Caramel Pecan Pie


 

Keri C

TVWBB Wizard
So decadent...

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Caramel Pecan Pie

1 (9 inch) unbaked pie crust
36 individually wrapped caramels, unwrapped
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup milk
3/4 cup white sugar
3 eggs
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup pecan halves

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C.) In a saucepan over low heat, combine caramels, butter and milk. Cook, stirring frequently, until smooth. Remove from heat and set aside.

In a large bowl, combine sugar, eggs, vanilla and salt. Gradually mix in the melted caramel mixture. Stir in pecans. Pour filling into unbaked pie crust.

Bake in the preheated oven for 45 to 50 minutes, or until pastry is golden brown. Allow to cool until filling is firm.

Prep Time: 30 Minutes Cook Time: 50 Minutes Ready in: 1 Hour 20
 
Keri, I read in Bon Appetit, that pre-roasting of chopped pecans yields more flavor. I have not tried pre-roasting but my wife used chopped pecans in her last pie, I usually request halves. I think you get more pecan flavor from pieces rather than halves. Halves do make a better looking pie.
The caramel sounds mighty good.

Edit: OOps, I just read your other recipe-called for chopped pecans...
 
I read that too, Steve, and will definitely be trying it next pie I make. I roast pecans for snacking or for use in other dishes quite often, I just never thought about roasting them before putting them in the pie.

I make a lot of pecan pies around this time of year, but I usually make them in little 3-inch tart shells (homemade if I have time, frozen store-bought if I don't...). One recipe of pecan pie filling will usually fill about 12 - 14 tart shells, more or less.
 
Thank you for the recipe, it sounds so good. I will give it a try. Do you ever make up a bunch and freeze them, if so how do they hold up , and is there any special thing I need to do if I freeze them?

I think I will try the pre cook roasting ,"of the pecans" that also sounds like a great idea.


Rick
 
I freeze the little pecan pies on a regular basis. That's one reason I make them like that. I'll do several dozen for Christmas day alone. (Gets a lot of peoples' attention when you tell them you're baking 2 dozen pecan pies for Christmas Day...
icon_smile.gif
) If the little pies don't all get eaten, then we don't have a partial full-sized pecan pie left sitting around just begging us to finish it off - the leftover pies go into the freezer, and when the urge hits us, we can grab one, stick it in the microwave for a minute or so, and have about four warm bites'-worth. Now I've never frozen the caramel ones, so I can't say for sure on them, but they should freeze okay as well.
 
I went to make this Christmas AM to take to my Sisters house for desert. But as soon as I opened the bag of Kraft caramels I said OH Sh!$, when did they change the size of the caramels? My guess is the 36 caramels called for in the recipe, was for the perfectly square Kraft caramels, the ones I remeber all my life. When I opened the bag yesterday, the caramels were rectangular and a lot larger than the old Kraft caramels. Keri, if you happen to do a drive by here any ideas? I'm guessing around half of the old 36 size caramels. Thanks much, Bryan
 

 

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