Sweet Treats and Recipes for National Pecan Pie Day
Whether you say “PEE-can” or “pe-CON”, one thing we can all agree on is that the best way to serve the humble nut is in a pie. It seems every family also has their own top-secret recipe for the treat. So, it’s only natural that this Southern dessert has its own National holiday!
July 12th is designated as National Pecan Pie Day and Farmview Market is celebrating in style. Did you know that Farmview sells fresh, homemade pecan pie in our café, and mini pecan pies in our grocery, by Georgia Peas and Produce. We also use pecans from Ellis Brother’s Farm, a local grower who’s just ‘NUTS about nuts’. Since this is a special day, we have some great recipes to share.
We’ve uncovered a sugar-free pecan pie, just like Mom used to make. Trust us, you won’t even miss the sugar. And how about adding some chocolate and bacon to your palate-pleasing pie? Read on to discover some new ways to make pecan pie and celebrate this holiday with Farmview Market!
Ingredients
Using a food processor or pastry blender, combine flour, salt, and sugar. Add in the butter and combine until mixture resembles coarse meal. Sprinkle with 2 tablespoons of water and continue mixing until the dough is crumbly, but holds together. (Add 1 tablespoon additional water if necessary).
Flatten dough into a 1-inch thick disk and refrigerate for about an hour.
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Place pie crust in 9-inch glass pie pan as directed on the box.
In large bowl, mix eggs with the sugar substitute. Stir in syrup, vanilla and melted butter. Stir in pecans. Pour into pie crust.
Bake 40 to 50 minutes or until filling is puffed and pie is golden brown. Cool completely, about 2 hours. Store in refrigerator.
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and position the oven rack in the center of the oven.
In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, brown sugar, syrup, vanilla, salt and melted butter. Stir in the pecans, candied bacon bits, and the chocolate chips. Set aside.
Using a chilled whisk, stir together vanilla, sugar, cocoa powder, and 2 tablespoons of cream in a chilled mixing bowl to form a thick paste. When the cocoa powder is dissolved, add the remaining heavy cream and beat until stiff peaks form. You can use a hand mixer but you need to make sure the blades are chilled. Refrigerate covered until ready to serve.
When you’re ready to serve the pie, place your pastry dough on a floured surface and roll dough into a 14-inch circle with a floured rolling pin. Place your dough into a 9-inch pie plate and gently fit into the bottom and up the sides of the pie plate.
Pour the pie filling into your shell and bake for 35-40 minutes, or until the filling puffs up slightly but still feels slightly jiggly and moist in the center. Let pie cool completely before slicing. Serve with a dollop of chocolate whipped cream and a sprinkling of chopped candied bacon.
Beat the sugar, corn meal, flour, eggs and salt together. Gently stir, with a spoon, in the pecans, pineapple and coconut. Don’t beat it. Stir in the melted butter and mix well.
Set your oven to 300 degrees. Pour your wet mixture into an unbaked pie shell. Bake for approximately 50-60 minutes. Then, take your pie shell out the oven and loosely cover with aluminum foil, to keep from burning. Cook 15-30 more minutes, or until the pie is set. Let cool for 30 minutes before serving.
For the Crust
Start with dough that is slightly chilled but still pliable. Roll out the dough on a lightly floured piece of parchment or waxed paper until it’s a little less than 1/4-inch thick.
Brush 1 tablespoon of the butter on top of the crust. You want just a thin layer of butter for the cinnamon to stick to. Leave the rest of the melted butter to put in the filling. Sprinkle 2 teaspoons of the cinnamon on top of the crust, and spread it around the bottom of the crust.
Use the edge of the parchment or waxed paper to start rolling the dough over onto itself. Roll it up into a tight spiral.
Use a sharp serrated knife to cut the spiral log into rounds, about 1/2-inch thick. If your dough has become too soft to cut cleanly, or is getting smashed down during the process, refrigerate or freeze it briefly until it is firm enough to cut.
Spray a 9-inch pie tin with nonstick cooking spray, or rub it liberally with butter. Start placing the cinnamon swirl pie pieces in the pan so that they are touching each other. You shouldn’t see any gaps between the swirls. Add the remaining pie rounds, and press everything together until you have a solid crust in an even thickness. Use a paring knife to trim down the edges. Place in the refrigerator to chill and preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
In a large bowl, combine the corn syrup and the brown sugar. Whisk them together until there are no lumps of sugar. The mixture will be thick and sticky. Add the remaining 3 tablespoons of melted butter and whisk it in.
Add the eggs one at a time, whisking well after each addition, until you can’t see any streaks of egg remaining. Add all the flavorings: the vanilla, the salt, the remaining 2 teaspoons of cinnamon, and the cake and cooking flavoring, if you’re using it. Whisk everything well until it’s entirely blended.
Once all of the filling ingredients are mixed together, place the toasted pecans in the bottom of the pie shell, then carefully pour the liquid filling on top. Put the pie on a baking sheet lined with parchment or foil. Bake the pie in the 375-degree oven for 15 minutes.
After 15 minutes, remove the pie from the oven. The crust should have some color and look cooked by now, although the center of the pie will be completely raw. Tear off strips of aluminum foil and crimp them along the edges, covering the crust. The center of the pie should remain exposed, so it will cook properly.
Reduce the oven’s temperature to 350 degrees and return the pie to the oven to continue cooking. Cook the pie for an additional 20-25 minutes.
When it is finished, the center of the pie should be puffed and have slight cracks in the surface. When you lightly tap the pie tin, the center should remain steady instead of jiggling. Let the pie cool completely.
Once cooled, take your frosting and drizzle it across your pie. You want to make the frosting runny enough to pour easily from a spoon. If you’re using homemade frosting, thin it out with milk to a consistency that will hold its shape but will drizzle easily. If using store bought, heat in the microwave for about 20-30 seconds.
July 12th is designated as National Pecan Pie Day and Farmview Market is celebrating in style. Did you know that Farmview sells fresh, homemade pecan pie in our café, and mini pecan pies in our grocery, by Georgia Peas and Produce. We also use pecans from Ellis Brother’s Farm, a local grower who’s just ‘NUTS about nuts’. Since this is a special day, we have some great recipes to share.We’ve uncovered a sugar-free pecan pie, just like Mom used to make. Trust us, you won’t even miss the sugar. And how about adding some chocolate and bacon to your palate-pleasing pie? Read on to discover some new ways to make pecan pie and celebrate this holiday with Farmview Market!
Basic Pie Crust Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1/2 tsp. granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces
- 2-4 tbsp. chilled water
Directions
Using a food processor or pastry blender, combine flour, salt, and sugar. Add in the butter and combine until mixture resembles coarse meal. Sprinkle with 2 tablespoons of water and continue mixing until the dough is crumbly, but holds together. (Add 1 tablespoon additional water if necessary).
Flatten dough into a 1-inch thick disk and refrigerate for about an hour.
Sugar-Free Pecan Pie
Ingredients
Crust
- 1 pre-made, store-bought crust (or use our homemade recipe above)
Filling
- 5 tsp. sugar substitute for baking
- 1 cup sugar free breakfast syrup
- 1 tsp. vanilla
- 3 eggs
- 1 cup pecan halves
- 1/3 cup butter, melted
Directions
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Place pie crust in 9-inch glass pie pan as directed on the box.
In large bowl, mix eggs with the sugar substitute. Stir in syrup, vanilla and melted butter. Stir in pecans. Pour into pie crust.
Bake 40 to 50 minutes or until filling is puffed and pie is golden brown. Cool completely, about 2 hours. Store in refrigerator.
Chocolate Bacon Pecan Pie
Ingredients:
Crust
- 1 pre-made, store-bought crust (or use our homemade recipe above)
Chocolate Bacon-Pecan filling
- 3 large eggs
- 3/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
- 2/3 cup light or dark corn syrup
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 2 tbsp. melted butter, salted or unsalted
- 1 1/3 cups toasted pecans, lightly chopped
- 1/2 cup chopped, candied bacon
- 3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips
Chocolate Whipped Cream
- 1/2 tsp. bourbon vanilla extract
- 3-4 tbsp. confectioners sugar (or more to taste)
- 2 tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream, chilled
Directions
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and position the oven rack in the center of the oven.
In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, brown sugar, syrup, vanilla, salt and melted butter. Stir in the pecans, candied bacon bits, and the chocolate chips. Set aside.
Using a chilled whisk, stir together vanilla, sugar, cocoa powder, and 2 tablespoons of cream in a chilled mixing bowl to form a thick paste. When the cocoa powder is dissolved, add the remaining heavy cream and beat until stiff peaks form. You can use a hand mixer but you need to make sure the blades are chilled. Refrigerate covered until ready to serve.
When you’re ready to serve the pie, place your pastry dough on a floured surface and roll dough into a 14-inch circle with a floured rolling pin. Place your dough into a 9-inch pie plate and gently fit into the bottom and up the sides of the pie plate.
Pour the pie filling into your shell and bake for 35-40 minutes, or until the filling puffs up slightly but still feels slightly jiggly and moist in the center. Let pie cool completely before slicing. Serve with a dollop of chocolate whipped cream and a sprinkling of chopped candied bacon.
Island Pecan Pie
Ingredients
- 2 cups sugar
- 1 tbsp. corn meal
- 1 tbsp. flour
- 5 eggs
- 1 cup pecans, coarsely chopped
- 1 cup drained crushed pineapple
- 1 cup flaked coconut
- 1 stick butter, melted
- Pinch of salt
- 1 pre-made, store-bought crust (or use our homemade recipe above)
Directions
Beat the sugar, corn meal, flour, eggs and salt together. Gently stir, with a spoon, in the pecans, pineapple and coconut. Don’t beat it. Stir in the melted butter and mix well.
Set your oven to 300 degrees. Pour your wet mixture into an unbaked pie shell. Bake for approximately 50-60 minutes. Then, take your pie shell out the oven and loosely cover with aluminum foil, to keep from burning. Cook 15-30 more minutes, or until the pie is set. Let cool for 30 minutes before serving.
Cinnamon Bun Pecan Pie
Ingredients
- 1 pre-made, store-bought crust (or use our homemade recipe above)
- 4 tbsp. melted butter
- 4 tsp. ground cinnamon, divided use
- 3/4 cup dark corn syrup
- 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
- 3 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- 1 tsp. cake and cookie flavoring (optional)
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 2 cups toasted pecan halves
- 1 cup cream cheese frosting (not “whipped” variety)
Directions
For the Crust
Start with dough that is slightly chilled but still pliable. Roll out the dough on a lightly floured piece of parchment or waxed paper until it’s a little less than 1/4-inch thick.
Brush 1 tablespoon of the butter on top of the crust. You want just a thin layer of butter for the cinnamon to stick to. Leave the rest of the melted butter to put in the filling. Sprinkle 2 teaspoons of the cinnamon on top of the crust, and spread it around the bottom of the crust.
Use the edge of the parchment or waxed paper to start rolling the dough over onto itself. Roll it up into a tight spiral.
Use a sharp serrated knife to cut the spiral log into rounds, about 1/2-inch thick. If your dough has become too soft to cut cleanly, or is getting smashed down during the process, refrigerate or freeze it briefly until it is firm enough to cut.
Spray a 9-inch pie tin with nonstick cooking spray, or rub it liberally with butter. Start placing the cinnamon swirl pie pieces in the pan so that they are touching each other. You shouldn’t see any gaps between the swirls. Add the remaining pie rounds, and press everything together until you have a solid crust in an even thickness. Use a paring knife to trim down the edges. Place in the refrigerator to chill and preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
For the Filling
In a large bowl, combine the corn syrup and the brown sugar. Whisk them together until there are no lumps of sugar. The mixture will be thick and sticky. Add the remaining 3 tablespoons of melted butter and whisk it in.
Add the eggs one at a time, whisking well after each addition, until you can’t see any streaks of egg remaining. Add all the flavorings: the vanilla, the salt, the remaining 2 teaspoons of cinnamon, and the cake and cooking flavoring, if you’re using it. Whisk everything well until it’s entirely blended.
Once all of the filling ingredients are mixed together, place the toasted pecans in the bottom of the pie shell, then carefully pour the liquid filling on top. Put the pie on a baking sheet lined with parchment or foil. Bake the pie in the 375-degree oven for 15 minutes.
After 15 minutes, remove the pie from the oven. The crust should have some color and look cooked by now, although the center of the pie will be completely raw. Tear off strips of aluminum foil and crimp them along the edges, covering the crust. The center of the pie should remain exposed, so it will cook properly.
Reduce the oven’s temperature to 350 degrees and return the pie to the oven to continue cooking. Cook the pie for an additional 20-25 minutes.
When it is finished, the center of the pie should be puffed and have slight cracks in the surface. When you lightly tap the pie tin, the center should remain steady instead of jiggling. Let the pie cool completely.
Once cooled, take your frosting and drizzle it across your pie. You want to make the frosting runny enough to pour easily from a spoon. If you’re using homemade frosting, thin it out with milk to a consistency that will hold its shape but will drizzle easily. If using store bought, heat in the microwave for about 20-30 seconds.