Pecan Pie Recipe

Make dough

In a medium bowl whisk together the flour, sugar, and salt. Add the cold cubed butter and shortening. Using a pastry cutter or your fingertips, cut the fats into the flour until mixture resembles coarse crumbs with pea-sized pieces of butter remaining.

Add liquids

Combine the ice water and vinegar. Sprinkle the liquid over the flour mixture, 1 tablespoon at a time, tossing gently with a fork after each addition until the dough just holds together when pressed. You may not need all the water.

Form and chill

Gather the dough into a ball, flatten into a disk about 1 inch thick, wrap in plastic, and refrigerate at least 30 minutes (up to 2 days).

Roll and blind-bake (optional)

Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C). On a lightly floured surface roll the chilled dough to a 12-inch circle about 1/8–1/4 inch thick. Transfer to a 9-inch pie dish, trim and crimp edges. For a fully baked crisp bottom: line the crust with parchment and fill with pie weights or dried beans. Bake 15 minutes, remove weights and parchment, brush any bubbles, and bake 5–8 minutes more until lightly golden. For a traditional pecan pie, you can also pour filling into unbaked crust and bake directly (instructions below).

Preheat oven

If you haven't already, preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Reduce temperature if you blind-baked at 375°F and then removed crust to fill.

Prepare pecans

If you like a decorative top, reserve about 12-16 whole pecan halves. Roughly chop the remaining pecans if you prefer a more uniform texture, or leave them whole for a chunkier pie.

Whisk custard

In a large bowl whisk the eggs until blended. Add the corn syrup, brown sugar, melted butter, vanilla, and salt. Whisk until smooth and sugar is incorporated. The mixture will be thin and glossy.

Assemble

Place the crust (blind-baked and cooled slightly or unbaked) on a rimmed baking sheet. Scatter the chopped (or whole) pecans evenly in the crust, reserving the decorative halves for the top if used. Pour the custard mixture over the pecans slowly so the nuts settle evenly. Arrange reserved pecan halves on top in a pattern if desired. The filling will come close to the rim but shouldn’t overflow.

Bake

Bake in the preheated 350°F (175°C) oven for 50–60 minutes. Rotate the pie halfway through for even color. The pie is done when the filling is mostly set but still has a slight jiggle in the center (an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center should read about 200–205°F/93–96°C). If the edges of the crust brown too quickly, tent loosely with foil.

Cool

Remove the pie from the oven and cool on a wire rack at least 2 hours to allow the filling to finish setting. Serve at room temperature or slightly warm with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream. Sprinkle a pinch of coarse sea salt over the top just before serving if desired.

Just before serving, add a small sprinkle of coarse sea salt across the pie center for contrast. Serve slices with whipped cream or a scoop of vanilla ice cream to taste.