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 could only find deep dish ! Help will it still be ok ?
Can you use butter instead of margarine?
I know it says not to use deep dish pie shells, but is there a way that I can because that’s all I have in the freezer
These pecan pies have become a tradition in my family. I made them one year and now they’re the only pecan pie my whole family will make. They even ask me to make them to take to parties. Thank you again!
Thanks! Best pecan pie ever!
I’ve been using this Recipe 3 years in a row now and I LOVE IT! I have a question, can I Make the batter and let it sit (either countertop or in fridge) for a while? I have to make the pie crusts and they need to freeze for a while. Is there any reason the batter wouldn’t stay good sitting untouched for a few hours?
Your G Mom is hot!
I will try her recipe this holiday, has to B Great :)
Would it be the same to use real butter instead of margarine in this recipe??
Thank you so much for this recipe! Every time I make I get many compliments :)
Every time I make these, people RAVE about them. I made them for a potluck and now my coworkers are asking me to bake them for their thanksgiving dinners!
Can you make this ahead if time and freeze the pies? I’m making this (for a tired time!) for an event and only need one but wanted to take the other 2 to an event in 2 weeks. Didnt how well the pies would do frozen. Thank!
Thank you so much! I made this recipe last year for Thanksgiving and everyone loved it! They were all amazed at how well my pies came out and I could tell they didn’t believe it was my 1st time making them! Followed recipe and it was perfect! I have to say your grandmother reminds me of mine with the dark hair rolled up. She is a beautiful lady! Thank you and your family for sharing this! It is a new holiday tradition now for my house. Thanksgiving is almost here and I can’t wait to make these again!
I Love your humor. Your grandmother was beautiful and I have the same feeling about my long-gone family members, wish I had asked them more questions. My dad & his dad/brothers were moonshiners and I wish I had asked him ‘where’ did they make it??? I love the ‘rooster’ name. I always take them out of mine & now I’ll always call them ‘roosters’. Thanks. I love pecan pies & this recipe sounds great.
I still come back for this recipe year after year. Your Granny’s legacy lives on :)
tyhis is how MY grandma used to make it
I tried this, exactly how the recipe stated, and when there was eight minutes left to bake, it started bubbling over. Luckily I put foil on the bottom rack just in case, so it caught the over-flow. But even allowing it to cook to completion, it was still jiggly and would not set. They are still cooling, but still very “liquidy”. I think it might help to specify exactly how much liquid goes in each crust.
That is a sweet thing that you did for your grandmother. The both of you I am proud to see that.
I have made these 4 times total. They are great I always receive a lot of compliments and there is 3 so there is enough to give one away. Great recipe so glad I found it.
I’m so happy to hear that.
Thank you so much for this recipe! It’s the BEST I’ve ever had??
HI Angie, I love the heart warming story about your Grandmother and I was really contemplating making these for my family they look wonderful. But I was just wondering why can’t deep dish pie crust be used and if I make my crust from scratch than would deep dish be ok?
The mixture makes just enough for three regular size pies. You could use deep dish, but you’ll be lacking on the third one. And yes, you can make your crust from scratch.
Just made your pies tonight, They are awesome! Thank you for sharing,
Rico como todos tus dulces,déjanos saber si tienes algo especial para Thanksgiving
Could you give me the ingredient amounts to make just one pie please!:)
This looks great an its my favorite
Pah cauns I lived all my life in the middle of a pecan orchard. Get it right.
These look just delicious! I had to laugh – my mom always took the “roosters” out of the eggs, too, only she called them the “chickens.” Of course I do the same! I had never heard of anyone outside of our family who did this!
I am making these for the 2nd time since Thanksgiving! They are true southern pecan pies! So very delicious! Thanks for sharing!
These came out perfect and were easy to make thank you
Great great great!!!!
Made these today. Not too sure why but mine were super runny a few hours later when I cut into one. I had to put it in the oven again!
On another note, they are delicious!
Neither of my grandma’s could cook.. lol they both burnt most everything and always envolved scrapping before we ate…my memaw’s biscuits u always had to peel the bottom off before u ate.. lol but my mom can cook. We just finished making pecan pies. For some reason.. never have had it happen before . We baked two.. one at a time.. both blew up! The insides where on the pan not in the pie! Never had this happen! Lol my mom has always cook tons.. I grew up on a military base and new young airman who got stationed to Luke afb, we would envite for Holliday meals.. she baked etra pies and Turkey etc so they could take left overs back to the barracks.. gonna have to figure out why are pies exploded! hope we r not turning into my grandparents lol its why I was online looking this up.. “why would pee-can pies blow up” is in my search bar! Loved your story and recipe!
Can’t wait to try this recipe.I have a good recipe, from my husband Aunt in Georgia. .Can’t find the mini tart shells in Florida, do you know where I can get some.I know Piggy Wiggle in Georgia. Thanks for sharing. I have my Mama’s favorite homemade chocolate pie.
I had to get a new computer, so I was not sure if I could find this recipe, but I did have the website, and I did find it……..Thank u so much………..
I am going to use this recipe but wondering if we could freeze one of the pies? Should we freeze it cooked or uncooked?
Thank you
Thanks for sharing a family recipe
What exactly is the measurement of the flour? I really do not know what type of spoon is called for…it seems that it is probably more than a Tablespoon. Is it less than 1/4 cup?
I love the recipe it’s exactly what I have been looking for your over 30 years. But I was so hoping for a homemade perfect pie crust to go with it! Sigh..
The very best peacan pie I have.
IAM THE MAN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
your write-up made me cry. i share similar “i wish” feelings. i feel blessed to receive your granny’s recipe. i will make it soon as i decide what all to go for during the upcoming holiday season. thank you for sharing this with us. cheers~
gracias por compartir!!!
Try this!
Hello, your grandmother is a knock out!!! I have a wilton mini pie tray and I was wondering what I could put the mini pies in to give them as gifts. I think your foils in the pic may not be wide enough any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Maybe Hobby Lobby would have something?? I really want to make as it looks like a beautiful pie. Thanks to anyone who can help me. Have a great day!
I enjoyed this so much. My momma passed away unexpectantly when I was just 18. So for the first time ever I am going to attempt to make her red velvet cake recipe and hoping if I put enough love in it maybe it will be near as good as my moms. So I am going to use your grannys pecan pie recipe and try that for a first time. This is also my first year in my own home with my fiance whom momma never got to meet. Family traditions old and new will be a plenty this year. :) Thank you so much for sharing.
Pecan pie is awesome,your story made me think of my own grandmother. She died not long after I turned 12..she was not a touchy feely kind of grandmother but raised several children in a one room house on an Indian reserve.she had a stroke that paralyzed her left arm but she could still bake the best molasses cookies.we usually had to sneak them when she wasn’t looking and if she caught you expect a slap upside the head!
Made these pies tonight. Used real butter and pure vanilla extract. My son said they were the best pecan pies he had ever tasted. This recipe is a keeper!!
I tried these and it turned out amazing! But i am curious, is there any reason why you shouldn’t try making these into deep dish pies? Is it just that it would take longer to bake and would overcook the pecans?
Absolutely best pie recipe ever thanks for sharing.
Wow I tried it my self and it taste sö good!
What if I just wanted to make one pie?
What a lovely lady. I’m so glad her legacy continues. Oh and I’m making the mini pies for the holidays.
I love it!! Someone else who removes the little white things from eggs. I do it for almost everything. In brownies they make little hard pieces. I liked your idea to take the dark pieces out of the pecans too. I’ll bet you remove the stems from the spinach leaves when you make spinach salad too. (I do!)
On the3 pie pecan pie receipe, I was wondering if you could us 2 deep dish pie shells instead of 3 regular?
These look great! I have tried several if your recipes and none have failed me yet. Thank you! As a first timer for this one, is there a version that makes only one pie? I am willing to try this one, but was hoping to try only one pie first
I made these pies today. The liquid content was too high, I found out. The inside was just way too soupy. I made my husband try some and he said the taste was great. I followed the recipe exactly and I don’t know what happened. I’m willing to try again.
Thank goodness no one can take our memories from us. My grandmother has been gone many years and I still miss her. I recently lost both of my parents and the miss is tremendous but I still have many wonderful memories. My mother in laws favorite dessert is pecan pie. She is 94 and in assisted living. I bake her a pecan pie occasionally and take it to her. I use real butter in mine and I chop my pecans for all my pies. It is easier to cut them and also easier to chew.
It’s the easiest if you divide the pecans into the shells and pour the filling over the top. Just mix in the pie crust and it’ll be much faster.
It was great
Love this recipe…just took my third making out of the oven. It’s great to only dirty dishes once for three pies…and I LOVE having one to share (we usually polish off two)! Thank you for sharing this family recipe…I love pass along plants AND pass along recipes!
Most DEF the best Pecan Pie I have ever made! I will NEVER look for another recipe, because this one IS IT! Sooooo delicious! Thank you so much for sharing! :)
Looks divine! One question, can you use butter instead of Margarine?
Hello Bakerella ! Hope you had a wonderful Christmas.I was going through you site and I have a question.Regarding the mimi pecan pies, whe did you find the small shells? Costco ,Sams ,Publix? Thank you and all the best wishes for a healthy New Year ! Hope its a great one for you.
Father-in-law approved!!!! (Which is huge)
What a beautiful Granny!!! :D Thanks for sharing your wonderful stories with us, and also for all of your delicious recipes too.
I made these for thanksgiving and they turned out great. Only one was soupy when I cut into it, but the other two were perfectly cooked :) Thank you for your recipe!
Hola – I have been searching for an eggless recipe just because I cannot bear to see the “roosters” from the eggs. I laughed but became elated your granny removed them – I will try her recipe out and be so much more at peace that I am eating a roosterless pie. I live in Costa Rica and here we call them “ombligo” — I will not eat anything with and ombligo! Thank you for sharing.
Made this today for thanksgiving. Got a lot of compliments!! Love all the pictures and how personal it is :) thanks for sharing
I am making these right now. However, I couldn’t find regular frozen pie shells so I had to do the deep dish. I hope they come out ok. Your mom was beautiful. GOBBLE GOBBLE
What does it mean to remove the roosters?
I am making these pies today. I hope they are good. My husband LOVES pecan pie and this is a surprise for him.
Saving this recipe forever! I made these pies today, and they were a hit! I had to wait a couple of hours for my boyfriend to come taste it, and when he got here he couldn’t stop “taste-testing” the pie. :) I’m allergic to tree nuts, but for some strange reason I’ve always wanted to make a pecan pie. Since I couldn’t taste it for myself, I had to rely on the judgment of others. This was the first pie I’ve ever made, and I’m so thankful for this recipe! My family loves it! Thanks for the wonderful tradition. :)
I’m making these pies right now. They were super easy to make….I hope they taste as good as they smell! :)
I will be making these pies for Thanksgiving tomorrow night. I am so looking forward to it :) They look great!!! :)
I whipped up this recipe this morning to be done in time by a bake sale for our library at noon today. My pie shells from Kroger must be smaller because my batch made 4! (Not that I’m complaining ;). Love how easy this was to throw together and can’t wait to deliver 3 for the bake sale and one to my FIL who just loves pecan pie but doesn’t get it nearly enough! Thank you!
http://angel-shelterfromthestorm.blogspot.com/2012/11/fall-in-love-with-pecan-pies.html
How do we cut this into one pie?
Have you ever frozen these? Before or aftet baking so they can be used at a later date? Im so excited to try this!!
Thanks for the recipe my Mom died 8 months ago and she would make me a pecan pie every Thanksgiving and Christmas and I think I will try and make myself one this year. Eating pecan pie brings back great memories with Mom.
Measure the pecans& place in baking dish& then add liquid .
Thank you so much for the recipe. I was looking for one to make a pie and take it to my daughter school. They are giving pies for all the teachers and staff.
I’ll give it a try!!
thank you!!
Can’t wait to try this recipe…looks yummy
Oh my! I love pecan pies and my daddy always cooks them for the holidays. I am going to try the minis here plus the whole pies. They looks scrumptious!
Thanks to you and your gorgeous Granny!
She was a beautiful lady! Thanks for sharing this with all of us. I can’t wait to try it.
Amazing how you can become endeared to a family through a recipe – thanks for sharing the way you did…
This is the same exact recipe that my Granny has for making pecan pie and also the rest of the family for many years!!!
Recipe
Thank you for sharing! I can’t wait to make this for the holidays. Your grandma was a beautiful lady! xo
Hi, I love pecan pies but I live in the Netherlands (europe) and we don’t have frozen pie cursts in our supermarkets.
Do you think that I can make myself and than I put them in the freezer?
Or maybe I prebaked them a day before I put the pecan filling in the crusts.
Greetings from Joan
This is my granny’s exact recipe…. Im so glad you said take out the rooster… Im from Tenn and everyone knows about the rooster… but here in Mich where I live now they think Im crazy….lol…
Love this! I love that it has frozen pie crust and uses oleo. Not everything great is all natural. :-)
Last year I made all sorts of pies for Thanksgiving but not pecan. This Looks like a good recipe that I should try.
I also remember last year being the first year that my little sister (then 5) wanted to help with the baking. She certainly helped making a mess and ended up making cookie shapes out of my pie crust. Definitely a good memory!
I made this pie yesterday for my family and among the three pies the recipe makes, they went quickly! It turned out perfectly..So delicious! I will never buy store bought pecan pies again..A wonderful recipe! Thanks for sharing! :)
I made these over the weekend! My first attempt at them and given that all 4 are gone I would say they were good! <3 Thank you so much!
These recipes bring back wonderful memories of my own mothers baking. Looking at the pictures of “mama’s” Pecan pies actually made me salivate. Wow, I wanted to dive into that last savory looking piece. I plan to give these a trial run very soon.
My favourite story about baking is one that happens …often…and happened just last week. I went to but the electric mixer in with too much dry in the bowl…you know what happened. FLOUR EVERYWHERE :) anyways– my famiyl came home and immediately knew what happened…there was flour on all the handles of the fridge and stove…
WHOOPS:)
Ohhhhhhhh my goodness these pies look FABULOUS!
i loooooove ( all the extra o’s are necessary) the “mini” idea. I want to do these as take homes!
Thanks so much for the idea bakerella
I got this recipe over 30 years ago when i lived in Texas I make it every year it is wonderful!
My favorite recipe story is the one of my first time baking with my son. He was only 4 but we spent hours cutting out Christmas cookies and “painting’ them with colored icing. Of course, by we I mean, mostly me since he was spending most of the time eating the decorations. :)
Just say pecan pie and my mouth begins watering!!!
My favorite baking memories were always centered around baking Christmas cookies with my Grandma and Mom. I didn’t appreciate it so much as a kid (except being able to eat those fresh baked cookies), but now that I’m grown with grown children of my own, and now the grandkids are old enough to help bake, the memories are more precious than ever. I hope my kids and grandkids have fond memories of baking with (Mom) Grandma like I do!
I love pecan pie and asks a friend of mine who makes homemade pies for the holiday season to make me one for a few years now, but no pecan pie. I dont have to ask this years thanks for sharing this recipe!!!! Cant wait to use it!!!
Beautiful!! For me, baking is about family tradition! Last week it was my husband’s birthday and I bake my grandmother’s traditional pecan & date cake… just as she used to do, cut in little squares and wrapped individually in foil… times to remember…
Thank You for sharing your sweet memories with us!
Great photo of your Grandma, she looks like a lot of fun.
My favorite baking memory happened while I was trying to make a cake look like a present, I frosted it white and tried to put a red bow on it but the bow didn’t turn out so great so I had to just blend the red into the white and it ended up having a earth color to it. I turned the whole thing into a adobe Sante Fe cake. I piped saguaro on side of cake, along with a cracked brick look and I had some chocolate rocks. Cake ended up looking so cool in the end. Fun surprise mistake.
bad I don’t have a photo.
I Love making bread with my grandma. I wish I could be like her she never ever measures her items. she does it all by eyeballing it.
One of my favorite memories is making taffy with my grandma. She pulled the hot taffy by hand. She was a wonderful lady!
I too love to make minis and love the mini pie recipes!
Amazing! My Mom never found the “perfect pecan pie” recipe, but this might be it. I did not get her crust making ability, so I am glad to see you usiing frozen shells. Never have seen the minis though. I plan to make these with my daughter this year. Thanks.
My favorite baking memory may be one of my earliest memories. I was probably about four years old, and was baking with my mom. Probably chocolate chip cookies or cinnamon bread. She was letting me “help” measure the flour from a big container she kept in a turnstyle cabinet in the corner of the kitchen. I loved dipping the yellow measuring cups into the flour and dumping it back in to create flour dust clouds. Like my own private sandbox!
I was an inexperienced but enthusiastic hostess when I invited two friends for dinner. They (a husband and wife) were what today would be called foodies and excellent cooks. Things went well during the meal and then it was time for dessert. I cut the pecan pie and it ran like syrup. Now I realize that it didn’t puff and set. But back then It looked done so I took it out of the oven. My friends were gracious and suggested an alternative. ice cream with pecan sauce…which was delicious.
Your timing is impeccable. My daughter is pregnant and due in February…YAY! YAY! YAY! It is my first grandchild. I plan to have a baby shower book theme and thanksgiving foods since her shower will be November 17th. She had her wedding in Pennsylvania Dutch country and had pies instead of cake. So, I planned to make pies for the baby shower. Mini-pies like pumpkin and pecan. So, see your timing is impeccable:-) Thanks so much! Hope you are doing well!
My favorite baking moment is making popovers for my high school French Class and trying them out on my brother and sisters (3) 1st. They absolutely loved them!! It started a whole new hobby for me – baking for my family :-)
My children and I love to bake and decorate cookies on Christmas Eve.Then when their Daddy gets home from work we deliver them to the neighbors before church.
favorite baking memory are yet to be made with my grandchildren
Looks like an amazing recipe and I can’t wait to try. Your story was beyond touching.
I have been working with my grandkids, nieces and daughters-in-law to teach them some of the family recipes such as egg noodles, elderberry jelly, Nacho Mama’s meatballs and our secret cake recipe. Also some of the cake decorating techniques. I think these baby pies will be part of our next sleepover cooking lesson! Will have to add apple, pumpkin and lemon to the lesson also!
Simply amazing! Thank you for sharing your Grans recipe and thanks to you uncle for helping out with the photos. I can not wait to try this.
I miss her too sis. The girls would have loved to spend time with Granny. Good thing I make a mean pecan pie ‘-)
Hello! That was a beautiful post about your Grandma. Believe me it’s definitely the same feeling over here in England too. I miss my Grandma and now I’m old enough to appreciate her she lies beyond my reach. I connect to her through food too. When I really need her I bake apple pies, with blackberries if I can get them. I still can’t bring myself to bake her meat and potato pie yet. I’m not sure I can change the memory I have of it.
I’d love to make your Pecan Pie recipe. It sounds gorgeous. There are so many other American recipes I’d love to bake too. But I’m not sure we have the same ingredients over here. What is corn syrup? Is there an equivalent? I can get maple syrup here. And are the weights easy to convert? English pastry shells are hard to come by and usually taste like thick cement, so I’ll have to make the pastry!
Thank you for sharing xx
Almost the same recipe my mother used (and I use) except (and it’s BIG): You’d be amazed at the difference REAL vanilla flavoring makes. I didn’t know anybody used the imitation stuff anymore. Worth the extra bucks, no matter how many you’re making. And I use REAL butter instead of margarine. The pre-rolled crusts in the deli are almost as good as homemade…and so worth the difference. AHHH-mazingly deliciouser!!!
@TehreemK: I live in Germany and pecans aren’t very popular around here, so I usually use walnuts for anything instead. But first, I melt some sugar with cinnamon and then put the walnuts in to coat them. It is really delicious and sometimes I have none left for the actual purpose because they end up in my mouth :)
can you use walnuts instead of pecans?
I looove the little pies!! I also have very fond memories of my grandmas pies but sadly they dont remember how to make them and there are no recipe books. My question is after I make them can I freeze them for future use and what would I wrap them in to keep them fresh?
Ur pecan pic is the most goodess thing i ever ate and thx for making my favorite dessert
thank you so much for this blissful recipe. It was my first attempt at pecan pies and it tastes so divine I confess to eating way too much of the mixture. Thanks again. They turned out really well and will have pride of place on our Christmas table.
Hi LOVED the recipe! Previously, I came up with an idea to make PieBalls! Why not, we make it with cookies and cake!! hehe I used another pecan pie recipe to make it and found the filling too runny for it, but I make it work! I just made your gmas last nite and it was the BEST one to make the balls :) Amazing consistancy! This is the before pic of my pie balls :)
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=276525272386075&set=pu.203102979728305&type=1&theater
Ill put up one of the others soon!
Thanks so much :)
I have been trying to find this post for months now…i made this pie last year and it is hands down the best pecan pie I’ve ever had….my family agrees :)
Can these be baked, cooled and then frozen so as to make ahead of time? I’m in a harp orchestra and need to make things about 2 weeks ahead of time or I can’t get anything done. Thanks!
My husband ate all 3. Today im making more so I cam have some. He says there just so good he couldnt help himself
Hey i have 2 things well no 3, first the lil white stringy things “roosters” are actually called chalazae its pretty much juust an anchor for the egg yolk keeeps it from totally free floating anyways probably could care less aboutthat one…and also so it is easier to properly portion your pecans and your syrupy mixture… you can place the pecans in your pie crust and after you mix up your filling just simply poor over your pecans bakes the same way or if you want decorative pecan you can poour your filing in and then place your pecans on top in a decorative pattern….now i noticedd above someone mentioned cranberries… i dont have a recipe off the top of my head buuut fresh cranberry and hazelnut is uh-maaazing!! the sweet gooeyness the lil pops of tartness and the texture and nuttiness from the hazelnuts great combo.
Great post with lots of iopmratnt stuff.
Could you please tell me where can I find the small pie shells ??? I CANNOT FIND THEM =( Thank you!
I have to make these for my dad some day he love pecan pie :) and I could relate to your story I wish I had asked my grandma (mama nina) so so much, I wish I would of kissed her more, hugged her more, talked to her more (even if she told me to rest my voice haha) more importantly I wish I had thanked her for my mother and told her how much I loved, love her. Thanks for the memories, thanks for the pie.
Our mother taught my sisters and I to remove the roosters also. My husband thought I was crazy when we were first married but he has been removing them for 48 years. It has gotten lots of laughs from friends. I am just glad to know my family is not the only ones.
Hi I have just found this site thru cake pops book i received at christmas – can’t wait to try them out. i found your recipe for pecan pie looks delicious and really want to try it but i have never seen corn syrup in UK/Ireland supermarkets can you tell me what it is or where I can purchase i?. i love alot of the american recipes and corn syrup is mentionioned alot. i would be grateful for your help and also is a pound cake what we call maderia? thanks for your help
i’ll be trying these next. I bought some cute mini pie plates at an antique shop several years ago and have been looking for something wonderful to bake in them. I think this is it. Thanks for your fabulous blog. Your grandmother was a beautiful woman and I’m sure she would be very proud of you.
Wow I think I may make these for the neighbors too!
I have been searching everywhere and cannot find mini pastry shells. The website is updating their location list. Any suggestions? From MN :)
Thank you so much for sharing this recipe! I tried it out this Thanksgiving and let me tell you it was the best pecan pie I have ever baked! Everyone loved it and wanted more! It was so delicious and very easy to make and they looked beautiful too!
I read this post some time last year and I have been wanting to make it for my DH ever since. He’s a picky person when it comes to sweets because his grandmother was ‘the best baker and cook’ he ever knew. So, I’m banking on your Mama’s Pecan Pie to put a smile on his face this Thanksgiving.
I just made this pie this morning as a trial run for Thanksgiving. I tried to divide everything by three and just make one pie and let me tell you…it is probably the best pecan pie I’ve ever tasted and definitely the best one I’ve ever baked. Thank you so much for sharing this perfect recipe!
Change that… she baked them for an hour and fifteen minutes. I am sooooo frustrated. =___=
I made this recipe, but my friend who was helping me only added half the pecans and didn’t tell me until she was already pouring the mix into the crusts.
It only made two pies and they burned. She says she put them in for the amount of time the recipe calls for, but they were completely inedible. T____T
I am broken hearted. I really wanted to make these for my bake sale.
Hi Bakerella!
Thank you so much for sharing this! :) I am not even a big fan of pecan pie, but when my father in law requested it for his birthday, it was the perfect excuse to try your Grandma’s recipe. I knew it would be a winner, and from someone who would never, say, order pecan pie in a restaurant (i just always prefer other sweets), it was delicious (of course)!
Many thanks.
I felt all warm and fuzzy as I dutifully examined my pecans for doohickies, and removed the roosters from my eggs :) Those details are so special, and I would love to have memories like that with my own grandparents, but unfortunately I didn’t grow up knowing any of them.
Many thanks to your uncle and your Granny, for sharing such a lovely recipe and baking experience!
I hope you don’t mind if I “adopt” them as my own when I make these again (and again!).
xo
Cristina
My hubs is requesting pecan pie and I wanted to try your recipe. What if I only want one pie? Can I freeze the others? Or should I adjust the recipe?
Just curious!
Thanks!
Oh my goodness, this recipe is so yummy.
I have never made a pecan pie before I have to tell you this recipe is a keeper; although all your recipes are keepers but this was a hit. Thank You for sharing.
Thank you for sharing the recipe, but more importantly the story. I lost my Granny on December 12, 2009 and I’m still heart broken. Every year she made pecan pies at Christmas. I was lucky enough to make them with her last year and I hope I can carry on her tradition. I like you, did not and pretty much still do not, enjoy nuts of any kind. Every year she would make me a non-pecan pie. (pecan pie without the pecans, but with the gooey filling) Thanks you for sharing the wonderful story!
Thank you for the recipe; I made these the other night and my family loved them! My husband said “it’s the best pecan pie I’ve ever had…and I’ve had a lot of them”!
I just wanted to let you know, I made your Granny’s pies, and they are absolutely delicious! But then, you already knew that! I purchased my pecans at Costco and was pleasantly surprised. They were great pecans and very well cleaned, no “doohickies” to be found! $7.99 for a 2# bag, not a bad price either, atleast for pecans here in Washington State. Thanks again for sharing the recipe, hope you have a happy and healthy New Year! ~ Hugs, Shawna
I tried this recipe and it’s fantastic! Not overly sweet, just right. Everyone loved it! Thank you for sharing it.
Hello Bakerella,
I absolutely adore you, your site, and your recipes! I’ve made the cake balls, and they are amazing. But I tried my luck with your pecan pie (it was my FIRST pecan pie ever), and I’m sad to say that they are a but runny! I was wondering if you could give me a tip on why they were?! I baked them all 3 together I’m thinking that has something to do with it.
Hope you had a great holiday! I also made your munch for our Christmas celebration, and it is all gone :) you are truly amazing! Thanks for sharing!
I just finished baking them and am very excited to try them tomorrow! Thanks for sharing the pies and the story.
The pies are barely making it to the ovens because I keep snacking on the delicious coated pecans! This was a really easy recipe, and I can’t wait to see how fabulous they turn out! Thanks!!
Oh. My. Goodness. Pecan Pie is my all-time favorite treat ever! Thank you so much for sharing this special recipe!
{{HUGS}}
Robin :o)
Can I use real butter instead of margarine?
That is so cute, and Yummy. Where can I find the miniature pie shells?
your grandmother is gorgeous :)
and so are your pies! :D
Just a heads up, that white stuff is called chalazae, and it is what anchors the yolk inside the egg, so it doesn’t go sloshing around in there.
I just made these last night for my co-workers! It was just the perfect gift for the holidays! Thank you, you have so many wonderful and creative ideas.
Hi, I’m dying to try this recipe !! I’d just like to know : is it okay to swap the margarine for butter ? And, what can i use instead of Karo syrup because we don’t get it here ? Thanks.
PS : love, love, LOVE your site !!
P.S. as a make-up artist I feel compelled to tell you that you have your Grandmother’s beautiful eyebrows… and her cheeks. Though I wish I had that top! :o)
That’s so funny about the “Roosters”…they creeep me out! Shiny spots or not, they’re creepy little things. I always take them out of my eggs and it’s usually a minor mission – they’re slippery little suckers!
Is it okay to use butter instead of margarine (margarine is another thing that gives me the creeps – we’re a butter-only-household) and real vanilla extract?
You have MADE my day! I absolutely 100% h-a-t-e those things in my eggs. I fish them out of everything I make! I call them umbilical cords….Hubbie calls them Liquid Chickens Ü
And those pies are just beautiful! I’m anxious to try them. Thanks for sharing!
Pecan pie! Oh my! Thank you so much for posting this recipe.
ladyfunk – I found them at Kroger. But I’ve also seen them at Publix. Near the full-size frozen pie shells.
Repeat question – where in the world do you buy the mini pie crusts? I tried 4 stores tonight because I’m dying to make these adorable mini pies for holiday gifts for the neighbors. Help please! Thanks!
Even though I’ve not been a reader of yours for very long, I think this is my all-time favorite post. The pecan pie looks perfect and I love this story about your granny . . . and maybe I’m just hormonal, but it made me cry.
My hubby loooves pecan pie so I’ll have to try that one! But I do have one question ~ why “Imitation” vanilla?? I’ve actually never bought that. Would it taste different to use real vanilla extract? And those mini pies are adorable!!
I love your blog so so much. Thanks for sharing.
I tried these and found them to be so good! Thanks so much for sharing!