Scrumptious Pecan Pie

I get together with a group of friends every Thursday to watch The Office. We are fanatics. Seriously. We are so obsessed with this show that it has become unhealthy. Like, long email chains throughout the work-day with obscure episode quotes and references unhealthy. We each take turns hosting and the host is responsible for serving dinner to the rest of the crowd. Last week was our turn to host and the menu had a bit of a fall theme to it: cranberry-apple chicken, homemade corn muffins, and salad. To keep the dessert within the theme, I baked my first-ever pecan pie.

When I was a kid, I never cared for pecan pie. I was picky and didn't like nuts in my desserts and wasn't really a fan of pies altogether. Over the years, pecan pie has started to peak my interest but it still isn't my first choice at Thanksgiving when we have several different pies to choose from. All this changed about a week ago when Eric and I went out for a nice dinner and he ordered a slice of pecan pie off the dessert menu. I had one bite and became addicted and, much to his annoyance, ended up eating most of his pie myself. So sweet, so crunchy, so amazing. I couldn't wait to bake one myself.

I've been a reader of "Mommy? I'm Hungry!" for a while now. She's always posting yummy treats and doing fun giveaways. She recently entered this recipe for Honey Crunch Pecan Pie in the Bon Appétit Blog Envy Bake-Off, a competition for food bloggers all over. Of course she got my vote and I hope you all get a chance to vote for her too (you have to create an account, but if you are a foodie, you really should have a Bon Appétit account anyway!)

This pie is delicious. I received so many compliments. The filling is sweet and smooth while the topping adds a nice candy crunch. Be sure to put down a pan on the oven rack below the pie to catch the drips that overflow while baking - I was sure glad I did that. I'm hoping I get a chance to bake this again soon, maybe for Thanksgiving!

Honey Crunch Pecan Pie

"Mommy? I'm Hungry!" found and adapted this recipe

Filling

One 9-inch pie crust, unbaked, kept cold until ready to use (I cheated and used a store-bought dough I had left over from something else)

4 eggs, lightly beaten

1/4 cup packed brown sugar

1/4 cup white sugar

1/2 tsp salt

1 cup light corn syrup

2 Tbsp butter, melted

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 cup coarsely chopped pecans

Topping

1/3 cup packed brown sugar

3 Tbsp butter

3 Tbsp honey

1 1/2 cups coarsely chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

To Make Filling: In a large bowl, combine eggs, 1/4 cup brown sugar, white sugar, 1/2 teaspoon salt, corn syrup, melted butter, vanilla extract, and chopped pecans. Mix well. Spoon mixture into unbaked pie shell.

Bake in preheated oven for 15 minutes. Remove and cover edges of pie crust with aluminum foil. Return to oven for 20 minutes.

To Make Topping: Combine 1/3 cup brown sugar, butter, and honey in a medium saucepan. Cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, until sugar dissolves - about 2 minutes. Add pecans. Stir just until coated. Spoon topping evenly over pie.

Keep foil on edges of pastry and return pie to oven for an additional 10 to 20 minutes, until topping is bubbly and golden brown. Cool to room temperature before serving.