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Pecan Pie Filling

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F4300-2
This recipe goes with Pecan Pie Cake.

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
  • 3/4 cup dark corn syrup
  • 1/3 cup cornstarch
  • 4 egg yolks
  • 1 1/2 cups half-and-half
  • 1/8 teaspoon salt
  • 3 tablespoons butter or margarine
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preparation

  1. Whisk together first 6 ingredients in a heavy 3-quart saucepan until smooth.
  2. Bring mixture to a boil over medium heat, whisking constantly; boil 1 minute or until thickened.
  3. Remove from heat; whisk in butter and vanilla extract. Place a sheet of wax paper directly on surface of mixture to prevent a film from forming, and chill 4 hours.

Note

To chill filling quickly, pour filling into a bowl. Place bowl in a larger bowl filled with ice. Whisk constantly until cool (about 15 minutes).

Apple-Pecan Pie Cobbler

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Apple-Pecan-Pie-Cobbler
Maximize the flavors of fall with these individual baked apple desserts that feature sweet skillet apples topped with a pecan pie muffin batter.

Ingredients

  • 6 large Granny Smith apples, peeled and sliced (about 3 pounds)*
  • 1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
  • 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 1/4 cup butter
  • 1/2 cup dark corn syrup
  • Pecan Pie Muffin Batter

Preparation

  1. Toss together first 3 ingredients in a large bowl.
  2. Melt butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add apple mixture and corn syrup to skillet; bring to a boil, and cook, stirring often, 10 minutes.
  3. Divide hot apple mixture evenly between 6 lightly greased 6-ounce ovenproof ramekins or custard cups. Spoon Pecan Pie Muffin Batter evenly over hot apple mixture.
  4. Bake at 425° for 15 to 20 minutes or until golden brown.

Pecan Pie Muffin Batter

Ingredients

  • 1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
  • 1 cup chopped pecans
  • 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 cup butter, melted
  • 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preparation

  1. Combine first 5 ingredients in a large mixing bowl; make a well in center of mixture. Stir together butter, eggs, and vanilla; add to dry ingredients, and stir just until moistened.
  2. Pecan Pie Muffins: Spoon Pecan Pie Muffin Batter evenly into lightly greased miniature muffin pans, filling three-fourths full.
  3. Bake at 425° for 8 to 10 minutes. Makes 24 muffins.

Caramel-Pecan Pie

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Caramel-Pecan-Pie
Create this rich gooey caramel pecan pie for your family and friends. It is a perfect special occasion pie.

Ingredients

  • 1/2 (15-ounce) package refrigerated pie crusts
  • 28 caramels
  • 1/4 cup butter
  • 1/4 cup water
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup coarsely chopped pecans, toasted
  • Chocolate-Dipped Pecans (optional)

Preparation

  1. Fit piecrust into a 9-inch pie plate according to package directions; fold edges under, and crimp. Prick bottom and sides of piecrust with a fork.
  2. Bake piecrust at 400° for 6 to 8 minutes or until lightly browned; cool on wire rack.
  3. Combine caramels, butter, and 1/4 cup water in large saucepan over medium heat. Cook, stirring constantly, 5 to 7 minutes or until caramels and butter are melted; remove from heat.
  4. Stir together sugar and next 3 ingredients. Stir into caramel mixture until thoroughly combined. Stir in pecans. Pour into prepared crust.
  5. Bake pie at 400° for 10 minutes. Reduce heat to 350°, and bake 20 more minutes, shielding edges of crust with aluminum foil to prevent excessive browning. Remove pie to a wire rack to cool. Top with Chocolate-Dipped Pecans, if desired.

Chocolate-Dipped Pecans

Ingredients

  • 1 (6-ounce) package semisweet chocolate morsels
  • 20 pecan halves, toasted

Preparation

  1. Microwave chocolate morsels in a microwave-safe bowl on HIGH for 1 to 1 1/2 minutes or until melted, stirring at 30-second intervals.
  2. Dip half of each pecan in melted chocolate; place on a wax paper-lined baking sheet. Let cool completely. Store in a single layer in an airtight container for up to 2 days.

Sweet Potato-Pecan Cupcakes

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Sweet-Potato-Pecan-Cupcakes
Keep this family favorite around for the holiday season. Mashed sweet potatoes give the cupcakes extra moistness, while a myriad of spices including cinnamon and nutmeg, spice up the traditionally sweet dessert. A simple cream cheese frosting and a sprinkle of chopped pecans is all that’s needed on top.

Ingredients

  • 1 cup coarsely chopped pecans
  • 2 cups sugar
  • 1 cup butter, softened
  • 4 large eggs
  • 1 16-ounce can mashed sweet potatoes
  • 2/3 cup orange juice
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 3 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • Cream Cheese Frosting
  • Garnish: coarsely chopped pecans

Preparation

  1. Place pecans in a single layer in a shallow pan.
  2. Bake at 350° for 8 to 10 minutes or until toasted, stirring once after 4 minutes.
  3. Beat sugar and butter at medium speed with an electric mixer until blended. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating until blended after each addition.
  4. Whisk together mashed sweet potatoes, orange juice, and vanilla extract. Combine flour and next 5 ingredients. Add flour mixture to sugar mixture alternately with sweet potato mixture, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Beat at low speed just until blended after each addition. Fold in toasted pecans. Place foil baking cups in muffin pans, and coat with vegetable cooking spray; spoon batter into cups, filling two-thirds full.
  5. Bake at 350° for 28 to 30 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted into center comes out clean. Remove immediately from pans, and cool 50 minutes to 1 hour or until completely cool. Spread cupcakes evenly with Cream Cheese Frosting. Garnish, if desired.

Cream Cheese Frosting

Ingredients

  • 1 8-ounce package cream cheese, softened
  • 1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
  • 1 16-ounce package powdered sugar, sifted
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preparation

  1. Beat cream cheese and butter until fluffy.
  2. Gradually add powdered sugar, beating at low speed until blended; add vanilla, beating until blended.

Pecan-Grits Pie

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Pecan-Grits-Pie
Whenever our extended family gathers for a holiday dinner, I’m expected to prepare the pecan pie. That’s because I love to put grits in the South’s favorite pie! The sweetened grits-enhanced filling adds a hint of texture and makes a perfect pecan pie. You can use a store-bought pastry shell in a pinch, but I think it tastes much better in the Buttermilk Cornmeal Crust.

Ingredients

  • 1 cup water
  • 1/4 cup uncooked stone-ground yellow grits
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons butter
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 3/4 cup corn syrup
  • 3 large eggs, lightly beaten
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1 1/2 cups broken pecan halves, divided
  • Single-Crust Version of Buttermilk Cornmeal Crust

Preparation

  1. Combine water and grits in a small saucepan; stir and let stand 1 minute. Carefully remove husks floating on top of water, using a small strainer. Add salt to grits; place over high heat, and bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes or until thick, stirring often. (When cooking this small amount of grits, cover pan to avoid losing too much liquid as steam during cooking.) Cover and set aside.
  2. Melt butter in a small saucepan; add sugar and corn syrup, and cook over medium-low heat about 10 minutes or until sugar dissolves, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Whisk cooked grits into butter mixture; cool slightly. Whisk eggs and vanilla into butter mixture until blended.
  3. Preheat oven to 325°. Place 1 cup broken pecan halves in bottom of unbaked Buttermilk Cornmeal Crust. Pour grits mixture over pecans in pie crust. Sprinkle with additional 1/2 cup pecans, and stir pecans very gently to coat with syrup and distribute evenly. Bake at 325° for 45 minutes or until set. (Shield edges of crust with aluminum foil after about 30 minutes to prevent excessive browning, if needed.)

Pecan Tassies

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Pecan-Tassies
These mini pecan pies are perfect for holiday get-togethers. They’re a guaranteed crowd-pleaser and surprisingly easy to prepare!

Ingredients

  • 1 cup butter, softened
  • 1 (8-oz.) package cream cheese, softened
  • 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 1/2 cups firmly packed brown sugar
  • 1 1/2 cups chopped pecans
  • 2 large eggs
  • 2 tablespoons butter, melted
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1/8 teaspoon salt

Preparation

  1. Beat 1 cup butter and cream cheese at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy. Gradually add flour to butter mixture, beating at low speed. Shape mixture into 48 balls, and place on a baking sheet; cover and chill 1 hour.
  2. Place 1 dough ball into each lightly greased muffin cup in mini muffin pans, shaping each into a shell.
  3. Whisk together brown sugar and next 5 ingredients. Spoon into tart shells.
  4. Bake at 350° for 20 minutes or until filling is set. Cool in pans on wire racks 10 minutes. Remove from pans; cool on wire racks 20 minutes or until completely cool.

Note

If you don’t have four mini muffin pans, you can bake these in batches. Keep the extra dough chilled until you’re ready to use it.