Pecan Pie is one of my favorites and I love all the delicious varieties people come up with. The best thing about Pecan Pie is it is also wonderfully easy to make! These variations all start with one basic recipe:
Basic Pecan Pie
1 recipe Flaky Pie Crust (use bottom crust only; you can freeze the other half of the dough)
3 Eggs
1 Cup Sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 Tablespoons melted butter
1 Cup Dark Karo Syrup
1 1/2 Cups chopped Pecans (you can use halves for a prettier look, but it slices neater with chopped nuts)
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Pat the pie dough into the pan and crimp the edges. Dust with a touch of flour to keep the bottom crust from getting soggy. Do not prebake the crust.
In a large bowl, mix the eggs, sugar, salt, butter and Karo syrup together. Add pecans and stir to coat. Pour into the pie shell and Bake 40-50 minutes until the center is set and not jiggly. Cool for an hour before slicing.
Maple Pecan Pie:
Replace the Karo syrup with an equal amount of real maple syrup. This is my favorite variation on pecan pie, and the one I make every year for Thanksgiving. YUM!
Bourbon Pecan Pie:
Add 1 Tablespoon Bourbon to the filling, and drizzle a touch of Bourbon on top of the pie when it comes out of the oven (not too much - you don't want to lose that carmelized crust and make it soggy!) The alcohol will evaporate with the heat, but the flavor will stay.
Spiced Pecan Pie:
Add 1/4 teaspoon each of Cardamom, Clove and Nutmeg into the filling as you are mixing.