Texas pecan pie DSC3013

Texas pecan pie

My grandmother makes the best pies. Of course, everyone’s grandmother makes the best pies, but I’m not kidding when I say my grandmother’s pies are divine. Everyone in my family has their favorite: some like the peach, some like the sweet potato, some like the chocolate. But from my grandmother’s pie-making repertoire, there is one pie that we all agree is top notch: her pecan pie.

One of the distinguishing characteristics of her pies is how fresh they are. She and my grandpa live on a farm, where small groves of pecan and peach trees grow and where there is always an ample crop of sweet potatoes. So her pies are made with the fruit of the land, making them very, very tasty. My grandparents are pragmatic people, and as they’re getting older, they always ask what we want willed to us. In yet another testament to her pies, the one thing we all fight over is my grandmother’s rolling pin that she was given in the 1940s and has used ever since. Forget the land, the houses or the antiques–we all want that magical tool that has rolled out so many delicious crusts.

Family skirmishes aside, I’m fortunate that even though I live a thousand miles away, she always sends me a pecan pie for my birthday. This year I opted to freeze a slice for a time when I was most in need of a fix, and a couple of days ago when I was feeling very homesick, having the chance to eat a slice of her pecan pie filled me with great peace. I don’t know if it’s the freshness of the pecans or the love she puts into each pie, but they are delicious and always bring me back home. She has graciously given me her recipe, which she learned from her mother. Here it is:

Texas pecan pie | Homesick Texan

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4.97 from 30 votes

Pecan pie

Servings 8
Author Lisa Fain

Ingredients

  • 3/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 3/4 cup white corn syrup
  • 3 large eggs, beaten
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2 tablespoons whole milk
  • 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
  • 1 cup pecans
  • 1 9-inch unbaked pie crust

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 350°F.
  • Mix together the sugar, the corn syrup, the eggs, and the vanilla. Stir in the milk, flour, melted butter, and pecans.
  • Pour the filling into the piecrust. Bake for 45-50 minutes or until set.

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41 Comments

  1. Anonymous says:

    I am having trouble finding the recipe for the pie crust…could you please pooint me in the right direction. I cannot wait to make this in a few weeks for Thanksgiving! Thank you so much! A Brit living in San Antonio, Texas 🙂

  2. Lisa Fain says:

    Brit in SA–I've added a link to the pie crust recipe in the ingredient list. Happy cooking!

  3. My grandmother's recipe that I make uses white corn syrup and white sugar too and no one believes me. And everyone thinks mine are the best but they won't get off the dark karo!
    I love your site, Texan cook living in SC

  4. Leah King says:

    Lisa, glad the box arrived from Texas! Enjoy reading. And your notes above about your grandmother’s pecan pie, makes me smile. We, too, live in the midst of a pecan grove in the Colorado River bottomland, and I’ve learned a lot about what happens to pecans once they are harvested, how the market fluctuates, and would not buy one off a store shelf for anything. A young friend has just opened a “pecan house” nearby where he buys, sorts, cleans, cracks, sells natives and grafted. Quite an operation. We have family Christmas on the 31st. (Church musicians are grateful that Christmas lasts til Jan. 6!) Your carnitas, ensalada de noche buena and grandmother’s pecan pie are on the menu.

    1. Lisa Fain says:

      Hi Leah–I’m enjoying the books very much. Thank you again! Does your friend sell his native pecans online? Merry Christmas and enjoy your Christmas feast!

      1. Lisa, I am late for this reply!! by 2 years!! Let me ask Phillip if he sells online. Would you want shelled? And then there are his other options… large, small, halves, pieces? Or better yet, you just make a road trip to Colorado County. You can stay here at the house.

  5. Wanda Kitchens says:

    Hi Lisa,
    Just saw this recipe. It brought back a memory of my childish hands carefully holding the jar of white Karo syrup as I carried it to Mama so she could make her pecan pie. There was a great debate at that time about the difference in taste that white or dark Karo Syrup produced. Thanks for bringing the memory pop up.

    1. Lisa Fain says:

      Wanda–So glad my grandma’s pecan pie recipe helped you recall such a sweet memory!