Brown butter pecan pie

Name: Brown butter pecan pie
Total time: 5 h 15 min
Yield: 10
Cuisine: american
Ingredients: 1 unbaked deep-dish pie crust (9-inch, store-bought or homemade, well chilled); 113 g unsalted butter (½ cup (8 tbsp)); 225 g pecans (about 2 cups: 1 cup chopped and 1 cup halves); 100 g dark brown sugar (½ cup, packed); 240 ml light corn syrup (1 cup); 3 eggs (large, at room temperature); 2 tbsp bourbon; 2 tsp vanilla extract; 0.5 tsp fine salt; 240 ml heavy cream (1 cup, whipped to serve)

Toasty brown butter and a splash of bourbon turn the classic into a deep, caramel-dark pie piled with crisp pecans.

⏱ 5 h 15 min
🍽 Serves 10
📈 Medium

Vegetarian

Contains: egg, gluten, milk, tree nuts, wheat

AI can make mistakes: always check labels.

Ingredients

1unbaked deep-dish pie crust9-inch, store-bought or homemade, well chilled
113 gunsalted butter½ cup (8 tbsp)
225 gpecansabout 2 cups: 1 cup chopped and 1 cup halves
100 gdark brown sugar½ cup, packed
240 mllight corn syrup1 cup
3eggslarge, at room temperature
2 tbspbourbon (optional)
2 tspvanilla extract
0.5 tspfine salt
240 mlheavy cream (optional)1 cup, whipped to serve

Steps

1
Prep: if the crust is frozen, let it sit out 10 minutes, then keep it in the fridge until the oven is hot. Roughly chop 1 cup of the pecans and keep the other cup as whole halves.
2
Heat the oven to 400°F (200°C) with a rack in the lower third. Line the crust with parchment, fill it with pie weights or dried beans and bake 12 minutes. Lift out the weights and bake 3 to 5 minutes more, until the bottom looks dry. Lower the oven to 350°F (175°C).
⏱ 12 min
💡 A short blind bake keeps the bottom crisp under the gooey filling.
3
Brown the butter: melt it in a light-coloured saucepan over medium heat, swirling often. It foams, then the foam settles and the specks at the bottom turn deep golden brown and smell like toasted nuts, about 5 to 7 minutes. Pour it, specks and all, into a large bowl right away so it doesn't burn, and let it cool for 10 minutes.
💡 A light pan lets you see the colour change; it goes from brown to burnt in seconds.
4
While the butter cools, spread all the pecans on a baking sheet and toast them at 350°F (175°C) for 6 to 8 minutes, until fragrant and a shade darker.
⏱ 7 min
5
Whisk the brown sugar, corn syrup, salt, vanilla and bourbon (if using) into the brown butter until smooth. Taste a little of this mixture now (before the raw eggs go in) and adjust. Then whisk in the eggs one at a time until just smooth, without whipping in lots of air.
💡 Room-temperature eggs blend in smoothly and keep the brown butter from clumping.
6
Set the crust on a baking sheet. Scatter the chopped pecans over the bottom, pour in the filling, then arrange the pecan halves on top in rings (they float as it bakes).
7
Bake at 350°F (175°C) for 45 to 55 minutes, until the edges are puffed and set and the center jiggles only slightly, like set gelatin, when you nudge the pan. After 25 minutes, cover the crust edge with a pie shield or strips of foil if it's browning fast.
⏱ 45 min
8
Check the very center with an instant-read thermometer: the filling should read 200°F (93°C), well past the 160°F (71°C) that egg dishes need, and that's what sets this sugary custard. If it's lower, bake 5 minutes more and check again.
⏱ 5 min
💡 The thermometer is the reliable check; an under-baked pecan pie stays runny however long it cools.
9
Cool the pie on a rack for at least 3 hours; the center sinks a little and finishes setting as it cools. Once it's cool, cover and refrigerate it within 2 hours. It keeps 3 to 4 days.
⏱ 180 min
💡 Make ahead: bake it the day before and let it come to room temperature for an hour before serving, or warm slices briefly.
10
Whip the cream to soft peaks if using, and serve slices with a spoonful on top.
💡 Wipe the knife between cuts for clean slices.

Make it easier

No blind-bake brown butter pecan pie

Use a store-bought frozen deep-dish crust and skip the blind bake.
Heat a baking sheet in the oven at 350°F (175°C) and bake the pie on it in the lower third so the bottom crisps.
Skip toasting the pecans; bake to 200°F (93°C) in the center as written.

Dietary versions

Swaps checked for this recipe. In the app, Jude makes them for you once he knows your diet and allergies.

AI can make mistakes: always check labels.

Halal: Instead of bourbon: leave it out and add 1 tsp more vanilla extract or 1 tbsp maple syrupThe no-alcohol pie is a touch less warm but just as good.
Milk allergy: Instead of unsalted butter: dairy-free plant butter block, meltedPlant butter doesn't brown like butter, so it becomes a plain pecan pie; toast the pecans well for flavour. Check that the crust is dairy-free too.; Instead of heavy cream: coconut whipped topping or leave it out
Dairy-free: Instead of unsalted butter: dairy-free plant butter block, meltedPlant butter doesn't brown like butter, so it becomes a plain pecan pie; toast the pecans well for flavour. Check that the crust is dairy-free too.; Instead of heavy cream: coconut whipped topping or leave it out
Wheat allergy: Instead of pie crust: gluten-free pie crust (store-bought)
Gluten-free: Instead of pie crust: gluten-free pie crust (store-bought)

Next time: Next time, scatter a handful of chopped dark chocolate over the crust before the filling goes in, or finish each slice with a few flakes of sea salt.

A lighter plate: Cut thinner slices (it's rich), skip the whipped cream, and serve with fresh pear or apple slices.

Per serving (estimate): 570 kcal · 6 g protein · 3 g fiber · 230 mg sodium