I’m trying to nail down this year’s Thanksgiving menu and finding it difficult to choose between two favorite pecan pies. The two favorites are this one (in the recipe card below) which I call Best Pecan Pie Yet and the one I’ve been making since I was 14, the One Stick of Butter Pecan Pie.
Browning Butter with Pecans
At least I’ve narrowed it down to two, so it's safe to say these are my two favorite pecan pies. What both recipes have in common is brown butter. And for both pies I use one particular step which not everyone does. I stir-fry the pecans in butter so that the pecans toast and absorb some of the butter as it browns. This step gives every bite a burst of flavor.
Difference Between Two Favorite Pies
So back to the two pies and the task of picking just one!
The first pie (the recipe below) is great for people who like pecans but don’t care for traditional pecan pie's strong dark corn syrup flavor. It has milder flavor and always sets up nicely. Instead of a full stick of butter, it calls for half a stick plus some cream. The cream tones down the sugar, so don't try to leave that out or the pie might be sweeter than you like.
The second pie is a richer pecan pie with a stronger dark corn syrup flavor. I call it One Stick of Butter Pecan Pie, and it has its own page. Hopefully that clarifies things a little bit.
More Favorite Pecan Pie Recipes
So those are my top 2, but there are just so many others! Every pecan pie has a different flavor profile and texture. You may think you don't like pecan pie until you try a certain one. Check the archives for ideas, and feel free to leave a comment if you have a question. I will answer your directly unless it's something helpful for other readers.
Recipe
Best Pecan Pie Yet
Ingredients
- 1 9-inch deep dish unbaked pie shell
- 1 ½ cups pecan halves
- 4 tablespoons room temperature unsalted butter (56 grams)
- 3 large eggs
- 1 cup light corn syrup both work equally well
- ¾ cup packed dark or light brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons whipping cream
- 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 F.
- Place pecans in a large skillet or saute pan and turn heat to medium high. Cook pecans for 2 minutes, stirring often. Reduce heat to medium, add butter to skillet with pecans, and "stir-fry" butter and pecans until butter melts and just barely starts to brown - take care not to burn. This should only take about 3 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.
- In medium bowl, whisk together eggs, corn syrup, brown sugar, cream, vanilla and salt. Remember just to whisk -- don't beat or add too much air to the mixture. Stir in melted butter/pecan mixture then pour filling into unbaked crust.
- To catch any drippings, set a rimmed cookie sheet on the lower rack of the oven. Set the pie on the middle rack and bake for 45-50 minutes or until top is golden brown and appears set. The pie should still be slightly jiggly in center. Let cool completely at room temperature. Transfer to refrigerator to chill. I make it a day ahead, chill overnight, then bring to room temperature and slice.
- This pie also freezes quite well.
Anna says
Good question! I always say I'll never try another one, but I end up doing it anyway. That pie with the bit of cream in it is really good. I didn't make it this year for Thanksgiving because no one wanted pecan pie, but I'm going to make it again for a luncheon next week. To answer your question (sort of), both pies are VERY good and the first one is my original, but the one with the cream is a little bit stiffer and slices neatly. My original slices neatly when chilled, but this second one holds together a tad better at room temperature. I'm afraid you'll have to try it, though. Let me know what you think! I've really cut down on my pecan pie making because most of the people around me want cream pies these days.
RJ says
Anna,
I have been looking for a perfect pecan pie for years. I'd tasted them before, but I could never quite get mine to taste the same. Then I ran across your Browned Butter Pecan Pie recipe...and eureka, that was it! Browned butter! So I stole some ideas from your recipe and added them with mine and it was heavenly. But on the post from November 17, 2009 you said you'd never try another pecan pie but today I see the recipe with the cream and the "stir fried" pecans...is that your new favorite? Better than the original one you made? Now I'm going to have to add a few more inches to my waistline to try that recipe out as well. Thanks for posting these!
CherylH says
Hello again, Anna! These are the recipes that introduced me to your site, and I am really looking forward to trying them. I LOVE brown butter but would never have thought to include it in a pecan pie! Fascinated to see how that will taste. I am also, however, on a mission to find all of the "best" pecan pie recipes I can, for a recipe comparison of my own, and so I am wondering if you would mind either posting here or emailing me Caudia's recipe for the LaNelle’s Pecan Pie she mentions (if it is ok with her, of course). I've googled it but neither she nor anyone else has yet posted it on the web. I would be SO grateful!! Thanks so much, again, for your entertaining site and wonderful recipes. I'll be stopping by often!
Kristacular says
Made the first pecan pie! Kyle still isn't a fan (he says it's too rich) but I thought it was to die for! The buttered pecans are genius!! Brought the rest over to share with the family I nanny for!
xoxo
rotangus says
Made your brown butter pecan pie for the holiday. Used a bit more pecans plus a handful of double dark chocolate chips in a home made butter crust. Found out at last minute that we didn't have enough corn syrup so improvised using one third of the corn syrup quantity molasses, one third real maple syrup and one third light corn syrup. Was nervous about how it would turn out but it was swoon-wonderful. The bitter chocolate chips and molasses tamed the sweetness. The maple was very subtle. Best pecan pie I've ever had. Thanks for a new Thanksgiving family tradition!
Claudia says
Anna, I just emailed you the recipe for LaNelle's Pecan Pie. Can you please forward it to Judy B.?
Gloria says
Don't know if you are out there, but if you are I need help!! I think I browned my butter too much just now and I think it clarified? There is brown sludge and clear butter. Can I use it anyway or would you start over?
Kristacular says
Hi Anna! Krista here. long time no comment 🙁 Had no internet 🙁 Anywhooo. I think I'll make the first one, Nerd wants to try PP again after a few years, but he's scared about the crazy sweetness. 🙂
xoxo
dann says
Que ricoo se ve! gracias por la receta!
Judy B. - Texas says
Yum...hard for me to decide as well. I've never made a pp like any of the two recipes.
CLAUDIA - please share the recipe for LaNell's Pecan Pie. Thanks!!!
Josie says
This is a project I can totally get behind. How do you feel about adding chocolate chips?
vanillasugar says
love the 2nd one. browned butter has that great nutty-like taste. i put cheddar in my crust when making apple or pecan pies (no surprise there right lol)
Anna says
Ram, yes. I leave the 1/2 cup that gets laid across the top untoasted. My reasoning for this was that the heat from the oven should be enough to toast the nuts on top, while the ones underneath (the 1 cup) would need to be toasted separately because they don't get the same direct heat as the ones on top. I'm not sure it makes a different in the end, but my worry was the ones on top would get too brown if they'd been toasted twice.
Claudia, I would love to see that recipe!
Gloria, thanks again for the great reviews on the pie.
Gloria says
You know my vote.....browned butter!!!! I have not tasted any better PPie.
Claudia says
Oooohhh! I'm gonna try browning the pecans in the butter this year. However, I'd be hard pressed to give up my favorite PP recipe, which I adapted from a recipe I found in the San Antonio Junior League cookbook "Flavors" when I was in my late teens or early 20s. It's called LaNelle's Pecan Pie. I tried to find the recipe online just now and wasn't successful, but I did find (I kid you not...) LaNelle's online obituary from last fall and it mentioned her wonderful pecan pies!!! Her recipe has pancake syrup which is unusual. I substitute about 1/8 c. bourbon for some of the syrup, add far more pecans than the recipe calls for, and the result is fabulous.
Michelle says
They both look beautiful. I have always preferred the light corn syrup to the dark too!
RAM says
Anna, do you only bake the 1 cup of pecans and not the 1/2 cup? Thanks!
Camille says
I love pecan pies! They are so sinful and delicious 🙂
Carol says
Yum and yum! I want to make both, but I already have too many desserts lined up for Thanksgiving and there is just the 4 of us.