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Browned Butter Pecan Pie

Browned Butter Pecan Pie is packed with pecans, of course. But the secret ingredient is browned butter. Many a pecan-pie-hater has been converted by this recipe.

slice of pie
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This聽is the lightest, most delicate pecan pie I have ever eaten in my entire life.

If you try it, I predict your family and friends will聽see it the same way.

uncut pie

Have you noticed my love affair with browned butter? (i.e Soft Cinnamon Cookies with Browned Butter Icing).  It contributes a nutty, buttery, toffee-like flavor to any dessert without taking over the show. It’s the magic ingredient in this pie!

Browning the butter:

The process of browning butter is simple. Knowing when the butter is brown enough without burning it is the tricky part. Don’t be afraid. I’ll hold your hand.

browned butter in a small bowl
It will smell indescribably fragrant and be a light caramel color when ready

How to decorate the pie with melted chocolate:

Browned Butter Pecan Pie -- How to practice drizzling chocolate with a plastic bag
I like to experiment on a paper plate before I start drizzling over the pie to make sure the size of the hole in my “decorating bag” is right.
DSC_6197.JPG
Happy Thanksgiving.

If you make this and enjoy the recipe, it would help me and others if you would return to this post and leave a rating (on the recipe card itself underneath the picture). Although always appreciated, no comment is required. Thank you for visiting! Paula

Browned Butter Pecan Pie

Browned Butter Pecan Pie

Yield: 8 servings
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour
Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes

Pecan pie containing browned butter--the secret ingredient in this holiday pie.

Ingredients

  • 1 8 or 9-inch unbaked pie shell
  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter
  • 1 cup light corn syrup
  • 1 cup sugar (decrease to 3/4 cup for a little less sweetness)
  • 3 large eggs, beaten
  • 1/2 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • Dash of salt
  • 1 cup pecans, coarsely chopped

Instructions

Browning the Butter

  1. Heat butter in a small saucepan or skillet over low heat. It will take several minutes. (Please don't substitute margarine for this delicate operation.) When the solids start to brown, it happens quickly. Be alert. It will smell indescribably fragrant and be a light caramel color when ready. Remove from heat and allow to cool.

Filling

  1. In separate bowl, combine corn syrup, sugar, eggs, lemon juice and vanilla in order listed. Thoroughly blend in cooled, browned butter.
  2. Stir in coarsely chopped nuts. Pecan lovers may want to increase the amount. (If desired, save out a few whole pecans to decorate the top of the pie as shown below.)
  3. Pour into unbaked pie shell and bake at 325 degrees F for 55-65 minutes. When done, filling may be somewhat softer in the middle but it should not be jiggly.
  4. Allow to cool before slicing so filling will set properly.

Decorating with Chocolate (optional):

  1. Place 1/4 cup semi-sweet or bittersweet chocolate chips in a small zippered plastic bag. Microwave on HIGH for 1 minute, 15 seconds or until melted. Snip off the tiniest corner of the bag. Squeeze chocolate out of the hole over the pie in the design of your choice. If you want to squirt the leftover chocolate in your mouth, go ahead. It's our secret.

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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 8 Serving Size: 1 slice
Amount Per Serving:Calories: 471 Total Fat: 25g Saturated Fat: 9g Trans Fat: 0g Unsaturated Fat: 14g Cholesterol: 100mg Sodium: 106mg Carbohydrates: 63g Fiber: 2g Sugar: 55g Protein: 5g
© Paula of saladinajar.com
Cuisine: American / Category: Desserts
Traditional pecan pie contains browned butter--the secret ingredient to the best pecan pie you've ever tasted.

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Comments

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  2. Tasha

    OMG this was sooooooooo good. I am now in love with browned butter. It adds such a nice flavor to pecan pie. I was worried about it not setting properly or that it would be runny. I made it this Thanksgiving and It came out perfect. The flavor is so nice. Thank you for sharing this. I look forward to trying more of your recipes.

    Reply

  3. Karen

    Hi, I made this yummy pie today. Had a slice for dinner while it was still warm… Fantastic! Thank you for sharing this great recipe.

    Reply

  4. Natasha

    Well I did make this for dessert at Christmas and it was absolutely delicious (my family loved it). Thank you so much for this beautiful recipe. All the amounts and instructions were spot on.

    Reply

  6. Jenny

    Do you foil wrap your crust then? I have tried everything – shields, wrapping, frozen, unfrozen, homemade – the crust gets crunchy – what am I doing wrong?

    Reply

    • Romaine

      Jenny, I do not generally use foil, but I occasionally use a metal piecrust shield. They are cheap and it’s way easier.

      Are you baking the pie closer to the bottom of the oven?

      Is your oven true to temperature? You can check with an inexpensive oven thermometer.

      Reply

  7. Sis

    Just made this pie, and had surprisingly good results browning the butter. (Question, explain why you would use unsalted vs. salted butter) You may have mention this hint about browning sugar on another part of your blog, so overlook this if I am repeating. For years I was a failure at browning sugar like my southern mother-in-law did it. Thought the southern black iron skillet was essential. Just in recent years I realized that the black or dark color of a skillet makes it much harder to determine when the butter is the right color. Today I used a heavy small stainless steel sauce pan, and it worked like a charm.
    Now the pie itself?? Well, I set the butter aside to cool, and you guessed it, I forgot to include it in the filling. Knowing it would NOT be pecan pie without the butter, I poured the batter out of the pie shell and put in the butter and returned it to the oven. Big mess! Sure, but can’t wait to taste it when it is finished cooking. Even the raw batter tasted good. I know – I know – raw eggs, etc. :+)

    Reply

  8. Myra

    I made this for Thanksgiving this year and although I was sure I was going to mess up the browning the butter part it turned out very nicely. The pie was a huge hit with my husband. It may have to become a TG staple in our house.

    Reply

  9. Jill

    This really looks delicious. I’m always looking at recipes with browned butter but I haven’t tried any yet. Love the chocolate on top…that seems mandatory rather than optional! 馃檪

    Reply

  11. Nina

    Wow—does that look delicious. Thank you for posting the tip from CI on the pie crust!! I saw that on CI, but had not tried it! Your photos are terrific.

    Reply

  16. Debbie

    Looks great and tastes great! I have had the chance to eat this before. Printed it off the “right way” and will be on my list for Thanksgiving foods to prepare!

    Reply