Caramelized Pecan Pie, pecans baked in a pie shell with brown sugar, butter, egg and vanilla. Brown sugar caramelizes around pecans. So good!
Hello pecan lovers! If you’ve had enough of pecan pie and are still craving pecans, here’s a lovely addition to your holiday dessert repertoire – a pecan pie packed with pecans and baked with brown sugar and butter until the sugar melts and caramelizes. You get all that great caramel flavor without having to make a separate sauce.
It’s rich, nutty, caramel-y, and perfect for a holiday gathering. Excellent with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or a dollop of whipped cream. Make sure you have enough people to share it with. Although it’s not big, a little goes a long way!
Caramelized Pecan Pie
ingredients
- Crust:
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1 cup all-purpose flour
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1 tbsp white granulated sugar
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1/2 teaspoon salt
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1/2 cup chilled butter (4 ounces, 1 stick), cubed
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1 tbsp ice water
- Filling:
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1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
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1 1/2 cups dark brown sugar
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1 large egg
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1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
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pinch of salt
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2 cups whole pecans
special equipment
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food processor
method
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make dough:
Mix flour, sugar and salt in a food processor. pulse for mixing. Add the diced butter and pulse until you have pea-sized chunks of butter. Add 1 tbsp ice water and pulse until the dough comes together into a ball. Roll out the dough on a clean surface and shape into a ball with your hands. Flatten into a disc, wrap in cling film and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
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Shape crust:
Press the dough into the center of the tart pan and work it with your fingers and palm so that it spreads to the edges and sides of the tart pan. Place a large piece of aluminum foil over the batter in the pan and press it into the batter to help the batter hold its shape in the pan. Then place the pan in the freezer for 30 minutes.
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Blind bake the base:
Preheat oven to 400°F. After 30 minutes, remove the pan from the freezer and carefully remove the foil from the dough. Set the pan on a sheet of foil (to catch any drippings) on a baking sheet. Prick the bottom of the tart dough in several places with the tines of a fork and place the tart pan in the oven. Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until lightly browned. Remove from the oven and let cool at room temperature.
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make filling:
Place butter, brown sugar, egg, and salt in a large bowl. Stir until everything is well mixed. Then gently stir in the pecans. Pour the filling into the pre-baked, cooled cake base.
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Bake a cake:
Preheat oven to 350°F. Place tart on foil-lined pan and bake until lightly browned and slightly puffy all over, about 25 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool to touch. Then, while the cake is still slightly warm, carefully remove the outer ring of the cake tin, leaving the cake on the metal base of the cake tin. Allow to cool completely before slicing to serve.
Serve with whipped cream. Use a sharp chef’s knife to cut the cake. You’ll need to cut through pecans, so make bold, quick cuts.
