Bourbon Maple Pecan Pie
The subtle flavors from bourbon, pure maple syrup, and our secret ingredient make this easy to make Pecan Pie an absolutely amazing holiday dessert. And, there is NO corn syrup in this recipe! We promise you won't even miss it.
Using the highest quality pure maple syrup and great bourbon are a must in this Bourbon Maple Pecan Pie. Although the use of bourbon is optional in this recipe, we highly recommend using it as it does cook off in the oven and adds a really lovely, but subtle, flavor to the pie. Read more in our blog about how we developed this recipe.
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RECIPE
(Check out our Step by Step Instructions below the recipe card.)
Recipe updated as of 3/21/22
BOURBON MAPLE PECAN PIE
Ingredients
Instructions
- Roll out single pie dough crust (from our Amish Style Double Pie Crust recipe, or your favorite crust recipe) and place in a 9.5 inch glass pie pan. If needed, trim edges, then fold under and crimp edges of crust. In a small bowl, combine 1 teaspoon flour and 1 teaspoon sugar and sprinkle evenly over bottom of crust.
- Distribute pecan pieces evenly in bottom of unbaked crust and refrigerate for 30 minutes (or freeze for 15 mins).
- Place rack in the center of the oven. Preheat oven to 400° F. In a large mixing bowl, combine light and dark brown sugars, salt, and cinnamon with a whisk (break up large clumps).
- In a small bowl, lightly beat eggs and set aside. In a small measuring cup, combine maple syrup, bourbon, and vanilla. Stir well and set aside.
- In a small 1.5 quart saucepan, melt butter over medium low heat (do NOT use microwave). While continuously whisking, add flour and orange zest to butter and cook for only 20-30 seconds (it will become a little frothy). Remove from heat.
- Give the syrup mixture a little stir, then whisk syrup mixture into brown sugar mixture to combine, then lightly beaten eggs until mixture is fully combined.
- While continuously whisking, add warm melted butter mixture into syrup/egg mixture until filling is fully combined.
- Remove crust/pie pan from the fridge. Gently and evenly pour the filling over top of pecans.
- (Optional Step) For a more formal pie, arrange pecan halves across top of filling and very gently, dunk into filling so the tops are coated.
- Lightly brush edges of unbaked pie crust with milk or egg wash (see Notes).
- Bake for 10 minutes at 400° F, then without opening the oven door, reduce heat to 350° F. Continue baking for 35 to 50 minutes (depending on your oven) until edges are cooked, and center is still jiggly and slightly puffy. If needed, loosely tent with foil if pecans start to overly brown, which will make them bitter. Cool on wire rack for 4-5 hours until completely cooled. Then cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.
Notes
- If you are using our Amish Style Double Pie Crust recipe, then freeze the other half of the dough for another time. Just defrost in the fridge 24 hours before your are ready to use.
- For the quick and easy method, use just the pecan pieces and skip Step 7 (Optional Step). Skipping the decorative pattern on top of the pecan pie will a) reduce prep time, b) avoid having to worry about overbrowning the pecans on top during baking, and c) make the pie easier to cut, resulting in cleaner slices.
- If you are using the decorative method and topping your pie with a beautiful arrangement of pecan halves, make sure to keep a close eye on the oven during the last 15-20 minutes of the baking process. You want to make sure the pecans do not become overly brown, as they will turn bitter. If the pecans begin to turn dark, loosely tent with aluminum foil without touching the filling.
- The egg wash will make the edge of your crust shiny when it's baked (1 egg beaten mixed with 2 tablespoons water). Milk will give it a classic matte finish (1-2 tablespoons milk).
- Recipe can be made ahead and is even better the next day!
Nutrition Facts
Calories
549.78Fat (grams)
32.39Sat. Fat (grams)
7.76Carbs (grams)
59.87Fiber (grams)
3.29Net carbs
56.58Sugar (grams)
43.08Protein (grams)
7.12Sodium (milligrams)
400.76Cholesterol (grams)
108.26Nutritional information provided is strictly an estimate and will vary based on ingredient brands and cooking methods.
Step by Step Instructions
PREPARATION
Organize all your tools and ingredients before you begin. Getting all your ingredients in one place at the beginning will shorten your prep time.
Crust
STEP 1
Roll out single pie dough crust (from our Amish Double Pie Crust recipe, or your favorite pie crust recipe) and place in a 9-inch glass pie pan. Trim edges of crust, fold under, and crimp edges of crust.
In a small bowl, combine 1 teaspoon flour and 1 teaspoon sugar and sprinkle evenly over bottom of pie crust.
STEP 2
Distribute 2 cups pecan pieces (or roughly chopped pecans) in an even layer in bottom of unbaked crust and refrigerate for 30 minutes (or freeze for 15 minutes).
While the crust and pecans are chilling, continue with steps to create the rest of the filling.
Filling
STEP 1
Place rack in the center of the oven. Preheat oven to 400° F.
In a large mixing bowl, combine 1/2 cup light brown sugar (packed) and 1/2 cup dark brown sugar (packed), 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon with a whisk (break up large clumps before adding other ingredients).
Step 2
Crack 4 room temperature eggs into a small bowl and lightly beat with a fork and set aside. In a small measuring cup, combine 3/4 cup maple syrup, 2 tablespoons bourbon, and 2 teaspoons vanilla. Stir well and set aside.
STEP 3
In a small 1.5 quart saucepan, melt 4 tablespoons unsalted butter over medium low heat (do NOT use microwave for this step).
While continuously whisking, add 2 tablespoons flour and 1/4 teaspoon orange zest to butter and cook for only 20-30 seconds (it will become a little frothy). Remove from heat and move quickly through the next couple of steps.
Note: When measuring the orange zest, don’t over pack the measuring spoon, or it will overpower your pie. Think light and airy!
STEP 4a
Give the syrup mixture a little stir, then quickly whisk syrup mixture into dry ingredients (brown sugar mixture in large mixing bowl) to combine.
Note: Steps 4a and 4b need to be done quickly, so your flour and butter mixture stays very warm and does not start to set.
STEP 4b
Whisk in lightly beaten eggs. Mix until fully combined.
STEP 5a
While continuously whisking, add warm melted butter mixture into syrup/egg mixture.
STEP 5b
Whisk until filling is fully combined.
STEP 6a
Remove pie pan (unbaked crust) from the fridge. Gently and evenly pour the filling over top of pecans.
STEP 6b
Now that the pie is filled, for the quick and easy method skip to Step 8.
STEP 7a (Optional)
If you prefer a more formal or decorative pie, gently arrange pecan halves across top of filling.
Note: Although the remaining recipe photos display the decorative pie, we actually recommend using the quick and easy method (using just the pecan pieces). See Notes section below for more details.
STEP 7b (Optional)
With a brush, very gently dunk them into the filling so that the tops of the pecan halves are coated. This will help to prevent over browning.
STEP 8
Lightly brush edges of unbaked pie crust with either egg wash or milk.
Egg Wash: 1 egg beaten mixed with 2 tablespoons water
Milk Wash: 1 Tablespoon milk.
Note: The egg wash will make the edge of your crust a bit shiny when it’s baked. The milk will give it a classic matte finish.
STEP 9a
Bake for 10 minutes at 400° F, then without opening the oven door, reduce heat to 350° F. Continue baking for 35 to 50 minutes (depending on your oven) until edges are cooked, and center is still a bit jiggly. The pie will be slightly puffy (see photo in Step 9b). Every oven is different, so do NOT overbake, as it will become too dense and dry.
Note: Make sure the pecans do not become overly brown, as they will turn bitter. If this starts to happen, lightly tent the pie with foil and continue to bake until pie is done.
STEP 9b
The pie is done when the filling is slightly puffy, the edges of the filling are set, the crust is golden brown, and the center of the filling is set, but slightly jiggly. Cool on wire rack for 4-5 hours until completely cooled.
Note: Don’t be scared of a few small cracks, as the pie will settle down as it cools. This one puffed up and looked a bit volcanic, but it turned out perfectly after cooling down (see photo in Step 9c).
STEP 9c
It’s ready to serve! If making ahead, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.
Note: We recommend making this pie ahead. It is best served the next day after the filling has had time to set overnight. It will last in the fridge covered with plastic wrap for about 3 days. Just remove from the refrigerator 2 -3 hours before you are ready to serve, to bring it closer to room temp.
Serving Suggestion
Serve with some French vanilla or vanilla bean ice cream. For a lighter touch, try topping with some homemade whipped cream.
Notes:
If you are using our Amish Style Double Pie Crust recipe, then freeze the other half of the dough for another time. Just defrost in the fridge 24 hours before your are ready to use.
For the quick and easy method, use just the pecan pieces and skip Steps 7a and 7b. Skipping the decorative pattern on top of the pecan pie will a) reduce prep time, b) avoid having to worry about overbrowning the pecans on top during baking, and c) make the pie easier to cut, resulting in cleaner slices.
If you are using the decorative method and topping your pie with a beautiful arrangement of pecan halves, make sure to keep a close eye on the oven during the last 15-20 minutes of the baking process. You want to make sure the pecans do not become overly brown, as they will turn bitter. If the pecans begin to turn dark, loosely tent with aluminum foil without touching the filling.
Recipe can be made ahead and is even better the next day!
Blog Comments & Tips
Not your traditional pecan pie. It’s even better!
Every Thanksgiving, I get a bit nostalgic when I set the table with my grandmother’s holiday English china (Wild Turkey and Royal Staffordshire Tonquin patterns from the early to mid 1900s). I love using them because they remind me of all the wonderful Thanksgiving dinners I spent with my entire family. After nearly 100 years, there are only a couple of plates with small chips, but surprisingly, most dishes are intact and as beautiful as ever. As an homage to my incredible grandmother, one of her plates has been used in the serving suggestion photo in this blog post. I’m sure she would have never believed that her dishes would have gone global!
My family absolutely loves pecan pie for Thanksgiving and I’ve made pecan pies with corn syrup for years. They were always good, but too heavy at the end of a big holiday meal and way too cloyingly sweet. I wanted to try something different this holiday season, so I started looking for recipes and found only a few without the corn syrup.
At the Pimp My Recipe Kitchens, we decided to adapt elements from a few different recipes to make this delicious dessert. After a few trials, we zeroed in on this recipe. This is not your traditional cloyingly sweet pecan pie made with corn syrup. The subtle flavors from bourbon, pure maple syrup, and our secret ingredient (orange zest) make this pecan pie an absolutely amazing holiday dessert.
If you are fearful of the bourbon or the zest in this recipe, don’t be. These flavors are not powerful at all, but they add a unique quality to this traditional holiday pie. The bourbon cooks off in the oven to add a lovely warmth that perfectly complements the maple and pecan flavors in this pie. If you feel strongly about it, you can always omit the bourbon and the zest, but we encourage you to try it.
Enjoy, let us know what you think, and tag us on Instagram!
Mich
Footnote: Every oven is different, so keep an eye on your oven so you don’t overcook the pie.
Adapted from the No Corn Syrup Pecan Pie recipe by Baker By Nature, we’ve taken this really good recipe and changed a few things to make it into an extraordinary dessert for the holidays!
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