Bourbon Pecan Pie

Name: Bourbon Pecan Pie
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 50 min
Total time: 65 min
Yield: 7 Pieces
Ingredients: 1 9 1/2" Blind Baked Pie Crust (use the leftovers for decorations)*; 1 C Brown Rice Syrup (344g); 2/3 C Light Brown Sugar (136g); 2 Tbs Unsalted Butter (room temperature); 1 Tbs Molasses; 1/4 C Bourbon (52g); 1 1/2 tsp Vanilla Bean Paste or Extract; 1 1/2 C Pecan Halves (184g); 3 Eggs (room temperature, beaten)

By Traci 60 Comments

Bourbon Pecan Pie, made with just a touch of bourbon, molasses, and butter with the flakiest homemade pie dough is a favorite anytime of year.

Oh it’s been one of those weeks. I’m not sure if it’s the change in season, the stormy weather or if I’m coming down with a little something. I just seem to be running in circles, not accomplishing what I’ve set out to do. Do you know what I mean?

One thing I have going for me is this Bourbon Pecan Pie. Finally, something worked! But before we talk pie, I’ve got a few pics to share with y’all from our California trip.

Rob and I headed out to California late last month, for a bit of birthday celebration and get-a-way. First to San Fran to say a quick hello to the gorgeous bridge and environs and to meet Kelly at the famed Tartine Bakery. Have you been? It was such a delight to meet Kelly, who’s blog I discovered last year, for the first time. We sipped wine and champagne over some outrageous hot pressed sandwiches, I’m determined to recreate for y’all because I know you love sandwiches, and chatted for as long as possible, but not long enough.

Rob and I left with an armful of brownies, chocolate croissants and dark chocolate mousse cake (gah!). We had a long drive ahead and I had to do some blog research, right?

That evening we drove to Pacific Grove where we stayed in a little AirBnB that was cozy and comfortable. This was our jumping off point for days of birding, hiking, picnicking and ocean gazing. We didn’t even make it to a winery!

Rob and I haul our binoculars with us everywhere and keep lists of birds we spot. We study their behavior and listen for them by ear. One spectacular sighting was a California Condor, the largest bird in North America with a wing span of nearly 10′. Their numbers had plummeted to a mere 23 individuals in the early 1980s. To avert extinction, a captive breeding program was started and brought their numbers back to around 400 individuals. This is nowhere near their historic numbers, but an improvement nevertheless.

We saw Sea Otters for the fist time. They are so interesting, completely adorable and another animal that’s been brought back from the brink. It was the fur trade in the late 1800’s that almost removed Sea Otters from the face of the planet. Thanks to some aware tree-huggers, their numbers are rebounding, but they’ve yet to fully recover. I am hopeful.

Sea Otters have a beautiful way of living. They have nurseries where in small groups adults wrap themselves in kelp with their young propped up on their belly. The kelp keeps the adults anchored so that they can rest without floating out to sea or down the inlet estuary. We heard a pup start calling when the adult left it to dive for food, it sounded like a human baby crying. When this occurred, another adult from the nursery swam over, picked up the pup and put it on its belly. The little otter stopped calling.

When the other adult popped up from getting a clam, we noticed it was carrying a stone on its belly. The stone stays there even when diving for clams. They use the stone as a hard surface to crack open clam shells to get to the meat inside.

Each morning we’d plan the day, pack a lunch and spend the days out exploring and hiking. We visited Point Lobos State Natural Reserve, a gem just outside of Carmel supported by an educated and loyal group of volunteer docents. We made our way down the twisting coast on highway 101 through Big Sur, over Bixby Bridge and stopped along the way at Big Sur Bakery to recharge, and do a bit more research.

There were plenty of gasps from the views, waves crashing and quick turn outs to catch a glimpse of a flock of Brown Pelicans, a pod of Sea Lions or to watch the fog roll in from above. Julia Pfeiffer State Park was breath-taking. We spent most of Rob’s birthday there. Hiking. Gazing. Listening.

We hope to go back some day when we can spend more time… It is truly a special place and has captured our hearts.

T0 see wildlife in their homes, on their terms was inspiring. I couldn’t have asked for a more fulfilling and enriching experience.

Now, about this pie.

The bourbon is bold, but not overwhelming. I like to whip out the booze during the holiday season, both in baking and in drinking, especially Bourbon; one of my favorite libations to bake with.

My love of pecan pie runs deep. Growing up, it was always on the holiday table, without the bourbon of course. Ma used to serve it with whip cream. Us kids, all four of us, would haggle over the leftovers. It was always over the top sweet. We loved it.

As an adult, I find pecan pie usually to be overly sweet because of the corn syrup and added sugar. In this recipe, I’ve left out the corn syrup in favor of brown rice syrup and use brown sugar in place of white with a bit less of it than in some recipes I’ve seen. I prefer brown rice syrup over corn given the issues surrounding GMOs.

Bourbon Pecan Pie is best made one day ahead of serving so the rich, custard filling has time to cool and set. Be ready with a homemade All Butter Buttermilk Pie Dough, which can be made in advance of whippin up this boozy treat. Gently reheat the pie and serve it with sweetened vanilla bean whip cream or a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream for a melty, texturally tantalizing experience!

Southern Style Bourbon Pecan is rich, buttery and sweetened with dark brown sugar and brown rice syrup cradled in an all butter buttermilk pastry. | Vanilla And Bean

5 from 8 votes