44.97g
- Saturated Fat: 13.76g
- Trans Fat: 1.28g
- Monounsaturated Fat: 19.41g
- Polyunsaturated Fat: 9.08g
- Carbohydrates: 72.65g
- Fiber: 3.60g
- Sugar: 34.98g
- Protein: 7.79g
- Cholesterol: 111.73mg
- Sodium: 361.16mg
- Calcium: 64.42mg
- Potassium: 212.16mg
- Iron: 2.45mg
- Vitamin A: 164.48µg
- Vitamin C: 0.34mg
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