Salted Caramel Pecan Pie Recipe

Some people love pumpkin, some people love apple, but we only have eyes for pecan. Pecan pie has long been a favorite of my dad’s, so growing up my mom always served pumpkin AND pecan pie for our Thanksgiving feast (double the flavor = double the fun). Every bite of the rich, nutty flavor and gooey texture takes me back to happy memories of childhood gathered around my parents table for the holidays.

I stumbled across this Salted Caramel Pecan Pie recipe by Jamie Deen a few years ago while searching for modern twists on the classic rendition, and it’s been my my go-to recipe ever since. The hint of sea salt and caramelized goodness makes a delicious finish to any holiday feast. My husband, Chris, and I bake this every year for Thanksgiving, but we’ve made a few tweaks to the recipe:

• The original recipe calls for 1 Tbsp flaky sea salt, but we’ve found that to be too salty—and I’m the type of person who puts salt on salty dishes.We recommend using 1 1/2 tsp flaky sea salt instead. We like Maldon Sea Salt Flakes.

• We like to add a dark chocolate drizzle on top of the pie once it’s completely cooled for a finishing touch! The chocolate looks so pretty interlaced with the sea salt flakes, and it adds another subtle layer of flavor to the pie.

• Cover the crust of your pie with strips of tinfoil while baking—this prevents the crust from getting too dark and crispy, but allows the pie filling and topping to get brown and toasty.

Recipe adapted from The Food Network

INGREDIENTS:

1 deep-dish frozen pie crust

1 cup packed dark brown sugar

1 cup light corn syrup

6 Tbsp unsalted butter, cut into pieces

1 1/2 tsp flaky sea salt, plus a sprinkle for garnish

3 large eggs, lightly beaten

2 cups chopped pecans

2 big squares good dark chocolate, melted, for garnish

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Put the pie crust on a baking sheet, prick with a fork, and bake for 15 minutes. Add the brown sugar, corn syrup, butter, and salt to a medium saucepan. Place over medium heat and stir while the mixture melts. Bring to a boil. Remove from the heat and cool (make sure it’s completely cool before adding the eggs or you’ll end up with scrambled eggs and pie filling). Whisk in the eggs and the pecans. Add to the pie shell on the baking sheet and bake for 50 minutes. Pull out of the oven and sprinkle with flakey sea salt. Cool completely. Before serving, melt the dark chocolate in the microwave and use a spoon to lightly drizzle over the top.

YIELD: 6–8 servings

PREP TIME: 15 minutes

COOK TIME: 1 hour, 5 minutes