Old Fashioned Bourbon Pecan Pie
Among my friends I’m known as the Queen of Pecan Pie! So if you need a new family favorite Thanksgiving pie, try my Old Fashioned Bourbon Pecan Pie. It’s rich, nutty, and caramel-y, with a touch of maple syrup and bourbon to set off the flavor of the pecans. I LOVE a slice of it with a cup of coffee after a long day of cooking and baking. Plus like ALL my other pecan pie recipes, this one doesn’t have corn syrup!
What Makes This Pie Different?
A little bourbon AND a splash of maple syrup are what make this pie stand out from my other pecan pies. The bourbon is the Southern touch, and the maple is my own addition. My regular pecan pie is flavored with vanilla, and this one uses the two of them in its place.
This is more of a maple bourbon pecan pie, and the complex flavor is hard to describe. You’re just going to have to make it and try it! But it definitely does NOT taste like you had a shot of bourbon.
Will a pie without corn syrup still be set up??
It absolutely will set up. If you’re worried it won’t set up and it will be runny, the best way to ensure it won’t be runny is to follow the recipe carefully and use all the listed ingredients. The eggs and the
The second best way to make sure it sets up is to chill the entire pie in the refrigerator after allowing it to cool on a wire rack until it’s at room temperature. Throwing a hot pie into a cold fridge is going to make your fridge warm up rather than the pie cool down so let it cool BEFORE putting it in the fridge.
Ingredients For An Old Fashioned Bourbon Pecan Pie
- flour
- salt
- sugar
- cold butter
- cold water
- large eggs
- dark brown sugar, use real Brown Sugar not “natural” brown sugar
- melted butter at room temperature
- pecans
- Bourbon
- maple syrup
- milk
- salt
- flour
Tools you need:
- 9-inch pie plate, not a deep dish pie pan
- large bowl
- whisk
- wooden spoon
- saucepan
About the Crust
The recipe for this pie includes the ingredients and directions for making a single pie crust. It’s my world famous (not really!) All-Butter Crust halved but you could also try making my shortening crust recipe, just cut it in half.
Or if that feels overwhelming use a prepared refrigerated OR frozen crust. Or you can EVEN use a pie crust mix. ANY pie crust you’re comfortable with is a good pie crust to use. I’ve been there, pie is for everyone, choose your level of work and go from there.
My Best Pie Crust Tips
- KEEP EVERYTHING COLD. Cold butter and cold water are what make a crust flaky.
- Use a food processor if you have one. It’s the secret to quick and easy pie dough.
- Don’t stretch the dough to fit the pan. Ease it in, because stretched dough shrinks back in the oven.
- Chill the crust in the pan after you roll it out. Room-temperature dough will puddle up in your pan.
- Water on pie dough works like glue. If the dough tears, dab on a little water and press it back together.
- Make one BEFORE the big day. Don’t let your first pie crust be the one you’re serving to company.
Blind Baking The Crust
This pie has extra liquid in it from the bourbon and the maple syrup, so I blind bake the crust before I fill it. Blind baking just means giving the crust a head start in the oven so the bottom sets up before the wet filling goes in, and it’s the best way I know to avoid a soggy bottom.
After the crust has chilled in the pan, line it with a sheet of parchment paper and fill it with pie weights, rice, dried beans, or even sugar. Bake it for 10 minutes with the paper and the weights in it. Then carefully lift out the paper and weights and bake the empty crust for 5 more minutes. Pour in the filling and bake the pie as directed. If you skip this step the pie will probably still bake up fine, but the bottom crust may come out softer or you may get a soggy bottom.
If The Crust Starts To Brown
Because you are baking the crust for an EXTRA long time you may want to cover the crimped edges of your pie in the last 20 minutes of baking to make sure the edges don’t catch and turn black.
It would be a shame if you did the work to blind bake and then your crimping catches on fire! Simply cover with a pie crust cover like this pie crust shield OR tear foil into strips and gently fold them over the crust to keep it from browning too much. or worse BURNING.
More Pecan Pies To Try
I told you I’m the Queen of Pecan Pie! Every one of these is made without corn syrup, just like this one.
- Old Fashioned Pecan Pie, the classic
- Chocolate Pecan Pie, with a full cup of chocolate chips
- Maple Pecan Pie, made with real maple syrup
- Chopped Pecan Pie, with double the pecans
- Mini Pecan Pies, baked in a muffin pan
- Pecan Pumpkin Pie, two pies in one crust
How to store bourbon pecan pie
The bourbon is not preserving anything, and I want to say that plainly, because people assume a splash of liquor buys them extra time on the counter. It does not. There is not nearly enough of it, and most of the alcohol cooks off in the oven anyway. This is a custard pie like every other pecan pie on this site, so cool it completely, cover it loosely, and refrigerate it within 2 hours of baking. It keeps 3 to 4 days, and honestly the bourbon settles in and tastes better on day two.
Old Fashioned Bourbon Pecan Pie
Equipment
- Pie Plate regular not deep dish
Ingredients
Pie Crust Ingredients
- 1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
- 1/4 tsp salt add an extra pinch if your butter is unsalted
- 1/2 tsp sugar
- 1/2 cup cold butter
- 2 to 4 TBSP cold water
Bourbon Pecan Pie Filling
- 1/2 cup butter
- 1 1/2 cups dark brown sugar
- 2 TBSP all-purpose flour
- 1 pinch salt
- 2 large eggs
- 2 tsp bourbon
- 1 TBSP maple syrup
- 1 TBSP Milk
- 1 1/2 cups pecans
Instructions
To Make The Pie Dough
- In the bowl of a food processor whirl the flour, salt and sugar together
- Cut the butter in chunks, drop it in the food processor and pulse on and off until it resembles fine crumbs
- Start with the smallest amount of water and drizzle it in while the food processor is running
- If the dough clumps up it's done, if it doesn't come together it needs more water
- Pat the dough a bit flat, wrap it and chill at least one hour
To Make The Pie
- Melt the butter in a small saucepan over low heat, set aside to cool
- Preheat the oven to 375°
- Roll out the chilled pie dough on a lightly floured surface
- Lightly flour the pie pan and ease the crust into it, don't stretch it, just ease it in, then crimp the edges, chill in the fridge for 10 minutes
- Then lay parchment paper in the pie crust and add 1 1/2 cups of dried beans, sugar or pie weights on top of the parchment
- Blind bake the pie crust with the beans or sugar or pie weights for 10 minutes, then remove the weights and paper, bake for 5 more minutes
- Stir the brown sugar, flour, and salt together in a mixing bowl
- In a separate bowl mix the eggs, cooled butter, bourbon, maple syrup, and milk together with a whisk, and whisk until combined, don't try to beat the eggs until frothy just mix everything together very well
- Pour into the sugar mixture and stir well until everything is combined
- Stir in the pecan halves
- Pour the pie filling into the partially prebaked pie shell
- Bake in the preheated oven for 45-50 minutes or until the center is just about set and the crust is browned
- If the crust starts to get too brown add strips of aluminum foil to the edges
- Cool completely on a wire rack, then cover the pie and store it in the refrigerator within two hours
Video
Notes
- Short on time? Use a prepared pie crust from the refrigerated section or a frozen pie crust and skip the crust steps. They all work!!
- Want more help with the crust? My Easy Pie Crust post walks you through it.
- Blind baking: This pie has extra liquid in it from the bourbon and the maple syrup, so I blind bake the crust to keep the bottom from going soggy. Line the chilled crust with parchment, fill it with pie weights, dried beans or sugar, and bake it for 10 minutes. Lift out the parchment and weights, bake it 5 more minutes, then fill it and bake the pie as directed.
This is SO GOOD. I am not that confident with desserts, and this turned out perfectly. I can’t wait to make it again for company! Thanks for the fantastic recipe, Laura.
So easy to make! And tasted so delicious!
One of the best pecan pie recipes I’ve ever tried. It’s so delicious and easy to make. Highly recommended!
Never thought that a corn syrup free pecan pie can be this good! It is so easy to make and so satisfying! Highly recommended!
My new favorite pecan pie! This was so good.