Recipe: Maple-Honey Pecan Pie, from New York Times Cooking

Celebrate the holidays with these recipes courtesy of New York Times Cooking, specially chosen for "Sunday Morning" viewers.

We are pleased to share Melissa Clark's Maple-Honey Pecan Pie.

Substituting a combination of maple syrup and honey for the usual corn syrup in pecan pie makes for a complex and richly flavored confection that's still wonderfully gooey in the center. This recipe also has double the amount of pecans compared with most recipes, giving it plenty of crunch. You can bake it the day before serving; it keeps very well at room temperature for at least 24 hours. It also freezes reasonably well for up to 3 months, though the crust won't be quite as flaky.

Maple-Honey Pecan Pie

Yield: 8 servings

Time: 1 1/2 hours, plus cooling

Ingredients:

• All-purpose flour, for rolling out the dough
• Dough for a 9-inch single crust pie
• ½ cup/115 grams unsalted butter
• ¼ cup/85 grams maple syrup
• ¼ cup/85 grams honey
• ½ cup/110 grams light brown sugar
• ½ cup/75 grams maple sugar or use more light brown sugar
• 3 large eggs, at room temperature
• 1 tablespoon bourbon (optional)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ¾ teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 ½ cups/180 grams pecan halves
• Flaky sea salt, such as Maldon (optional)

Preparation:

1. On a lightly floured surface, roll dough into a 12-inch circle, and transfer to a 9-inch metal pie plate. Fold over any excess dough, crimping the edges. Transfer crust to the freezer for 30 minutes or up to 24 hours.
2. When ready to bake, place a rimmed baking sheet on the middle oven rack and heat oven to 425 degrees.
3. Heat a small saucepan and melt the butter over medium heat. Cook, swirling occasionally, until the foam subsides, the milk solids turn golden brown and the butter smells nutty and toasty, about 5 minutes. Add maple syrup to the pan and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until the mixture thickens and reduces slightly, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from heat, and whisk honey into the warm syrup mixture. Let cool at least 10 minutes.
4. While the syrup mixture cools, combine sugars, eggs, bourbon (if using), vanilla and salt in a large mixing bowl. Gradually pour syrup mixture into the egg mixture, whisking constantly, then use a rubber spatula to scrape in all the brown bits at the bottom of the pot.
5. Remove pie crust from freezer and place pecans along the bottom of the crust. Carefully pour the filling over the pecans. Place pie plate on the hot sheet pan and bake for 10 minutes. Reduce heat to 350 degrees and continue to bake for another 35 to 45 minutes, until the center of the pie has puffed up and turned golden brown.
6. Transfer pie to a wire cooling rack, sprinkle with flaky sea salt, if you like, and allow to cool for at least 2 hours before serving. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Tip:

If using a glass pie plate, line chilled crust with foil or parchment paper and fill with pie weights or dried beans. Bake for 15 minutes at 400 degrees; remove foil and weights and bake until pale golden, 5 minutes more. Cool on rack until needed.

Watch Melissa Clark prepare her Maple-Honey Pecan Pie in this New York Times video:

Check out the "Sunday Morning" 2021 Food Issue Recipe Index for more menu suggestions, from all of the chefs, cookbook authors, flood writers and restaurateurs featured on our program.

And head to New York Times Cooking for more delicious Thanksgiving recipes.