Brown Sugar Pecan Pie

Brown sugar pecan pie on wooden cooling rack

The Spruce / Diana Rattray

Prep: 15 mins
Cook: 45 mins
Chill: 30 mins
Total: 90 mins
Servings: 8 servings
Yield: 1 pie

This is a delicious pecan pie made with brown sugar, corn syrup, butter, vanilla, and pecans. The combination of brown sugar and light corn syrup makes for a deeply flavored but not too intense pecan pie. For a more caramelized, rich flavor, use dark corn syrup.

Use the flaky pie pastry below, your own favorite, or a purchased unbaked refrigerated or frozen pie shell. This pie may be baked in a purchased or homemade gluten-free pie crust as well.

Ingredients

For the Pie Pastry:

  • 1 cup all-purpose flour

  • 2/3 cup cake flour

  • 1 tablespoon confectioners' sugar

  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

  • 4 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

  • 5 tablespoons shortening, cut into small pieces

  • 1/4 cup ice cold water

  • 1 egg white, lightly beaten, optional

For the Pecan Pie Filling:

  • 3 large eggs, beaten

  • 1 cup light corn syrup

  • 1 cup light brown sugar, firmly packed

  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

  • 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt

  • 1 1/4 cups pecan halves

  • Vanilla ice cream, or whipped cream, for serving, optional

Steps to Make It

Prepare the Pie Pastry

  1. Gather the ingredients.

  2. In a food processor, combine flours, powdered sugar, and salt. Pulse a few times to combine. Sprinkle pieces of butter over flour mixture, stir in lightly, then pulse about 6 times. Sprinkle shortening pieces over mixture, stir in lightly, then pulse about 6 to 7 more times.

  3. Sprinkle with half of the water. Pulse 5 times. Sprinkle with remaining water and pulse about 6 times, until dough begins to clump. 

  4. Empty large crumbs into a bowl. Pack and knead just 2 or 3 times to form a cohesive dough.

  5. Shape into a disk, wrap in plastic, and chill for about 30 minutes to 1 hour.

  6. Roll out on a floured surface to fit pie pan. Fold over and fit into pan, cutting off excess. Form a decorative edge around plate. Before adding filling, brush with a little of the beaten egg white, if desired.

Prepare the Filling and Bake

  1. Gather ingredients.

  2. Preheat oven to 400 F. In a mixing bowl, combine beaten eggs, corn syrup, brown sugar, melted butter, vanilla, and salt. Stir to blend well. Stir in pecans.

  3. Pour into unbaked pie shell. Bake 15 minutes, then reduce heat to 350 F and bake 25 to 30 minutes longer. If at any point, the crust edge is browning too much, cover with a pie ring or foil ring.

  4. When it's done, the outer edge of the pecan pie filling should be slightly puffed and set, and the middle will have just a slight jiggle. Let pecan pie cool completely on a rack (this will take between 2 hours and several hours, depending on your kitchen temperature).

  5. Serve with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or a dollop of whipped cream.

Tips

  • Don't overbake pecan pie or it can become hard. The filling should still have a slight jiggle in the center when it's done.
  • To store leftover pecan pie, wrap it tightly in plastic wrap. There's no need to refrigerate pecan pie. Because of its high sugar content, it will keep for at least four days.
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
598 Calories
30g Fat
79g Carbs
7g Protein
×
Nutrition Facts
Servings: 8
Amount per serving
Calories 598
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 30g 39%
Saturated Fat 10g 51%
Cholesterol 97mg 32%
Sodium 159mg 7%
Total Carbohydrate 79g 29%
Dietary Fiber 2g 8%
Total Sugars 57g
Protein 7g
Vitamin C 0mg 1%
Calcium 53mg 4%
Iron 2mg 14%
Potassium 155mg 3%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)