Are you a nuts-in-your-desserts person?
I am not. At all. I don’t want them anywhere near my cookies, brownies, banana bread, etc.
I love nuts as a snack or accompaniment to some cheese, but not in my baked goods. I want them to be soft and tender without any disruptions. And nuts are a total disruption.
My one exception is pecan pie. I love pecan pie. I only eat it about once a year, usually on Thanksgiving, so it definitely has holiday nostalgic vibes for me.
This one, in particular, is delicious. Probably because I put a salted caramel spin on it, and we should all know by now that I cannot get enough salted caramel in my life. Ever.
Pecan pie, as good as it is, always leaves me wanting a little bit more flavor. That’s why renditions that feature extra flavoring, like chocolate, are so much more interesting to me.
Because I can’t leave anything well enough alone, I switch up the traditional filling in this recipe. I caramelize it! And then add a bunch of flaky sea salt to the mix before adding in the pecans. The extra step of caramelizing the filling really makes a world of difference in the end flavor.
It’s denser, richer, sweeter, and definitely more…caramely. Go figure! And the salty notes just make this something irresistible. It really is a delicious pie.
I love making pies for holiday gatherings because you can do it ahead. This one is extra delicious if you make it a day or two ahead. I think that might be true with all pie, but pecan in particular.
After the pie is baked and completely cooled, I wrap it well and keep it at room temperature for up to two days (longer than that, and I pop it in the fridge).
You can warm it up for serving, if you want, but I love it at room temperature with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or a dollop of whipped cream on top.
It’s simple but so good. The perfect end note for your big holiday feast!
This is seriously my one exception to nuts in baked goods.
And it’s a good one!
Salted Caramel Pecan Pie
- Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
- Yield: 8 servings 1x
Description
This Salted Caramel Pecan Pie is tradition with a twist! The traditional pecan filling gets caramelized until it’s richer, sweeter, and denser. A few sprinkles of flaky sea salt really make this one something special. It’s the best pecan pie you’ll ever eat!
Ingredients
- 1 9-inch store-bought deep dish pie crust (you can certainly use homemade)
- 1 cup light brown sugar
- 1/2 cup light corn syrup
- 3 tablespoons maple syrup
- 5 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 1 1/2 teaspoons flaky sea salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 large eggs
- 1 1/2 cups chopped pecans
- 1 cup pecan halves, for topping the pie
- Additional flaky salt, for sprinkling
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Place the pie crust on a baking sheet.
- Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan, combine the brown sugar, corn syrup, maple syrup, and butter.
- Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Cook for a few minutes or until the mixture is thickened and deeply golden.
- Reduce the heat to low and pour in the heavy cream, stirring to incorporate. It will bubble up quite a bit when you add in the cream, so do so carefully!
- Stir in the salt and vanilla and remove the pan from the heat. Allow to cool for 20 minutes.
- Once it is mostly cooled, whisk in the eggs until smooth. Stir in the chopped pecans.
- Pour the filling into the prepared pie crust. Top the pie filling with the pecan halves, being as decorative as you like.
- Transfer the baking sheet with the pie to the oven and bake until the filling is set, roughly 1 hour.
- Remove from the oven, sprinkle the top with flaky sea salt, and allow to cool completely before slicing and serving with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.
Notes
- I prefer to make this pie ahead and chill it before slicing. It slices SO easily this way, and the flavors also have more time to develop. I recommend making this a day ahead – you can store it at room temperature or in the fridge. You can warm up each slice before serving, if warm pie is preferred.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour
- Category: pie
Keywords: salted caramel pecan pie, caramel pecan pie, caramelized pecan pie, pecan pie with salted caramel
Hi There. I'm Molly. I'm a food-obsessed, self-taught cook and I can't wait to share my passion for all things culinary with you. My love for egg yolks is just the tip of the iceberg!
this is wonderful, thank you, already love pecan pie, and carmelized is even better!
★★★★★
This is the first pecan pie I have made and it turned out spectacular!! I was afraid it would be hard but it was perfect on the inside and everyone at thanksgiving loved it. Will definitely be keeping this recipe!