Classic Old Fashioned Southern Pecan Pie

It is no secret that we love our pecans down south. We use them on top of pies, in the crusts of pies and of course, in pies.  We use them as a topping, in cookies, and even in cookies you might not expect them in.  We make glazes with them, put them in cranberries, and even add them to pasta! Heck, we even put 'em on bacon. I could go on.  All I can say is thank goodness they are plentiful down here!

But truly, the king of pecans is found in simple, unadulterated pecan pie. I think a lot of people end up with runny pecan pie for a couple of reasons. Too much butter, overbeating and impatience to name a couple. I assure you, this pecan pie is fail proof, it really is! Just make note of the tips, don't make adjustments in the ingredients and your pie will be a perfect pecan pie.

Now, there are all sorts of variations of pecan pies out there that use different ingredients - adding chocolate, whiskey, bourbon, coconut and a wide range of add-ins. We're not talking about those here because this recipe here is just good ole, classic and plain, old fashioned, southern pecan pie.

I like using the chopped pecans personally. They float to the top as they cook and to me that's pretty enough, and they make the pie much easier to cut than one topped with whole pecan halves. You can use the pecan halves arranged nicely on top instead though, if you prefer.

Classic Old Fashioned Southern Pecan Pie
Posted at http://deepsouthdish.com/

3 eggs
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 cup of Karo light corn syrup
2 tablespoons Land O’ Lakes unsalted butter, softened
1 heaping tablespoon all purpose flour
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup of pecans, coarsely chopped
Unbaked homemade or store bought (Pillsbury recommended)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare the pie crust by placing it into an ungreased, regular 9-inch glass pie plate and fluting the edges.

Whisk the eggs together, then whisk in the sugar. Stir in the Karo syrup and the softened butter; mix well. Add the flour and the vanilla; combine well and add the pecans.

Pour into unbaked pie shell and bake at 350 degrees for about 55 to 60 minutes or until a knife inserted into the center comes out clean. Shield outside edges of the pie with a pie shield or aluminum foil about halfway through cooking to prevent overbrowning.

Tips:

►Don't use a blender or a mixer. Use a whisk and a wooden spoon and hand mix only ... and don't beat it to death!

►Shield the edges of the pie about halfway through the cooking time to prevent overbrowning.

►Let the pie cool completely before slicing. You should be able to hold the pie pan flat in the palm of your hand and it not be uncomfortable. If it's still too hot to do that, it's too hot to cut!

►The pie is done when a knife inserted into the center comes out fairly clean. The filling will still seem a bit jiggly as a whole, but that's normal and remember, it will continue cooking a bit even after removed, so you  don't want to overcook it!