This is my grandmother’s recipe. It’s perfect. It’s special. And it makes three pecan pies. It will also make three recipients very happy. That’s why she made them every year at Christmas. To share them. But she wouldn’t just make three, she would make many. She was known to make as many as thirty in one day. My uncle now makes her pies. He makes them for the same reason. To share. To spend time with friends and family. To remember her with his brother and sister. To carry on his mama’s memory. And for the past several years, we’ve made them together.
You know, when my grandmother, my granny as I called her, was here with us, I don’t think I ever tasted one of her pies. Not once on all of the Christmases we spent together. I wouldn’t eat anything with nuts back then. It had to be chocolate. I was way too picky. And now, her pie is one of my favorites. How I wish I could go back and have a piece with her and talk to her… find out more about her life… from her. I know now that she was much more than a grandmother. Than a title. Than a job description.
Before she was ever my grandmother, she was a person with a life full of feelings and experiences to share. I wish I had asked her about them. I miss her.
I’d also ask her about this top. Wow… Granny!
Alrighty then… let the sharing begin. Mama’s pecan pies as demonstrated by my uncle.
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
To get started, cut up two sticks of margarine and melt in the microwave. Set aside to cool.
You’ll need a pound of pecans. Good pecans. My uncle likes these from Stone Mountain Pecan Company. Sort through them and make sure you don’t have any doohickies in the pecans.
And by doohickies, I mean the dark pieces that can get stuck in the crevice of the pecan. You will want to remove them because they can give off a bitter taste.
In a large bowl, add a pound of light brown sugar and work out any lumps.
Add a heaping tablespoon of self-rising flour to the sugar and stir until the flour disappears.
Add a 16 oz. bottle of light corn syrup.
Then, add a tablespoon of imitation vanilla.
Stir that all together until blended and smooth.
Add the melted margarine. By now it’s had time to cool. Fold it in very slowly or it will splatter. Keep folding until it is completely incorporated into the mixture.
Crack open six eggs. But see those white things attached to the yolks. Yeah, those squiggly things. My granny called them roosters.
Remove all the roosters. If you don’t, they will make shiny spots on the surface of the pie. When the roosters are removed, give a quick stir to the eggs and pour them in the pie mixture.
Then, fold the eggs into the mixture until thoroughly combined and the egg disappears. Finally add all of the pecans and stir to make sure they all get coated.
Now, right before baking, remove three frozen pie crusts from the freezer. Very important… use regular size, not deep-dish.
Yes, frozen. They’ll be great. Especially when you are making dozens of pies. Make sure you don’t have any cracks in the shells or else the mixture will seep under the pie crust and you don’t want that to happen. But, if they do have cracks, let them thaw and knead the dough together and refreeze until ready to use.
Pour the mixture into the pie crusts. Focus on getting the liquid amount right first.
Then, try to make sure you have the same amount of pecans in each pie. See the bowl, you’ll probably have just a little bit of mixture left over. That’s ok. Gently test the the surface of the pies with your spoon and you’ll be able to tell if one has more than the other. If it does, transfer some of the pecans from one pie to the other.
CAREFULLY place the pies in the oven and bake for 45 minutes.
They’ll puff up a little towards the end right before they are finished baking. You can also leave them in a little longer for a darker color if you like. Watch them though. It won’t take long.
Then remove and let cool on a wire rack for a few hours to set up. Oh my.
Or if you just can’t wait for them to cool and set up, enjoy a warm pie right out of the oven. Hey, you do have three.
You can also refrigerate them. Yes, I love my pecan pie cold. I like to cut a piece and hold it like a brownie… no forks. Yum!
Or … instead of three pies… you can make 33 little pies.
Miniature Pies. Seriously, how could I resist.
Follow all the same instructions above, except chop your pecans up first.
And use miniature pie shells with aluminum bottoms. These come eight to a box. Place them on a large baking sheet and fill the shells just to the top with your pecan pie mixture.
And bake at 350 for about 35 minutes. Actually, don’t bake them like this. We were in a hurry towards the end of the night and decided to bake them all at one time against our better judgment. They’ll do better and bake more evenly if you work in batches. Only unwrap about 12 crusts at at time from the freezer and bake for about 35 minutes. I’m guessing on the time here since we didn’t do it this way, so watch them and make sure they are done.
Oh yeah!
When they are cool, you can wrap them in plastic wrap and put a tiny tiny bow on top. That’s how my granny did it with her pies.
Simple and sweet.
Now, here’s the recipe, listed with the brands she liked to use if you want to make it exactly.
For mini pies: chop pecans, use mini frozen pie shells, removing them from the freezer as needed and bake in three batches on a baking sheet for about 35 minutes each. I'm guesstimating the time. Watch them and make sure they are done.
Mama's Pecan Pies
Ingredients
Instructions
Notes
I love your Granny’s top! My Granny makes great pecan pies too. I had a piece the other day…yum! She said that half of the pie was gone before the afternoon.
Just made them for my bf, since this is his favourite pie. I didn’t have light corn syrup so I used golden… I hope it’s okay!
I can’t wait to try these! It reminds me of the pecan tree my parents have in their backyard. That tree stills exists and it give us precious gifts every winter, even the dogs like the pecans: they actually crack them to eat the insides. Isn’t that amazing? Every winter my mom cooks pecan pie and it was something out of this world. Now that I live 10 hrs away from my parents, I will make thse pies and take one to them as a surprise. I hope they like it, because I know I will. Thanks for sharing this recipe, and God bless your grandma whereever she is! <3
Oh and I used regular butter coz I don’t have any margarine on hand. I don’t know if it makes a difference but the pies are yummy.
It looks like a great recipe I may want to try and tackle! :) But I really loved the thoughts about your grandmother… I too miss my grandma even more around the holidays. She was such a loving and easy to be around gal. Your post made me well up.
I just want to say, your pecan pies are super delicious!! I finally had time to bake some this morning. I think I will finish one pie before Christmas come. Good thing there are 3 of them. heehee…. Thanks for the recipe again.
http://paintings-larisa.blogspot.com/
oh my gosh those look soooooo good. I think i’m going to rob my husbands wallet and run to the store real quick!!!
Wow, your granny was so beautiful. I love the 50’s look, so I am totally in love with her hair and style.
Also, your baking is always flawless. I really appreciate not only your recipies, but your art – and your willingness to share it all with us.
Merry Christmas!
Can a fellow Australian tell me where to get corn syrup? Or a suitable substitute? The pies look gorgeous, would love to try them.
I haven’t tasted one yet, cause they are still cooling, but they sure look tasty.
I made the mini pies (tarts) and I got 42…I was surprised since I know my tart shells are larger than the average ones.
Also, I am finding that between 25-30 mins is good for the mini pies.
For anyone looking for them, I will give you a couple hints.
In CA, they are next to impossible to find…I have found them at Sur La Table (which I believe are nationwide…they are quite pricey, though). I get mine from Sysco. They come out to half the price (at least) of Sur La Table…but you may need to order through a restaurant (that’s how I get mine…connections…lol)
In Canada, you can get them at Superstore and they are ridiculusly cheap there, compared to anywhere I have found them online or anywhere else in the USA…but I am sure some of you are lucky enough, like Bakerella, who live in a state where they are available in store.
A great place to find mini pie shell pans is Home Goods and Marshall’s too. I was there yesterday and they had 4 mini pie pans for $4.99
What a sweet memory of your Grandma! She was beautiful! I love those mini pecan pies, so adorable!
I love the picture of your grandma, and your touching insight on missing her, oh and the photo of your uncle and the pies! It made me tear up a bit… traditions and memories last so much longer than the pies. They are just a delicious vessel for love to journey through time!
I have to tell you, I love the human side to your blog. It brought tears to my eyes, seriously! We don’t realize how much our grandparents mean to us until they are gone. I am 35 and miss my grandma and grandpa so much but am blessed with another set that just turned 92! Your pies look amazing. Your grandmother was beautiful!
Hi, I love the pecan pay, look delicius and easy for make
I hope make for the chrismas day
I don’t know why this post made me cry! I just loved the way you talk about your granny. I still have mine. And I don’t want to ever let her go. I’ve never been tempted to make pecan pie, but I think I’m going to try your granny’s recipe :) Thank you for giving every detail and the why behind it – so helpful!
You knowe I have never made a pecan pie.
Thank You for sharing a family favourite alsong with the beautiful memories of your Granny.
When we are young, we take things for granted and don’t think of spending extra time with special people in our lives; I think it is the process of maturing and growing up. We become more sentimental and want to know about our heritage.
So Thank You so much for sharing a family heirloom recipe of your beautiful Granny…for sure I am going to make three for Christmas.
What is the best replacment for light corn syrup,could someone tell me, please
Hello Happy Bakers…. =o) I need a bit of time saving advice…I went to one store and didn’t find the mini-pie shells and really really don’t want to go to a million stores to find them. But I really really want to make them for my cookie/treat trays. Any suggestions? I am in the Pac. NW we have Fred Meyer (Kroger), Safeway, Albertson’s and of course WalMart. ( I couldn’t find them at our local Winco)
Ok, now to enter the debate on how to say Pecan…. My dad is from Oklahoma and tons of our relatives are from Arkansas… I was taught “PaCon” there’s no PEE in any of my pies =o)
Bakerella – THANK YOU for sharing your family recipe! I always share my recipes also… what good is keeping them a secret? Spread the love =o)
I have used this recipe for the last 5 or more years and they always come out perfect. They are super good! !
It’s hard to believe that the gorgeous woman in the photo became anyone’s grandmother! Pecan pie is my favorite, and I always love the minis! I believe that recipes are a precious legacy. Thanks so much for being so generous to share such a treasured family recipe with us. Happy Holidays!
Looks delicious. I will have to make these!!!!!
Just found your website and I love it! Thank you for being so detailed and taking pictures and all.
Just a little tip. If you can find them, the best crusts are from Oronco farms. Lol not sure of the spelling but they make absolutely the best pie crusts. They are in the frozen food section of the store.
What a great story. The memories of cooking with Granny are the best. I recently got one of my Great Grandmother’s favorite chocolate cookbooks and it is amazing to be able to bake something insanely yummy from the pages that she used to bake from. Plus, it is all totally from scratch so you feel much more connected. Thank you for sharing.
Hi! I was looking at a recipe from another site that someone copied from here without properly citing. . :(
Anyway, I love this recipe and I want to try it as pie in a jar like the ones seen here http://www.ourbestbites.com/2009/09/single-serving-pie-in-jar.html
Oh, I didn’t know if anyone else has said this or not, but the “roosters” are actually part of the membrane that keeps the yolk suspended inside the shell and not sitting on the bottom. It’s not bad for you, or yucky…it just sometimes affects our baked goodies like making shiny spots on our pies~!
Thank you for sharing this recipe and all that it means to your family!
If you roast the pecans first brushed with vegetable oil or butter it really brings out their flavor and makes them easier to chew after it’s baked.
My guy spent most of his childhood in Texas with a pecan tree in his parent’s front yard. He *loves* pecan pie. I made two for him in October using a very similar recipe. Two other native born Texans said it was the best they’ve ever had.
These pies are beautiful!
Stone Mountain Pecans!!! My boyfriend is from GA and grew up near Stone Mountain. He took me to GA a few years back (my first time to go) and Stone Mountain was the first place he took me!
Dear Bonny Bakerella,
I’ll admit that I still haven’t grown-up enough to really love nuts. But I am a fan of the idea of tiny pies. Why eat a big one if you can have these little cuties?
Love,
Married to a nut in Nebraksa
P.S. My eleven year-old sister was looking over my shoulder as I read this post and she commented that you must have a really big oven to hold all those pies! hehehe!
There is nothing better than a recipe from a grandma, I feel so grateful that both of mine are still alive, and such great cooks so that I can share my love for food with them. You look just like your grandmother, both of you are so pretty! Even prettier than that amazingggggg pecan pieeee!!!!! happy holidays bakerella!
Looks absolutely delicious, i love pecan pie as well as your website, truely inspirational. i find myself glued to your website for hours. you have inspired me to take a cake decorating class. thanx bakerella
I had my first ever Pecan Pie in October while in Texas and I’m so addicted! I’ve been hunting for a good recipe since then but this one looks perfect! I can’t wait to try the mini ones!
I just need to convert everything to UK measurements first!
All I can say is WOW! Those look so great. I’m definitely going to make some of these to share. I’m thinking 1 pie for Christmas dinner, and the rest into mini-pies for the neighbors.
Ok, I live at 545 Green…….
no seriously, if you need to send those to anyone, you can reach me at 211.597….
hehe, thanks for the post, love me some pecan pie!
PS…i believe the pecan pie is one of the easiest to throw together! That and my Buttermilk Pies! 3 3/4 cup sugar, you think they might be a tad rich? :)
Hey there!
Love the recipe, but I just loved hearing the story about your granny. Don’t know how many times I wished I had asked my Mom about “stuff”! But we have the memories don’t we?
My oldest daughter has set off the domino effect with your cake balls in our small town here. Everyone loves them and she sends them to your site for all the great goodies, recipes, and info! Thanks!
I hope you have a great Christmas!
I love pecan pie, but never have made one. In November I had made up my mind to make one for Thanksgiving. Never did, and lost the site with the recipe I dedided to try… And now…. Not only are you sharing your granny’s recipe, but a new tradition for me. I will make the three pies and pray about who should get the other two. I teared up over your sweet story. Our grandma’s are soooo special! Bless that uncle for taking over this very precious (and sweet!) tradition. Merry Christmas! Thanks for sharing hte recipe!
What is it about nan’s and baking, I did loads of baking with my nan as a child. She passed away last month but I have her old recipe book and make the gingerbread men with my daughters, although we do like to eat the dough before it’s cooked
What a lovely tradition! I wish I could make pecan pie the way my grandmother did. I never ate hers either (no nut rule as a child), but I hear it was delicious.
When I was an undergrad, I did try to get her recipe, and she told it to me over the phone from many states away. It began something like this — G-ma: Preheat the oven. Me: What temperature? G-ma: Well, make sure it’s hot enough but not too hot. Me: ???? And it ended like this — G-ma: Then you put it in the oven and bake long enough but not too long. Me: ????
I really should have made the effort to visit her to watch her process when I still had the chance. The directions I have are a little vague.
OMG, those look soooo good! My mouth is watering!
Wow!! Your grandma is sooo glamorous! She is beautiful, so full of grace.
holy smokes your granny was a knock-out!
and it’s so easy to see you are related!!!
…the pies are awesome but i’m all star struck with the picture of your granny.
i’m thinking she was super cool- and way beyond her time. she looks like she was really creative- had great style- and an all around awesome vintage lady :)
that’s what i imagine she was like!!
HAVE FUN CHRISTMAS BAKING !!
Oh yay!! I can’t wait to make these for the holidays!! They look delicious!! :-) Thanks so much for sharing- I am a HUGE fan of your cooking! Merry Christmas!
What a beatiful woman your grandmother was and I so understand what you write about her. My grandmother past away much to early and I miss her every day. Thank you so much for sharing such a wonderful recipe from your family, espcially around Christmas time!
By the way, I love your blog!!!!!
I love the mini pie idea!!! Now I need to find where I can buy the mini pie shells!
Pecan pie is my mother’s favorite! This was perfect! Thanks for sharing :)
Pecan pie is one of my favorites! I am glad your Granny did not think it was cheating to use frozen pie crusts.
I am glad my palate became less picky over the years; my grandmother makes amazing Greek and Armenian recipes, which I barely know how to pronounce let alone spell.
I made these tonight – I added whiskey and chocolate – which make everything better :)
Thank you for sharing!
My Dad was the Pecan Pie aficionado in our family. He loved baking them so much that when he passed away at 87 we buried him in a pecan casket. We thought he’d get a kick out of that. Enjoyed your Grandma’s pic and recipe, they brought back good memories!
The mini pies look so cute and yummy! Thanks for posting.
i’m not a huge fan of pecans but mini pies sound so delish! i think i’m going to try and make some soon. thanks for the inspiration!
I saw a post asking about the self rising flour–one cup of all purpose flour, 1 and 1/2 teaspoons of baking POWDER and 1/2 teaspoon of salt and mix together–you now have self rising flour!! :)
I don’t know where you found the mini frozen pie shells, but I would die for those. I took 3 kids in the freezing cold to find that the 3 grocery stores in our town did not carry them at all…my afternoon was spent with tart tins and refrigerated dough and I cut them down to size! They turned out amazingly adorable and worth all the time put in but it would’ve been a cinch with the pre-made ones right out of the freezer!! And DAMN is that recipe delicious!!! :D Many thanks to you and your granny!!!
“Doohickies” ? You are a HOOT! ! Love, love pecan pie!
I LOVE the mini pies. I never thought of wrapping up pie other than in foil. I LOVE the plastic wrap and bow presentation. Thanks so much for the idea and the drool worthy recipe :)
OMG! it’s delicious YUMMYYYYYYYYYY :) mini pies are looks funny and sweet :) corn syrup is not in Turkey so i’m using glucose..it’s taste changes :(
What a beautiful tribute to your grandma!
I’ve recently found your website through Pioneer Woman. While I have never enjoyed cooking per se. I do love to bake, and today’s post was perfect. My Dad absolutely loves Pecan pie. I never knew that about the dark bits. You learn something new every day.
Thank you,
Messy (just a bit)
Your grandmother was gorgeous! I love old photographs. Thank you for sharing her recipe!
Hi bakerella! I really really love your blog!
You’re very creative and have awsome ideas!
I was kinda disapointed to see that I couldn’t see any of the pictures in your last post…
would you mind try and reuploud at list the picture of the final pies?
Thanks a lot!
I LOVE the mini pie idea for gifts – what a great coworker gift! I’m baking this weekend and will be doing this! Thank you!
Mmmm…I love pecan pie! It was especially wonderful to see that lovely picture of your grandmother. I’ve never seen those little pie crusts in our local grocery, but I’m going to have to give a second look. I normally bake everything from scratch, but those crusts would certainly make a baking-gift project go a little quicker. Plus, with your incredible recipes, who could go wrong?
thanks for sharing. my grandma just passed away in august so this post really touched me. reading all your granny’s favorite brands to use made me smile. my grandma’s specialty was lemon meringue pie, and i’m really glad that i learned how to make it before she died. i’ll have to try your granny’s special pie too!
I usually add about a cup of chocolate chips to each pie. Chocolate Pecan for those of us who need an extra sugar rush around the season.
oh my god, those minis are TOO cute! as for frozen crusts, my family has a to-die-for pumpkin pie recipe and we hold to the belief that it’s the filling that really counts. we use frozen crusts every thanksgiving and i’ve yet to hear one complaint. or anything, really, besides the sound of faces being stuffed and groans of delight.
I loved the post — I lost my adored grandmother this year and that him me especially hard this year when Thanksgiving went by without her amazing cornbread dressing recipe. My husband still laments that he wasn’t able to get his Granny’s pecan pie recipe before she passed away a few years ago. We’re hosting Christmas at our house for the first time ever this year & will be trying this recipe. Thanks for sharing!
Your grandmother was quite the fashionista! Now we can see where some of your adorable comes from =D Thanks for sharing her recipe! I don’t actually eat nuts, but am still tempted to make these (if only I knew enough people to make 30 mini-pies for)
I must admit bakerella, I thought in our world margarine was a sacrilege! but i love how you’ve faithfully stuck to your grandmother’s recipe — margarine, imitation vanilla, store bought crust and all! i can’t stop thinking about roosters in my eggs! family traditions and recipes is what christmas is all about. thanks bakerella!
I love B/W photos! Your Grandmother is beautiful!
I too, have wished I had asked more questions of family members.
Yummy post!
Ok so am I the only one that can’t see any of the pictures anymore?!?!?! All is see is a red X!! I want to cry…I want to make these pecan pies but how can I with no pictures!!! O the horror!!!! Help?
Those pies look delicious. You have your grandmother’s smile!
OMG, wonderful !
In France, Pecans are very expansives…
Those pies look so yummy !!!
I miss my Gramma too. And boy oh boy, some of my best recipes are from her. Those Pecan PIes look amazing…love the teeny ones! What great gifts! A mini pie, a couple of tea bags and it’s an afternoon break in the making. Awesome post!
Your granny was beautiful! Such a babe!
And I love the Corningware bowl with the blue flowers on it that you and your uncle used to melt the margarine. I inherited a couple of small ones with the same pattern after my great-grandmother died last year, and they’re some of my favorite little things in my kitchen.
I have been lurking your blog forever now and I have to say you were a huge inspiration for me to finally start my own blog! I am so in love your posts and I can’t wait to try out this pie recipe. Another pie staple in my family growing up was Sugar Cream Pie. See my blog below for the recipe and a pic.
http://grewupinanindianatown.wordpress.com/2009/12/03/thanksgiving-2009/
Wow, your Granny was beautiful!!!! I love things from Grandmothers. We have lots of traditions from my Grandma that we still do. It makes me feel like she’s still with us, at least for one day.
mmmhhh!!! what a great recipe! i can´t wait to try it!
i´ll see if i can find something like light corn syrup here in argentina i think i can find the regular one kero. (not light, does it make a big diference?), and allso don´t have frozen pie crusts here but t can make my own.
love you bakerella! your posts make me so happy!
Where do you find the little pie crusts? I’ve never seen those in any store!
They all look so YUMMY !!!!!! : )
Wow! I am impressed. I blogged about making some pecan pies awhile back on my blog and mine are no where as detailed as yours. I bet yours are delicious!!!
Thanks for sharing your recipe! The pies are beautiful and the tarts are adorable. I might try to make them for Christmas.
Your grandmother was cute and you look a lot like her!
Your Granny looks just like you! =)
i just found this website and I LOVE IT.
the inspiration to bake has hit full force, and i would love to try these cute little pies!
thank you for sharing.
:)
This is such a nice tribute to your grandma. Thank you to you and your uncle for sharing this recipe! Merry Christmas!
Your granny was a dish! I love hairstyles from the 1940s. Reminds me of my Great Aunt Margaret who always makes her famous carrot cakes to give away at the holidays.
I wish I liked pie!! Those look great!
Yum!! I love me some Pecan Pie!! I’m from SC, and we take that pie very seriously down here. LOL
These look perfect. Nothing better than pecan pie!
does using margarine vs. real butter make a big difference?
Do you say puh `kon, or `pee kan? Either way, I’ll bet they taste “scrumptious’, which is a Sesame Street “word on the street”. And your grandmother was a beauty!
These look absolutely DELICIOUS and I’ll see about making some mini ones to share with my friends next week.
Now, if I can’t find self-raising flour (I live in Brazil, nooo way), how much baking powder/baking soda should I use?
OMG! Thank you so much for your recipe! My husband LOVES Pecan Pie and I haven’t been able to make one that he likes yet. I have a feeling that this recipe will get me a new pair of diamond something or other!!!!!
I am so glad you took out the Roosters! That’s what I call them to – from my parents – and I always take them out! Most people think I’m crazy when I talk about taking out the Roosters!
I just love reading your recipes and fun takes on life and baking each week! This recipe looks absolutely wonderful and I am going to try it. This week, in fact. :) Thanks!
Bakerella–Love you, love this site–wondered if you can use real butter? I never have margarine on hand, but I’ve always wanted to try pecan pie because my dad grows pecans and they are very plentiful. I’m about to receive a new crop from this year and I need to use up the ones in my freezer!
Perfect for any holiday table AND sooooo cute!
oh, how i love pecan pie! i will have to make them this holiday season!
I’ve always just made the recipe on the back of the Karo bottle – can’t wait to try this one instead. (I always add about 1/2 cup of chocolate chips, usually dark since its my favorite, to my pecan pies – wonder if it’ll work as well in this recipe but I don’t see why not…)
Yum, thank you for sharing.
never sacrifice chocolate sister. line the bottom of your pie crusts with semi-sweet chips!
also, in the south we throw in some bourbon too.
just a tip form me to you.
Pecan pie is my FAVORITE pie. I love it warm from the oven. Love the minis.
What a great idea?! The pies look absolutely delish!
You (and your grandmother) are FABULOUS!
Thank you so much for sharing your Granny’s recipe! What a special thing for you and your uncle to do together. My best friend’s favorite thing in the world is pecan pie, and I needed one more present for him for Christmas, so I think this is it! What could be nicer than a pie, especially if it’s your favorite?
A quick tip for you for easily removing the “roosters”. For some reason, egg whites and shells are more attracted to the egg shell itself than a spoon. So, once you crack your eggs, take your a broken egg shell and use it capture your roosters. Should be a lot easier!
Your grandmother was a stunner! I love the idea of minipies, though I think I will try it with a whack of pumpkin pies. Yummy!
Thank you for the wonderful post! My grandma was also a pie baker in her earlier years. She made so many pies – everyone asked her for them. I wish I would have made them with her and I wish I could go back now and just sit at her little kitchen table and enjoy some pie with her. I miss my grandma too. Thank you again for your post.
You look like your granny! Me too! I used to get called Little Jeanne. Guess my daugther does too as she is the spittin image of me.
I tried a pecan pie one time just after I got married and it exploded all over the oven. I haven’t tried again and it has been 15 years! I think I am finally brave enough to try again!
On a seperate note, my mother in law couldn’t find Karo at the store so she used maple syrup (like Log Cabin) instead and everyone liked them better at Thanksgiving.
Thanks for sharing and Happy Holidays!
Bakerella, I also Heart pecan pies, I make them every Christmas. Your post came just in time for me. I am going to make 3 or maybe 6 and give them as gifts to friends. Thank you for doubling/tripling the recipe, it makes it so much easier to follow. And, I am going to follow your recipe this year. I’m exicted, I hope you are too. Merry Christmas~Cheryl
i know i’m weird, but u know, i hate pie crust.no idea why.just hate it. but i LOVE pie filling. i’m a contradiction in myself.lol. btw, i had a question on my blog about who their fav food blog is and most of em said bakerella!yay!
When I read this entry today I decided to “bite the bullet” and make a pecan pie. So I ran to the store to get the ingredients before I changed my mind. I love to bake but has always been intimidated by the thought of making pecan pie for some reason. This was super easy to make and my husband loves it. I think this is where my fear came from in making them- my mother-in-law makes them and her son (my husband) loves them and I was afraid I would not live up to the standard but my husband thinks these are wonderful(he is honest and would tell me if he really didn’t-so I believe him).
So thanks Bakerella for sharing your grandma’s recipe.
This is my great grandmother’s recipe too! We make these every Thanksgiving and Christmas – it wouldn’t be right without them!! Yours look beautiful!
doohickies!! LOL I haven’t heard that word in a very long time. Your recipe is close to the one my step mother used, but hers only made two pies which was never enough. So I think I will try your Granny’s recipe this Christmas. Thank so much for the memories. Have a Merry Christmas!!
One WHOLE bottle of corn syrup?? Wow!! As pretty as these look, I’m not going to make them, corn syrup is rather pricey here!!
These look SO good! I absolutely love pecan (pee-can, not pec-on or pee-con, lol) pie. I’ve never made it though…something about all the corn syrup…I’m fine eating it, just not sure I could actually put it all in there myself, lol. I might have to give it a try though!
That looks absolutely delicious! I absolutely love pecan pies and I’ve been looking for a trusted recipe so I was super excited to see this! Thank you so much for sharing =)
Oh they are adorable! I love it! Thanks for sharing your granny’s recipe! She was a beautiful lady!
Lovely post and your granny was so beautiful! Pecans are not readily available in Greece. Shame because these look delicious.
Seeing your ingredient list makes me long for baking back home in SC. Dixie Crystals and White Lily. I know it can’t really be all that different in CA, but I swear my cookies would be better if I was baking with those brands. I even make my mama ship White Lily cornmeal to me because I can’t find anything as good. Your granny’s pies look amazing. Thank you for sharing them and her with us!
Mmmmm I love pecan pie!! I’ll have to try this sometime. Those mini ones are especially cute.
I’ve always wanted to make pecan pie! I’m going to try this recipe.
Sharing your Granny’s story brought a little sadness to me but I know in my Heart that all departed ones keep watch over us and they are still with us in Spirit. Being a Southern gal, pecan pie has always been a part of our holiday meals – I will definitely be making your Granny’s pie recipes for Christmas sharing.
BTW, the little membrane attached to the egg yolks (ie Roosters) is actually how the yolk attaches itself to the egg shell (explained to me that way) – totally edible but some remove it because they find it unsightly.
Merry Christmas to all………
Your grandmother is so beautiful! The pies look so scrumptious…
mmmm……Pecan pie is a favorite of mine. I love seeing your Grandmother’s picture. She looks so fabulous. Thanks for sharing
Your Grandmother is gorgeous!!! I wish I had done the same, sit down and talk with my Grandma more. I do remember one Christmas when I was in my teens or a bit older, she was at the table making pecan tassies, which were like the little pies you made but even smaller. I remember being completely mesmerized watching her shape the dough then her putting the mixture in the tartlets. I loved to watch her prepare and bake goodies.
She always made mini things, even had little baking loaf pans for cinnamon bread. But then again, she was tiny too, 4′ 11″ and maybe 90lbs soaking wet!
Thank you for your post, it brought back such lovely memories, and the recipe looks simply Yummy!!!!
My grandmother baked these exact pies! Seeing as we all had pecan trees around she baked them alot and always froze some. She always had pies in the freezer and she and we called them “Funeral Pies” because she said she kept them and if someone passed she could thaw it out and take it to the family (kinda sad in one way but we always got a big joke out of it). When we’d be at her house and want something sweet we’d all say “Mama do you have any funeral pies?” And she’d go to the chest freezer and pull something out (usually pecan). And if something sweet was sitting on the table (usually was) she’d always announce and laugh if it was one of her “funeral pies”.
(We ALL called my grandmother Mama)
Your granny was absolutely gorgeous! I’m so excited that you posted this recipe and included the info about the mini pies…that’s an awesome gift idea…I never thought of that before. I’m definitely making the minis this weekend. Merry Christmas!
I’m a northwesterner living in the south (opposite from someone else that has already commented) and I’ve been thinking about taking cookies around to our new neighbors…but maybe I’ll have to do this! Looks great! Thank you for sharing!
My mom makes an amazing pecan pie (or three) every year at the holidays! It seems like it’s the one thing that EVERYONE agrees should be on our holiday table! Thanks for showcasing this amazing holiday dessert and bringing a smile to my face this morning!
Great post. Pecan pie is my hubby’s favorite pie, but I never make it. I don’t like making pies, but mini pies, I think I could do those.
What an awesome idea to celebrate the Holidays….make multiple batches of pies and share them. I guess that’s similar to the assorted cookie idea too!! Isn’t it amazing (and kinda sad) how we don’t really appreciate things until it’s too late? I wish I had sat down with my grandma too and talked about her life, there are so many things that I’d LOVE to know now!!
Thank you for sharing this wonderful memory, and delicious recipe!
I’m new to this website and absolutely love it! You’re a true artist!
Thanks for reminding us what this season is REALLY about; family, memories, and traditions. Pecan pie has always been my favorite pie. I grew up in Texas with a very southern granny and we had pecan pie every Christmas. Thank you for honoring your beautiful granny and sharing her with us.
I am so excited to see the Watkins Vanilla. I sell Watkins. Let me know if you don’t have a dealer.
I love this post Bakerella. It made my think of my “Grandmommy” or “Granny” as I called her to “get her goat”. My Granny had what I thought was the best pecan pie ever and all of our friends and family begged her to make it for each holiday.
I was lucky enough to have Granny write down several recipes before she passed away. I was excited to try to make her pecan pie and assembled all of the ingredients. I happened to check out the recipe on the back of the Karo syrup bottle only to discover it was the SAME recipe! Oh well! Even though my Granny’s recipe is the same that is out there for the world to use, it will still be her recipe to me.
Thanks for sharing!
O my those mini pies are so cute!
I love the looks of your pecan pie!
Thanks for sharing your special memories and your Granny’s wonderful recipe with us. It is sad that children (and some adults, come to that) don’t just sit and listen to their elder relatives. The things you learn! Mine passed on when I was 6 and she was the only grandparent I had. :(
Your Granny was beautiful.
On a completely different tack, I notice in your pics that you have a convection oven. Do you use that? I have one and never have quite got the hang of it.
Hey Bakerella these look great and Pecan Pie is my favorite pie to have. I’ve been looking all over for mini pastry shells … where did you find them?
Wow, those mini pies look adorable! And your Granny was so gorgeous!
OH! That reminds me of my Grandpa’s famous Pecan Pie. Pecan pronounced Pee-Can :) I bet it taste’s just as yummy!!!
You gotta love traditions!!! As Judith Comfort would say, “When we prepare dihes handed down to us from our grandmothers, we become grandchildren again, reconnected to the people who have gone before us. When we prepare traditional food for our children, we give them memories they can turn to when they are grouwn and cut adrift. They will prepare these foods and once again be grounded with their families in time.” Love that quote.
Also, I was taught by an egg farmer friend that you remove the “rooster” with an egg shell and then it is easier to ‘cut’ it out and you don’t have to chase it!
Life is meant to be shared!
Ohhh! They look scrumptious! I love pecan pies! What a very
touching and loving memory to your Granny.
Ohh… I love that pic of your grandmother. She’s so glamorous! I will give the pecan pie a try, ummmm yummy. Thanks for sharing this lovely story.
you look just like her!
Bakerella, that is the exact same way I feel about my grandmother! I miss her everyday :)
You’re uncle looks cute!
Thanks for sharing!
They look beautiful, as does your grandmother. Why imitation vanilla though, not the real deal? Just a side note, Cooks Illustrated gave top ratings to CVS’ imitation vanilla and it is only 99 cents.
Well,Lady as time goes on,and we can expect,we got a winner in you!! Everyone here in the south,always love a pecan pie,and when you bring grandmothers into it,its like a double load of goodness!! Thanks for all your time,work,and computor tech.,which you do!! Its funny how all you ladies,are like a string around your finger,in these busy times,it says”hey,remember this”!! You help in many ways!! Have a nice Christmas!!
Delicious!! What a rockin grandma you have!
Wow never mind your – delicious looking pies.
How stunning is your Grandmother and I know what you mean when you say she was a person full of life and experiences. We do forget to take time to listen to the people older and wiser than us and hear their amazing life stories. And it is always handy to ‘acquire’ their recipes lol.
Have a happy cookie christmas. x
What a great idea and a great story! Btw, for folks wondering about regular vs imitation vanilla, Cooks Illustrated did an article a while back that showed that baking with imitation (artificial) was better for maintaining the vanilla flavor. The artificial has the same chemical compound that is in real vanilla that gives it it’s vanilla-y-ness, but apparently in higher concentration.
Thanks for sharing the family memories! It certainly seems as though you are helping a lot of families start some new traditions. What a special gift both you and your grandmother seem to share. :-)
These look wonderful! There is a distinct lack of sweet pies in England, everyone wants meaty pies – yuck. However, I’m going to make some of these for our New Year party and see how people like them.
I think the best sort of recipes are family ones, especially the ones written on scrappy bits of paper or ones that have tiny little rushed annotations on them. They make the outcome all the more special.
Thankyou for sharing this!
This looks so good! Im going to try to make it this weekend!
Aww, what a sweet story! I always wanted to know my great grandmother because I’ve been told she was an excellent cook and baker. My mom was notorious for eating multiple dinners because she had to be home for dinner, but she also wanted to eat her grandmother’s cooking.
And, of course, like any good gobbling granddaughter, my mom didn’t learn any of the recipes. :( Double unfortunate because my great grandma immigrated from Yugoslavia and had her recipes committed to memory rather than writing them down. My great aunt tried to give me a written version she has for pavivitza, but she’s not entirely convinced it’s the correct one, either! It was my mom’s favorite and the only one I actually want to know how to make.
Mmm looks delicious. Could you post up a scaled down version? (For one pie, please?)
Yikes. I just jumped on the cake ball train, now I have to make these little pies. You are creating a monster.
Lisa- a stick of butter is a 1/2 Cup
Here’s a conversion chart I found:
Butter or Margarine
1/8 cup = 30 grams
1/4 cup = 55 grams
1/3 cup = 75 grams
3/8 cup = 85 grams
1/2 cup = 115 grams
5/8 cup = 140 grams
2/3 cup = 150 grams
3/4 cup = 170 grams
7/8 cup = 200 grams
1 cup = 225 grams
Gorgeous mini pecan pies…what a great idea! Love your post on books and balls too.
Hi! I’m from Australia and we don’t get ‘sticks of margarine’. Could you please tell me how much is in a stick of margarine so I know how much to use? Thanks so much.
PS. I am about to make your reindeer cake pops tomorrow for our playgroup Xmas party. Wish me luck!
Oh Bakerella you must have been in my head today. I love Granny Stories. I wrote about my Grandmother this morning. It has been a day filled with all the aromas from my childhood. And tomorrow I go shoping for Cornish Game Hens for my dinner party on Friday. I was wanting to make her Pecan Pie but did not want “pie”. The MINI’s are just what I was looking for. I love that your Granny taught you to remove the roosters also. For the love of a Grandmother, hvae a happy day!
Your recipe sound really good, but I would use home made pie crust. It’s really easy with a good mixer. (3 c.flour to 1 c. shortning, dash of salt and ice water to make a ball)
I have three pecan trees in my front yard and have been picking pecans up for several weeks now. Not a very good year. Only have about 10 pounds in the freezer.
Love your site – keep up the good work!!
Your Grandmother is gorgeous–I love the picture of her.
And I know she is looking down smiling that you love her pies so much…and are sharing them with us!
They look delicious. I cannot wait to make my husband this recipe!
Love your Granny’s picture. She looks like “hot stuff”. The memories we have from cooking with our loved ones in the kitchen are the best.
I’m not a fan of margarine. Sorry. Would it be OK to use butter? Or is there some special reason for using margarine? I know I’d use the real deal vanilla, too. Thanks.
Woww! I LOVE IT! and just when i went through my own trouble of making crust for minature pie pans to make some turkey pot pies from left over turkey………You find the ones already made!! AWESOME! I am definitely going to make some of these for the holidays along with your chocolate chip cookie pie and some others. Thanks for being so kind to share!
thank you for sharing, such a very sweet memory!
My eyes are wet…thanks for bringing back memories of baking with my own sweet Granny, whom I miss like crazy. Enjoy your pies and the memories they carry. Merry Christmas.
Love love love it! What camera is that you’re using now.. eh?? :)
Aww – you made me miss my granny. I’m so thankful she’s still around and I get to see her at least once a week. My granny didn’t bake pies though. She made me rice porridge and Japanese curry :)
I love vintage pics and your granny looks gorgeous! How do they always look so effortlessy chic?
The pies look adorable and uber tasty!
I don’t even like pecan pies but this looks delicious!
You’re granny is absolutely gorgeous, and I would probably wear that top, now! ;)
Those pies look absolutely delicious…love the minis! What great gifts they will make!
Thanks for sharing!!
i cant wait to try this recipe. i can think of a few friends that would need a pie. thanks bakerella!
You are too cute, I have started the tradition of baking my Christmas presents and this year I was actually going to make sampler boxes of treats. I am sooo stealing the mini pie idea. But I may have to leave it out of my mom’s box, every since I was 3, during the holiday season we would spend an entire weekend baking hundreds of pecan pie tarts, maybe even thousands and those were what we delivered to all our neighbors, co-workers and friends.
Your granny is so beautiful!
Being a Southern Girl living in the NW, I think I’ll pay tribute to my roots and make this for Xmas! I may be the only one eaing it, but that’s OK! Picking out the “doohickies” made me laugh because my grandma had a pecan tree and as kids, we would crack them with our teeth and would have to pick out the doohickies with our fingers.
pecan pie is my FAVORITE!! because it was my poppa’s favorite… and i will never ever forget the Christmas that his sister decided to use honey instead of karo syrup in her pecan pie. poppa ate a slice just to please her… she no more got out the door than he had nanny throw the pie in the trash. “what was she thinking?! that pie was horrible!” haha! love and so miss that man!
and you used “watkins” vanilla! another family favorite and must have with baking…
i’ll have to make some mini pies to give away. poppa would like that.. :)
ok, I don’t personally like pecan pies, but I’m so making these little baby pies! I’ve never seen the baby pie shells in the freezer (tho I’ll admit, I never looked). What store did you get these from?
Thanks!!!
The pies look great!!
I would like to try it out someday..
I just have to say I am SO in awe of your art…very post you blow me away with your talent! Keep surprising me…it makes me smile! I hope one day to create goodies as beauitful as you did here!
It must be a Grandma thing! My Gramma made these pies too, every year! Pecan Pie has become my all time favorite pie! So delicious!
i will make this for christmas… i’ve been looking for a good pecan pie to try! you never fail me!
I’ve never made pecan (I pronounce it pee-can) pie. After reading your wonderful post (and such a nice tribute to your Granny & uncle, too!), I’m going to make it using your Granny’s recipe.
I absolutely love pecan pie, and these look fabulous! Can’t wait to try them. Thanks for sharing your granny’s recipe! Tonight I actually made one of my grandmother’s recipes for Rice Custard and I’ll be posting it on my blog shortly. It’s so fun to make recipes that are handed down from family!
I know how you feel. I never met my (maternal) grandmother–at least, not that I can remember, since she died (of cancer) when I was only 9 months old (and she was only in her early 60s!). My mom makes me my favorite dinner–her veal schnitzel recipe–whenever veal goes on sale. :)
love it! My husbands fave pie is pecan :)
oh that a gorgeous post :) I am sure your granny would be so happy to know that her tradition has been carried on!
The mini pies look amazing!
Glory – I think he says imitation because the bottle says artificially flavored at the bottom. I’m sure either is fine. I usually buy pure vanilla extract, but he likes the artifically flavored variety.
A serious recipe with a beautiful story. Thank you for sharing.
Thanks for sharing such a great memory! I adore pecan pie, even though it’s like eating a plate of sugar with nuts added (what’s wrong with that, right?). Several years ago, I found a recipe for cranberry pecan pie. Use the same recipe for pecan pie, but add 1 cup of chopped fresh cranberries (for 2 regular pies). The tartness of the cranberries balances out the sweetness of the pie. I make it every year for Thanksgiving and Christmas…it’s a big hit in our family.
I used to make pecan pies with my Grandpa, thanks for reminding me of that wonderful memory. Isn’t it funny how our grandparents are usually gone by the time we’d truly appreciate them. I often ponder that, there must be some reason it works that way. Thanks for sharing this sweet post and memory!
I can one up your mini ones…
We made Pecan Pie Bites:
http://thurslunchbunch.blogspot.com/2009/12/pecan-pie-bites-kj.html
these are delicious too!
First off.. Love you, love this site.. long before Martha Stewart =)
So, if this seems critical, don’t take it that way. I’m just wondering about you saying to use “imitation Vanilla”, when in the photo I can see your uncle using Watkins brand, which is the best, most delicious and real vanilla around.
This is perfect. We are going to give goody bags to the homeless this weekend and I think these little pies would be perfect to add to the bag. I am sure they will feel very special. Thanks for the idea.
Totally adorable. Thanks for the idea Bakerella. I think my friends are going to love this.
aw shes so beautiful! Ive never tried pecan pie before or even pecans… (I always omitted them from recipes and replaced them with walnuts) but this pie looks really yummy. Especially in that slice picture <3
Ahhh now i know what those things do (the squiggly things in the eggs) lol. My mom always told me to take them out but when i asked her she always said 'i dunno, your grandma always does'. But sometimes i leave them in because i get lazy ^__^
Perfect little presents! I love this idea!
Why is it we don’t know to take the time when we have it. Your pies are the perfect southern gift. My question is do you say PeeCan or PeeCon
I giggled when I saw that you take the little white thing out of eggs too. My Mom saw our neighbor do that one time and after that, she wouldn’t eat anything with eggs in it unless she knew it had been removed. I guess it didn’t help when I would tease her and call it “chicken belly buttons”. One year I filled a baby food jar with dryer lint and gave it to my Mom for Christmas with the label on it reading “Chicken Belly Button Lint”. I miss hearing how hard she laughed that Christmas. Thank you for sharing your memories and bringing back one special one for me. BTW: Your pies look amazing.
She was beautiful. I know exactly how you feel–my mom passed almost 7 years ago when I was 20. She never read any of my articles, never knew I was going to be a writer, never met my husband, never met her grandkids. Worse, I never asked her all the questions I needed to after I became a woman and REALLY needed a mom. Your grandmother’s pies, my mom’s apple turnovers. Food holds such great memories.
Wow! I really liked reading this. It’s so nice to have this tradition in your family. I think it’s sweet that you still make them for the same reason she did. :)
Wow, your grandmother was beautiful! I see the resemblance!
I have to give these a try…I’m still in my no-not phase of life but I might need to make an exception…