There are a lot of flavors in that recipe. Do you happen to have Grand Marnier--you would get the orange and the alcohol?

I would not make anything with corn syrup in it. My family recipe calls for brown sugar and is so rich and delish no one can eat a 'generous' piece.

9" pie

2 brown sugar

3T flour

Mix

2 eggs beaten

3/4c milk

Mix

3T butter

1t vanilla

1/2 peans minced

Mix all ingredients

Pecan halves arranged on bottom before pouring batter into pie crust. Pecans will float to top.

Bake 350 for 45 minutes.

I wouldn't use maple syrup. I also don't use alcohol in my pecan pie. My aunt lived in Texas(she's deceased), she always brought pecans from her pecan trees & made a GREAT pie for us @ Christmas using the recipe on the Karo syrup bottle:

• 1 cup Karo Light or Dark Corn Syrup
• 3 large eggs
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 tablespoons butter, melted
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 ½ cups (6 ounces) pecans
• 1 (9 inch) unbaked deep dish pie crust

Thanks for the alternative recipes. I chose this one because I used to make one with dark corn syrup but won't buy that anymore. I can get an organic light corn syrup at my co-op and liked that this recipe uses light. I also tend to love Ina's recipes. She hasn't led me astray yet. To be fair, it's called Maple Pecan pie, thus the syrup. No other hard liquor in the house, wine only, so I don't have subs. As I was writing this, I realized maybe I could just buy one of those little airline size bottles of liquor to get a tablespoonful. I'll have to see if they have bourbon. Thanks for responding. I’m saving your recipes to try!

@arcy_gw your recipe calls for 2 brown sugar... 2 cups? 2 tbls? Milk is an interesting addition. I've never seen that before.

Just buy a little nip bottle behind the counter. That's what we do.

I found Bourbon extract on Amazon.

Oh, thanks, I can check at the store....amazon isn't an option for me right now...

“I realized maybe I could just buy one of those little airline size bottles of liquor to get a tablespoonful.”

Exactly what I was going to suggest. It will be more than a tablespoon but no biggie. Save it to bake something else. Was thinking you might check some reviews in this link for feedback. I haven’t read them.

https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/maple-pecan-pie-recipe-2043528

ETA - The bourbon could add a bit of richness to the pie. I have a sugar cookie recipe that calls for 2 T. brandy. You’d never know it was there, other than adding a richer flavor, along with vanilla.

I love Pecan pie...soooo good.

Oly, you can send the extra bourbon to me. I'm a good friend like that. :-)

I'd leave it out. I love bacon jam and made a recipe that added bourbon. Totally ruined it. I'm not a fan of the oakiness of bourbon in general so I don't know why I thought it'd be good.

Olychick, have you tried Ina’s Pecan Squares? The recipe makes a lot but can be halved.

@chloebud No, I haven't but the recipe came up when I searched for her pie recipe. Might be great for a potluck. Thanks!

And thanks for the suggestion to read reviews. They are certainly all over the place, but enough negative to make me reconsider. While searching for reviews on other sites, I found this recipe that is somewhat similar to Arcy's without corn syrup. And it includes a bit of cream like hers calls for milk.

PIONEER PECAN PIE

INGREDIENTS:
1 pie crust, homemade or store-bought (plus extra dough for decorating, optional)
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted and browned (optional)
3 large eggs
1 1/2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 1/2 tablespoons heavy cream
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
PREPARATION:
Preheat oven to 375º F and roll out pie crust to a 12 or 13-inch circle, big enough to fit a springform pan or tart or pie dish.
Gently place dough in pan, pressing into the bottom and sides of pan and trimming excess.
Optional: cut out pie dough flowers or other designs to decorate crust later.
Place pie dish in fridge until ready to fill.
In a large bowl, beat eggs until foamy and fluffy, then beat in browned butter.
Once combined, beat in brown and white sugar until sugar granules are dissolved.
Sprinkle in flour, cinnamon and salt, then stir in heavy cream and vanilla extract.
Once fully incorporated, fold in pecans, then pour mixture into pie crust.
Decorate pie crust with any pecans or cut outs you made earlier.
Place pie pan in oven and bake for 40-50 minutes, or until center is just set and no longer jiggly.
Remove from oven and let cool completely before serving.

The mention of cut outs here made me realize I can make pie dough shamrocks for the top!

Here's the recipe my sister in law (in central Texas) uses:

• 1 cup white corn Syrup
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 4 eggs
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 1 tbsp butter
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• 3/4 tsp Mexican vanilla
• 1 cup pecan pieces
• one unbaked pie shell

Preheat oven to 400°
Combine all ingredients except pecans in a bowl and blend thoroughly. Add pecans pieces and stir just to mix. Pour into unbaked pie shell and immediately put into 400° oven for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, reduce heat to 350° and bake additional 45 minutes.

This is almost identical to the recipe that Nicole posted - hers has a bit more pecans, which might be better. My parents had a huge pecan orchard, and we generally had tons of pecans, although the trees produced more on alternate years, for some reason.

I would not add maple syrup, and I would not add Bourbon.

No two cups brown sugar. It is a very rich pie. Notice the other recipes offered are close to two cups of sugar one way or another.

Dear Abby's famous pecan pie (this is a link to the search page with a bunch of sites offering it), which recipe she printed at least once a year, uses light corn syrup and is sort of "the" pecan pie.

I dislike liquor in any dessert; but I do sometimes add lemon or orange zest to my pecan pie, cuts the sweetness a bit which I like.

Thanks everyone. I haven't made a pecan pie for 40 years probably. I can't recall if it was the recipe off the Karo bottle or where I got it, but it was really good. It might have been from an old Better Homes cookbook or? I should dig it out and see if there are splatters on the recipe page, lol. I might make two and compare because so many of these sound so good! I've given up on the maple version tho.

“The mention of cut outs here made me realize I can make pie dough shamrocks for the top!”

It’s something I always do with pecan (and pumpkin) pies for Thanksgiving…leaves and pumpkin cutouts. Shamrocks would be great for yours. I often make the cutouts ahead to bake and freeze. It’s convenient when you need several. I bake mine separately to set on the pies after they’re baked.

plllog mentioned Dear Abby’s recipe. I’ve probably used it and the Silver Palate’s pecan pie recipe the most.

ETA - Just thinking pumpkin bars/squares could be nice with a mini pastry shamrock cutout on top.

I was also thinking you could just buy one of those nips bottles.

And I think you could sub rum, brandy or another similar liquor.

I've been adding bourbon to my pecan pie forever - I've steeped vanilla beans in bourbon and used that as well.

My recipe is like arcy's - a.k.a. 'old fashioned pecan pie' - no syrups, just sugar, flour and a little milk - it develops a lovely crackly, crispy top. I've made it with hazelnuts, Brazil nuts and macadamia nuts too.

Nut Pie

yield: a 9"-10" pie

1 pastry crust, unbaked & fitted in pan (I use pate brisee - all butter pastry)

1 1/4 cup pecans or other nuts - slice or chop brazil nuts or almonds first; split hazelnuts in half or chop

2 cups sugar - brown, regular or both

1/4 cup flour

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 cup milk

1 tsp. vanilla

2 tbs. bourbon

3 eggs

1/2 cup butter, melted - 1 stick/ 8 Tbs.

Preheat oven to 325F

Arrange nuts in bottom of piecrust.

In mixing bowl, blend sugar, flour & salt.

Mix in milk & flavorings.

Beat in eggs, 1 at a time, using whisk.

Beat in butter, a little at a time, until well blended.

Pour filling carefully over nuts.

Bake 1 hour & 15 minutes, or until filling is puffed & golden.

Cool on a rack.

This was a note original to the recipe, but I can't recall where I got it from:

Serve at room temp., cut pieces very small - pie is extremely rich!

And believe it not, we usually have it with whipped cream 😏

I love Ina's recipes, but I tried that one a few years ago and it never set up. I baked it forever and ever. I've never had a pecan pie turn out like that. Being from Texas, I've been making them for years.

Oly, we'd never really been a family of pecan pie eaters - I had one BIL who would ask for it occasionally but made with walnuts. He called it Washington Nut Pie and my sister had to finally track down and call his college roommates mother to get the recipe.

When their son married a girl from Texas and she asked for pecan pie, I began making her Dear Abbys. It was always well accepted, but this year I decided to pick it up a notch and make one a little more rich. I made it for her Thanksgiving and Christmas both. I'd made a butter crust - I'm not much for desserts myself but the new was a darned good pie. As much as I hated using 6 egg yolks, eggs were already becoming a little dear then.

Test Kitchen Pecan Pie

1 cup maple syrup, grade A or B (I bought trader Joe's organic and have no idea if A or B)
1 cup light brown sugar
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 Tbs molasses
4 Tbs unsalted butter, cold and cubed
1/2 tsp salt
6 large egg yolks, lightly beaten
1 1/2 cup chopped pecans, lightly toasted
1 – 9 inch unbaked pie shell, chilled in the pie plate for 30 minutes

Adjust oven rack to lowest position and heat oven to 450 degrees.

In a sauce pan, heat syrup, brown sugar, cream, and molasses over medium heat and stir until sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat and let cool for 5 minutes. Whisk in butter and salt and then whisk in egg yolks until incorporated.

Take pie pan out of the fridge and put the pecans in the pie shell. Pour in the filling and place in oven, but immediately reduce heat to 325 degrees. Bake until filling is set and center is slightly jiggly, somewhere between 45 and 60 minutes. Cool pie on a cooling rack for at least an hour and then set in the fridge for at least 3 hours more, but a day would be better. Bring to room temperature before slicing and serving.

If you decide to go with Ina's and don't have the bourbon I'd just omit it - not give it a second thought. Making the pie and chilling it the day before worked out perfectly for me since we were driving on both holidays

This sounds really good, too! I do like the aspect of being better the next day. Would make my life easier on party day, as I'm also making 3 loaves of Irish Soda bread to take to dinner and will want to make it fresh on the morning of the party. Thanks!

The Pancake Princess taste-tested pecan pies with 33 tasters. Ina's pie came in last.

https://www.thepancakeprincess.com/best-pecan-pie-bake-off/

This is my old standard from my mother’s recipe box, plus another with bourbon and maple which I made for T’giving a couple of years ago and which was a big hit. The Tbsp of bourbon really can’t be tasted but does add a richness. Use a good bourbon not something on the cheap side. I left the pecans whole.

When I make a pecan pie I always put the pecans on top by hand, starting with the outer circle and working toward the middle. with the pecans facing inward long-wise.

And i don’t go to all this trouble…mostly just mix it all together after melting the butter. This is from Half Baked Harvest if you want to look it up.

Pecan pie belongs to the egg custard/chess pie family. You can use any nut that you fancy. The syrups are there to keep this seriously sweet pie from sugaring after it has baked-as in crystalizing and going all grainy. You can use a light molasses if you prefer. I like to use maple but would not pair it with honey since honey is a very distinct flavor which would make the maple pointless to my mind.

lightly toasting the nuts first will kick this up a notch. I like to roughly chop most of the nuts and arrange a few on top for looks as I dont like the consistency of those big nut pieces that are underneath.

Vanilla already has a lot of alcohol. It bakes off as will the alcohol in the bourbon. People like to put expensive alcohols in just about everything these days. I would not.

eta patriciae

“(I bought trader Joe's organic and have no idea if A or B)”

morz, I’m pretty sure it’s A, FWIW.

FWIW, IMPE, my 'old fashioned' version does not crystallize - it's much like a classic chess pie, IMO - with nuts added.

And I've always made it a day ahead. There's so much butter in it, along with the butter crust, that it doesn't get soggy.

sugaring has never been a problem for me either but I know that is why you use a syrup. Maybe it was back when you had to grate up cone sugar. This is a very old type of pie.

patriciae

I agree it’s best to bake the day before, but I wouldn’t put the pie in the refrigerator as I think that messes with the sugars. I’ve never had one crystallize either Carol.

I have made a lot over the years, but this is the only one I will use ever again..

Southern Pecan Pie by Annette Sanderson from Moulton, AL ”Good Taste” cookbook.

Southern Pecan Pie

3/4 cup sugar

3 eggs, beaten

3/4 cup light corn syrup

1/4 cup dark corn syrup

3 tablespoons melted butter

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup chopped pecans

1 unbaked 9 inch pie shell

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In mixer bowl, mix sugar and eggs until blended. Add corn syrup, butter, and nuts. Pour into pie shell and bake 45 minutes (I do 50 minutes). Let stand before slicing.

I’m not that fond of pecan pie as I find it too sweet, but the recipe I use, which like yours has a small amount of bourbon in it, I think the bourbon cuts the sweetness a bit. I buy one of those miniatures like you get in hotel minibars when I want to make one.

This is one version I’ve used often.

Pecan Pie (The Silver Palate Cookbook)

4 eggs
1 cup dark brown sugar
3/4 cup light corn syrup
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup sweet butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cup shelled pecans, chopped
9-inch piecrust
For top of pie - 1/3 cup shelled pecan halves (my notes say about 34)

1. Preheat oven to 400. Line a 9-inch pie pan with the pastry.

2. Beat eggs well in a large bowl. Add brown sugar, corn syrup, salt, melted butter and vanilla to the eggs and mix thoroughly.

3. Sprinkle chopped pecans in pastry-lined pan. Pour egg mixture over pecans. Arrange pecan halves around edge of filling next to crust for decoration.

4. Set on the middle rack of the oven and bake for 10 minutes. Reduce heat to 325 and bake for 25 to 30 minutes longer, or until set.

5. Remove from oven and let cool to room temperature before serving.

Some people use some vinegar or lemon juice to cut the sweet. You instead can use real cane syrup which is the stuff granulated sugar is made of but it is not sugared. You do not cook the syrup to the point of granulation. This is the traditional southern ribbon cane molasses. For some reason it does not taste as sweet. The molasses you get in grocery stores is a by-product of making white sugar. Brown sugar is white sugar with some of those molasses leavings added back. And of course corn syrup has the same stuff added to make dark corn syrup.

I used to get a can of real molasses from my Grannie. It came with pecans. My great aunt Ella gathered the pecans, my great Aunt Short got them and took them to the person who cracked them in some sort of machine and then she and my grannie would pick out the meat and some of it was sent to me. What a treasure, with a can of Grady's (their cousin) molasses. Pies. When I was little Grannie would grow some cane so we could attend the family molasses cook off. Not many people can say they did that.

patriciae

What an interesting life you've had Patricia. I love molasses...a family molasses cook off??? Be still my heart. If not from sugar making, where does 'real' molasses come from? I always buy blackstrap because I read it's less refined, but I don't think that's what you mean?

2@chloebud that recipe looks like the one I remember from my old pecan pie making days. It was pre-Silver Palate, but they could have gotten their recipe from my source, whatever that was. Maybe a Pillsbury cookbook? I can 't recall. Theirs might have been a family recipe. I like the combo of light corn syrup and brown sugar. Thanks!

Thanks, @Sherry8aNorthAL yours looks like true Southern pie recipe...I'm hoping not to use much corn syrup and I can only buy the light as organic. Not sure why. Thanks for sharing it!

@OutsidePlaying, both those look good, tho the 2nd one is pretty complicated, compared to the simplicity of other recipes. I'm curious what browning the butter would do to the flavor. You said you just melt it but don't bother browning it? Your mom's is very close to Sherry's recipe, too. When I used to make them, I always left the pecans whole and arranged them on top like you do. I think, since this is for St Patrick's Day and I plan on doing shamrock piecrust cut-outs on top that I won't bother arranging them this time. Thanks for your recipes.

@Eileen, wow, thanks for that list. Looks like I dodged a bullet from the Ina recipe. I'm so glad I posted here. I would have been sorely disappointed to have made a bad pie.

@Fun2BHere, well, your experience does confirm that I shouldn't use Ina's recipe this time. Thanks!

Mollasses is made from Sugar cane. There is more than one variety of sugar cane of course and Ribbon cane is a popular one. To cook syrup you need specialized equipment. a long brick base for the fire, and a huge long metal pan usually divided into sections. You also need a cane press and their family one was powered by a mule. Everyone who participated brought truck loads of cane and it was fed into the press, the juice taken to the pan where the skilled cookers moved the thickening syrup from hotter to cooler pan sections skimming the entire time, Making sugar is the same except it is taken to the point of crystalization and you need a centrifuge-big spinning thing-to extract the lighter syrup from the sugar crystals. Commercially that syrup is added back to the next cooking batch and finally taken off as the darker more bitter molasses we normally get in stores. Molasses made the way they did it tastes totally different. You can buy it on the internet but these days it is impressively expensive. It is lighter in color with a very complex almost floral taste.

I got lucky in my family. My mothers mother died and when my grandfather eventually remarried he married a woman from southern Mississippi and the farm where they ended up on his retirement became our home base. Grannie came from a farm family local to where they lived. It was like being in a different century. I learned the most astonishing things.

patriciae

The only difference between dark and light Karo syrup is molasses.. Add molasses to light corn syrup and you have dark….:

Are you sure about that, Sherry - because Karo is corn syrup and molasses is from sugar cane. I was under the impression that the darker Karo syrup was simply less refined.

And glad to see the pies came out well, oly 🙂

Yes! Google it Add molasses to regular corn syrup and you have dark.

Good to hear, Olychick!👍🏻

Regarding the Karo…

Light Corn Syrup:

• Appearance: Clear or nearly colorless.
• Flavor: Mildly sweet with a hint of vanilla.
• Ingredients: Typically made from cornstarch, with added vanilla flavoring and sometimes salt.
• Uses: Common in candies, caramel popcorn, frosting, and sweet sauces.
• Example: Karo Light Corn Syrup.

Dark Corn Syrup:

• Appearance: Rich, dark brown color.
• Flavor: Richer, caramel-like flavor due to the addition of molasses.
• Ingredients: Made from corn syrup, molasses, caramel coloring, and sometimes salt.
• Uses: Ideal for baked goods, candies, sauces, and glazes where a darker color and richer flavor are desired.
• Example: Karo Dark Corn Syrup.