Best Pecan Pie Bake Off

Analysis

Ina Garten: distinctively spiked with orange zest, this pie suffered from a soggy bottom

It’s been awhile since there’s been a bake off contender that I wouldn’t recommend, but unfortunately Ina’s maple pecan pie falls on this list. Made with maple syrup, corn syrup and honey, this recipe was interesting for its omission of granulated sugar as well as the addition of grated orange zest. Most tasters (save for a couple) didn’t love the addition of orange. However, the primary issue with this pie was the extraordinarily soggy bottom. Ina doesn’t specify to blind bake the crust first, so made as directed, this was a soggy mess.

While possible there was some element of baker’s error here, I can’t figure out what went wrong besides not blind baking the crust. I think the lack of sugar or any kind of thickener in the filling also contributed to the very wet crust. Sadly, I do not recommend this recipe.

Sister Pie: a floral, fruity pie with a traditional gelatinous texture and a toasted pecan crust

Sister Pie’s recipe is intriguing for many reasons: it uses toasted pecans in the crust, a combination of maple syrup, honey, turbinado sugar and cornmeal in the filling, AND adds 2 tablespoons of apple brandy for good measure. Unfortunately, I think the Hartley brandy I used overpowered the filling, diverting the filling down a distinctly fruity road. The texture of the filling is also very distinctly gelatinous, typical of a classic pecan pie (not my ideal texture). And while I think the toasted pecans add a beautiful speckled appearance to the crust, I didn’t notice a big taste difference (though it was delightfully crisp).

Tasters widely noted the apple notes in this pie (“”background apple flavor was refreshing and creative,” “filling kind of tasted like apple pie”) and generally thought there was good sweetness without being too much. While some thought the crust was flaky and buttery, others found it a little hard or chewy. “Wish it was denser–feels like a pie that could benefit from the fridge,” noted one. One noted the lingering alcoholic aftertaste. If you like fruity notes and the traditional kind of lumpy jelly texture, this is a great choice. I also think you could omit the alcohol and still end up with a great pie (one that I would probably prefer flavor-wise).

Bojon Gourmet: a boozy bourbon-forward pie with a gluten-free crust

Alanna is my go-to for whole grain, gluten-free desserts, and I was very excited to include her recipe in this bake off in the maple syrup category (to face off against Sister Pie, I used her maple syrup option rather than the sorghum syrup). Note that her filling recipe is fairly similar to Sally’s Baking Addiction, who was my other contender for this category (Alanna has a 1:1 ratio of brown sugar to maple syrup while Sally has a 2:1 ratio). In the end, I went with Alanna to see how her gluten-free pie crust would hold up against others.

Unfortunately, I may have overworked the dough because it was quite thick and not very flaky despite my attempts at the fraisage method and the multiple optional folds. On the plus side, the filling is robustly boozy if that’s your preference. With two tablespoons of bourbon cooked into the filling and two added afterwards, all flavor bases are covered.

Tasters loved the “complexity of vanilla and bourbon flavors” in this pie as well as the “roasted pecans contained in gooey goodness.” To me, this was another pie with a classic jelly-like layer, though I liked that the chopped pecans helped break up the texture. Quite a few noted that the alcohol flavor was a bit overpowering, but those who liked the booze noted that the filling had good flavor and consistency. A good number of people also thought the crust was a little hard and cardboard-like/crackery crust.

If you have all the flours on hand, I think this is an interesting gluten-free crust to try. To be honest, if I were attempting a gluten-free pecan dessert for Thanksgiving, I would opt for Alanna’s chocolate cranberry pecan tart instead (#16 in that link, recipe available in her cookbook! Similar crust available here). I think tart crusts are much more forgiving–plus, I’ve made that tart before and it is SO tasty.

Toni Tipton-Martin: a caramelized, almost chocolate-y, flavorful pie with subtle bourbon notes

Toni’s whiskey-laced pecan pie from her cookbook, Jubilee, was another interesting corn syrup contender that stood out for using dark corn syrup and soaking the pecans in whiskey prior to adding to the filling. Toni’s recipe also uses the unusual step of creaming together the filling ingredients in a stand mixer (most other recipes use melted butter and just stirring). The combination of the dark corn syrup, dark brown sugar, toasted pecans and hint of whiskey (I used bourbon) leads to a beautifully toasty, decadent pie with notes of chocolate and smoke.

Tasters praised the “excellent dark sugar/caramel taste” that imbued the filling and the flaky and caramelized crust. Some thought it was too sweet and rich, a few thought the pecans were too deeply toasted (adding notes of bitterness–baker’s error here, though I would always take deeply toasted over under-toasted), and a few called the filling cloyingly sweet. I loved the deeply flavored, full-bodied flavor to this pie. Texturally, I didn’t love the whole pecans on top or the slightly gelatinous filling (and characteristically would prefer it without the bourbon). But as traditional pecan pies go, this is a stunner!

Flour Bakery: a runny, caramel-laced pie pecans suspended in a not-too-sweet caramel

With high-ranking/winning pumpkin and apple pie recipes, I had high hopes for Flour’s pecan pie. With plenty of corn syrup and white sugar that gets cooked to a light caramel, this recipe baked up into a gooey pie with untoasted pecans suspended in a fairly runny caramel. The filling was so runny, it made me question if it should be cooked to a far thicker texture. If I made this pie again, I would definitely toast the pecans and increase the salt. Overall, I liked the flavor of this pie, but the structural integrity was rather lacking.

Interestingly, “too nutty” was a common refrain for this pie–people generally thought the filling was too thin, which made the pie seem overly nutty. “Nuts somehow taste soggier in this one,” commented one. Most liked the flavor of the filling (“classic” and “not too sweet”) but found it too runny: “excellent filling flavor, but too gooey.” Overall, some liked the delicate flavor and crispy texture of the crust but others found it soaked up a lot of syrup, making it a bit limp. If you generally find pecan pie to be too sweet, I would definitely give this pie a try (and perhaps try scaling back on the pecans, or at least chopping them for more even dispersion).

Food & Wine: a show-stopping, decadently buttery pie that is incredibly rich and sweet

With over 2k ratings and an overall 5 star review on Food & Wine, this recipe apparently won the 1886 State Fair of Texas State pie competition. With 1.5 sticks of butter in the filling, it’s no wonder! This was also the pie with the most generous crust recipe, which is fitting as it’s designed for a 10″ deep dish pie. With a relatively high proportion of sugar (2.25 cups) to just 1/2 cup of corn syrup and 2 tablespoons of flour to help thicken the filling, the consistency of this filling was definitely less gelatinous than other pies. It really just tastes like an incredibly rich, sweet and buttery pudding shot through with toasty pecans.

One taster “absolutely loved the caramelization and almost borderline burnt (in a good way) flavor” (yes, I did overbake the pie a tad). Some tasters found it too sweet, but others enjoyed the sweet but not cloying custard-like texture and “toffee-like, caramelized toasted pecan” flavor. “This is exactly what I want out of my pecan pie. It’s that in your face sweetness and that rich caramel flavor all wrapped up in that gooey deliciousness that you know will put you into that Thanksgiving food coma.” One taster noted that the “thicker filling and crust feels weirdly homogenous–I want more diversity in texture.”

For me, even though there’s a slight gelatinous feel, I thought this pie was incredible–it’s one of the pies that converted me to a pecan pie lover. If you’d like to take this up a notch, try browning the butter!

Jessica Maher: a golden syrup-laced pie with a smooth-textured filling and laced with a hint of bourbon

Someone had recommended Jessica Maher’s pie via Texas Monthly, but I’m linking another version in the title as I think it has better detailed instructions (in the TM post, it doesn’t specify whether the “1 pie crust” should be par-baked or not). The more detailed post specifies to use your favorite unbaked crust, so I chose Erin McDowell’s all-butter crust. Filling-wise, this recipe is quite similar to Smitten Kitchen except that it uses 1/4 cup of heavy cream, 2 tbsp less butter, no vanilla or apple cider vinegar, and the bourbon is not optional. It was gratifying to see tasters rate this and Smitten’s pie fairly similarly since the recipes are so similar. Personally, I preferred Smitten’s pie partially for the better balanced flavor, but I think the chopped pecans had a large part to play. I didn’t like the whole pecans in this pie.

“Borders on too sweet, but contrasts well with the darker caramel flavor and nuts,” said one. Only a couple commented on the “hint of booze,” so the bourbon flavor was fairly subtle. Tasters also liked the crisp and flaky crust (“buttery, straightforward, let the filling be the star of the show with solid background support”). Overall, I thought this had a good filling, but I would probably make Smitten’s pie over this in the future due to the lack of par bake and the fact that this pie requires heavy cream and bourbon.

Smitten Kitchen: a golden syrup-laced pie with the perfect balance of sweetness and toasty nuts

The lyrical way Deb describes golden syrup (“lightly toasted with a pinch of salt, giving it a caramel-ish vibe”) convinced me to track it down at my local World Market. The combination of the golden syrup with dark brown sugar, a tiny dash of apple cider vinegar makes for a beautifully sweet but balanced pie that I burned slightly on the top and was even more delicious for it. (Note: I omitted the optional bourbon and coarsely chopped the nuts).

Tasters loved the crispy crust and the “perfect set but not clumpy” filling with “toasty, caramelized pecan goodness.” “Gooey, chewy but still with a nice crunch. Hints of molasses or burnt caramel.” Many thought it was perfectly sweet; a few commented that it was too sweet. “Very gooey sweet and rich filling perfectly offset by pecans. Pie crust had a good snap to it and was crumbly and buttery in all the right ways,” noted one taster. “Crunchy, chewy, caramely,” praised another. Like the tasters, I also loved this pie and can’t wait to make it again!

King Arthur‘s Old-Fashioned: toasty pecans stud a smooth, creamy, perfectly sweet filling in a flaky, crunchy crust

This unusual recipe omits all syrupy ingredients in favor of a large quantity of brown sugar and, similar to Smitten Kitchen, a dash of vinegar to balance the sweetness. (Note: I used the pie crust recipe that’s linked in the recipe ingredients and did not blind bake the crust.) It also uses 1/4 cup of flour which I think is why the filling is significantly less gelatinous than the other pies. Rather than a wobbly layer of jell, King Arthur’s filling is creamy, smooth and sweet without being tooth-achingly so. There’s a kind of pasty character to the filling that’s reminiscent of a sweet potato pie.

“I have found my perfect 10,” declared one taster. Many tasters praised the flaky, crunchy crust, though a few found it was too dry. Tasters praised the filling for being “nicely gooey and perfectly sweet” and “best texturally” and loved how the toasted pecans helped balance the sweet filling. One taster noted that it was missing a bit of the caramel flavor more present in other fillings (which I agree with). But if you’re not a fan of the traditional jelly texture, there’s none of that to be found–and for that, this was my favorite pie texture!

Recommendations

You want my subjective opinions? You got em!

Most decadent and crowd-pleasing pie: Food & Wine, King Arthur, Smitten Kitchen

Best smooth-textured (non-gelatinous) pie: King Arthur, Food & Wine, Flour Bakery

Best traditionally-textured (gelatinous) pie: Smitten Kitchen, Toni Tipton-Martin, Jessica Maher

Best boozy pie: Jessica Maher, Toni Tipton-Martin, Bojon Gourmet, Sister Pie