Caramel Pecan Pie

My attempt at Caramel Pecan Pie served a la mode

I have been craving pecan pie for weeks now but didn't want just any pecan pie. I was in the mood for a piece of deep dish gooey caramel pecan pie. I was thinking about this kind of pecan pie because I grew up in southeast Ohio and there were many amazing pie bakers in the area. One of my mother's friends made this pecan pie that had caramel in it and I just loved it. I haven't had anything like that in years so I tried to come up with the recipe. I pie ended up tasting soooo good but was a bit more gooey than I remember. I think I may have needed to bake the pie for just a little while longer and on lower heat....but the only issue was really the consistency because everyone loved how it tasted.....especially with the vanilla bean ice cream we served with it. We also didn't cool the pie in the fridge which could have helped the pie set better....but I like my pie warm so that was not an option for me. Maybe some of you out there could tweak the recipe a bit and let me know what you came up with to make this a perfect caramel pecan pie!

Avesta's Caramel Pecan Pie

1 cup white sugar
1 1/2 cups light corn syrup
4 large eggs
1/4 cup butter

1/2 cup of caramel chips

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
2 cups pecans (I left some of them in halves and coarsely chopped the other half)

1 unbaked deep dish pie shell

In a medium saucepan bring the sugar and corn syrup to a boil for about 3 minutes. Lower the heat and add the caramel chips, mix until they start to melt. Turn the heat off, and add the pecans, butter and vanilla and mix well then set aside to cool. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, beat the eggs lightly and slowly pour the cooled syrup mixture into the eggs, stirring constantly. Once the mixture is completely mixed together, pour into the unbaked pie shell. I put foil around the edges of my pie for the first 45 minutes so that they would not burn.

Bake in a 350°F oven for about one hour or until set.

You can make your own crust or buy a pre-made one (just make sure it's a good deep crust) I sprinkle a little flour in the bottom of my crust.I used caramel chips that I found near the chocolate chips, but you can also use caramel candies.
I used 2 cups of pecans because I love lots of pecans in my pie!
It looked so good even before I baked it and the smell was amazing!

Mini Pecan Pies

Mini Pecan Pies

Still without my computer but I am so missing blogging that I just have to put something out! So here's the cutest pecan pies you'll ever see and let me tell you....they are not that hard and I love "mini" everything! I think that they make your spread look so good and nowadays no one sits and eats so these babies are perfect for your guests. They're a grab it and eat it in one bite kind of dessert....plus if you're trying to count the calories you don't feel as bad eating one or two of these rather than a whole piece of pecan pie that will take hours on the treadmill to burn off! I made these for a party I had on Sunday. I used frozen pre-made pie crust so they literally took no time to make!

Mini Pecan Pies
1 frozen pie crust (thawed and rolled out into as close to a square as you can get it)

Once you've rolled out your crust, cut out an even number of squares (about 1 inch squares) I got 16 squares out of my crust. Use mini muffin pans that have been sprayed and floured and form little pie crusts in each space using your pie crust squares. Bake the crusts for 10 minutes at 350 degrees.

Pecan Pie filling:
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup corn syrup
1/2 cup chopped pecans

While the crusts are baking, combine the butter, powdered sugar and corn syrup in small saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil while stirring frequently. Stir in chopped pecans, turn off heat and mix well. This recipe is good for 16-20 mini pecan pies, double the recipe for 36 or 40 mini pies.

Pour your pecan mixture in each baked crust, bake for another 5-8 minutes. Let the mini pies cool a bit before removing from the pan. I drizzled a little carmel sauce on top of each pie. They were delicious and so easy to make! This pecan pie filling however is not the recipe I use when I make whole pies. It works fine with these mini pies but when making a whole pecan pie I use a recipe that calls for eggs. You can also use those mini phyllo cups for this recipe. I love using those because most grocery stores now carry them and they're perfect for making mini desserts and then you don't have to worry about forming your own mini crusts! These are perfect for any holiday party!

Brie with Caramel-Pecan & Pear Sauce

Brie with Caramel-Pecan & Pear Sauce

I love brie and when I saw this new brie log at the grocery store I was so excited. I always use brie to make appetizers for parties but now I have a log of brie to make perfect round slices that will beautifully fit on crackers or baguette rounds. Here's a simple version of a brie appetizer that I served at my restaurant. It can be made quickly and can be served at room temperature so it's perfect for a buffet table at your next party.

Brie with Caramel-Pecan & Pear Sauce:
1 log brie cheese (if you cannot find the log of brie, you can just use the brie round and make slices that will fit on a cracker, they don't have to be round slices)

15-20 crackers or french baguette slices
1/4 cup sugar
4 tablespoons butter
1/4-1/2 cup pecan halves or pieces
2 tablespoons half n half
2 small pears or 1 large pear, peeled and cut into small chunks

These pears are from our own pear tree!
In a small pan, start heating up the butter and sugar together until the sugar dissolves. Add the pecans and continue to mix and coat the pecans in the sugar mixture. Once the mixture starts to turn a golden brown turn the heat down to low, add the half and half and mix well. Add the chopped pears and continue to mix until the pears soften and are coated in the caramel mixture.
To assemble the appetizers, place a piece of the brie on top of the cracker or baguette and top with the caramel pecan & pear sauce.



This is definitely a winner!