About the Recipe
My Three Generation Honey Pecan Pie is named as such because it is a beloved recipe that has connected three generations of my family. My grandma was a skilled baker, particularly when it came to pie. Unfortunately, cancer took her from us before I was even born so baking her recipes with my mom and now on my own is a way for me to feel connected to her. I adapted her original recipe to include my mom's honey in it so I could enter in the Minnesota State Fair and much to my delight it won ribbons both times I entered it. It's a long time family favorite and now an award winning pie that would stand proud on any Thanksgiving or pie loving table!
Ingredients
This recipe is for a 9.5" deep dish pie plate. If using a standard 9" pie plate, decrease filling by 50%. Feel free to use store-bought pie crust or your favorite pie crust recipe.
For the crust:
Increase amount 50% if you're making leaf decor as pictured
2 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons salt
1/3 cup vegetable shortening
1/3 cup + 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cubed and chilled
3/4 cup ice water
For the filling:
1.5 cups wildflower honey
1.5 cups light brown sugar
1 teaspoon salt
4 large eggs plus 1 egg yolk
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
2 cups pecan halves, toasted for 10 minutes at 350F
Preparation
Make the crust:
Step 1
In a large bowl, stir together flour and salt.
Step 2
Add vegetable shortening and using your hands, rub the shortening thoroughly into the butter. Add in the butter cubes and using your hands press the cubes into flattened shards. Combing the shortening and butter in this way creates a crust that is tender and workable but also incredibly flaky.
Step 3
Sprinkle water over the flour and fat mixture a few tablespoons at a time. Toss with a fork or gently with your hands. Once all the water has been added, knead the dough a few times until it just comes together.
Step 4
Form the dough into a disc, wrap and chill for at least 2 hours or up to 2 days.
Make the pie:
Step 1
Set oven to 425F.
Step 2
Roll out crust and line pie plate. Place in refrigerator to chill while oven heats up.
Step 3
In a large bowl, beat together honey sugar, salt, melted butter, eggs and yolk until fluffy; approx. 2 minutes.
Step 4
Stir in pecans. Pour mixture into prepared pie plate.
Step 5
Bake at 425F for 15 minutes. Drop temp to 350 and bake for an additional 50-60 minutes. Pie is done when edges are set but center has a slight jiggle.
Step 6
Cool completely before serving.
Important note about baking with honey:
Using honey in baked goods causes them to brown much quicker than when using sugar. This can make the top of your pie want to darken or even burn long before its done baking. When I make this pie, I typically will tent the entire pie with a piece of foil after it has baked at 350F for 15-20 minutes. Just be careful to not let the foil touch the filling or it will stick. This may seem strange but trust me, this is the way to guarantee a beautifully baked honey pecan pie. If your oven runs hot, you may also want to turn the oven down to 325F rather than 350F.
