Pecan Recipes | February, 2005

Alabama Chocolate Pecan Pie

  • 1 9-inch pie shell; unbaked
  • 3 each eggs; slightly beaten
  • 1 cup Karo Light or Dark Corn Syrup
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 2 tablespoons margarine, melted
  • 4 ounces semi-sweet chocolate
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1½ cups Pecan Valley Pecan Halves
  1. Preheat oven to 350ºF.
  2. In a large bowl, stir first 6 ingredients until well blended. Stir in pecans. Pour into pie shell.
  3. Bake in a preheated oven for 50 to 55 minutes or until knife inserted halfway between center and edge comes out clean. Cool.
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Almost Pecan Pie Cookies

  • 1 cup unsalted butter; melted
  • 1 cup light brown sugar; firmly packed
  • 2 cups flour
  • 4 eggs; slightly beaten
  • 2 cups Pecan Valley Pecan Pieces
  • ¼ cup flour
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 3 cups dark brown sugar; firmly packed
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla
  • 1 cup coconut
  • Powdered sugar
  1. Preheat oven to 350ºF.
  2. Mix the butter, 2 cups flour and light brown sugar. Spread evenly in a 9-inch-by-13-inch pan.
  3. Bake in a preheated oven for 15 minutes. Remove from oven and cool.
  4. Lower the oven temperature to 325ºF.
  5. Mix the eggs, pecans, salt, brown sugar, vanilla and coconut. Spread over the crust.
  6. Continue baking for 40 minutes until the mixture is firm. Sprinkle the top with powdered sugar while it is still warm. Cool. Cut into 48 squares. Freezes well.
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Apple-Pecan Pound Cake

2 cups granulated sugar
1½ cups vegetable oil
3 large eggs
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon sea salt
1½ teaspoons vanilla
3 cups granny smith apples; peeled and finely diced
¾ cups flaked coconut
1 cup Pecan Valley Pecan Pieces1. Preheat oven to 325ºF.
2. Mix sugar and oil, add eggs and beat well. Combine flour, soda and salt.
3. Add flour mixture to beaten egg mixture. Stir in vanilla, apples, coconut, and pecans. Mix well. Spoon batter into a greased tube pan.
4. Bake in preheated oven 1 hour and 20 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
5. Allow cake to cool to room temperature before removing from pan.

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Brandy Pecan Pie

1 9-inch pie shell; unbaked
¼ cup unsalted butter
1 cup granulated sugar
3 large eggs
1 cup light corn syrup
¼ cup brandy
1 cup Pecan Valley Pecan Halves

1. Preheat oven to 350ºF.
2. Beat the butter with an electric mixer to soften. Gradually add the sugar, then the eggs, one at a time, until well blended.
3. Beat in the corn syrup and brandy until well blended. Pour into the pie shell and sprinkle with the pecans.
4. Bake in a preheated oven for 45 to 50 minutes, or until set around the edges. The filling will be puffy. Cool on a wire rack.

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Butterscotch Pecan Squares

14 ounces canned sweetened condensed milk
12 ounces butterscotch chips
2½ cups flour
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon sea salt
10 tablespoons unsalted butter; softened
⅔ cups granulated sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
⅓ cup Pecan Valley Pecan Pieces

1. Preheat oven to 350ºF.
2. Butter a 13-inch-by-9-inch pan. Line bottom and sides with foil.
3. Heat condensed milk and chips over low heat, stirring, until chips melt. Combine flour, soda and salt.
4. Beat butter and sugar until creamy. Beat in egg and vanilla until light and fluffy. Beat in flour mixture until dough just comes together. Reserve ½ cup dough. Press remaining dough into bottom and ½-inch up sides of pan.
5. Pour butterscotch filling onto dough. Crumble remaining dough on top. Sprinkle with pecans.
6. Bake in a preheated oven for 25 to 30 minutes or until lightly browned. Using foil, lift from pan and cut into squares.

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Caramel Pecan Tart

1¾ cups all-purpose flour
¼ cup granulated sugar
½ cup salted butter; chilled
2 large egg yolks
3 tablespoons ice water
1 cup dark corn syrup
½ cup plus 3 tablespoons salted butter
1 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons maple syrup
¼ teaspoon sea salt
2 large eggs; lightly beaten
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2½ cups Pecan Valley Pecan Pieces
Whipped Cream

1. Preheat oven to 300ºF.
2. Using food processor fitted with metal blade. Combine flour, sugar and butter. Process until dough resembles coarse meal. Add egg yolks and water. Process until a ball begins to form. Shape dough into a disk. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and chill in refrigerator 1 hour or until firm.
3. Combine corn syrup, butter, sugar, maple syrup, and salt in double broiler. Bring to a boil over medium heat and stir often. Then remove cookies to a wire rack and cool to room temperature. From heat and cool to room temperature. Once cool, add eggs and vanilla. Stir until smooth. Set syrup aside until ready to use.
4. Spray vegetable oil cooking spray on 8 to 9-inch tart pan with removable bottom. On floured board using floured rolling pin, roll out dough to 10-inch circle, ¼ inch thick. Place pastry in pan. Lightly press into bottom and sides. Roll off excess dough from top edge with a rolling pin.
5. Fill pastry shell with pecans. Pour filling over nuts.
6. Bake in a preheated oven for 90 minutes or until golden brown. Let pie cool, and then remove sides of pan.
7. Serve sliced with Whipped Cream garnish.

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Caramel-Filled Butter Pecan Cake

1 cup shortening
2 cups granulated sugar
4 eggs
3 cups sifted cake flour
2½ teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon sea salt
1 cup milk
1 teaspoon almond extract
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 recipe Caramel Filling
1 recipe Butter Cream Frosting
1 cup Pecan Valley Pecan Pieces
Pecan Valley Pecan Halves for garnish 1. Preheat oven to 375ºF.
2. Cream shortening; gradually add sugar, beating well at medium speed of an electric mixer. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Combine flour, baking powder, and salt; add to creamed mixture alternately with milk, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Mix after each addition. Stir in flavorings.
3. Grease three 9-inch round cake pans, and line with wax paper; grease wax paper. Pour batter into prepared pans.
4. Bake in preheated oven for 22 to 25 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean.
5. Cool in pans 10 minutes; remove from pans, and let cool completely on wire racks.
6. Spread Caramel Filling between layers and on top of cake.
7. Spread Butter Cream Frosting on sides of cake.
8. Press chopped pecans into frosting on sides of cake.
9. Garnish top with pecan halves.

Yield: one 3 layer cake

Caramel Filling
3 cups granulated sugar; divided
¾ cups milk
1 egg; beaten
Pinch of sea salt
½ cup unsalted butter or margarine; cut up1. In a heavy saucepan sprinkle ½ cup sugar; place over medium heat. Cook, stirring constantly, until sugar melts and syrup is light golden brown.
2. In a bowl, combine remaining 2½ cups sugar, milk, egg, and salt stirring well; stir in butter.
3. Stir butter mixture into hot caramelized sugar. (The mixture will tend to lump, becoming smooth with further cooking.) Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until a candy thermometer registers 230ºF (15 to 20 minutes).
4. Cool 5 minutes. Beat with a wooden spoon to almost spreading consistency, and spread between layers and on top of cake.

Yield: about 2½ cup.

Butter Cream Frosting
⅓ cup unsalted butter or margarine; softened
3 cups sifted powdered sugar
2 tablespoons to 3 tablespoons half and half
½ teaspoon vanilla extract1. Cream butter at medium speed of an electric mixer; gradually add sugar alternately with half and half, beating until light and fluffy. Stir in vanilla. Yield: about 1½ cup

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Cherry Cheesecake Squares

1 cup all-purpose flour
⅓ cup unsalted butter or margarine; softened
¼ cup brown sugar; firmly packed
8 ounces cream cheese; softened
⅓ cup brown sugar; firmly packed
1 egg
2 teaspoons milk
½ teaspoon vanilla
¼ cup Pecan Valley Pecan Pieces; finely chopped
⅓ cup candied cherries

1. Preheat oven to 350ºF.
2. Mix flour, margarine and ¼ cup brown sugar; press in ungreased 8-inch-by-8-inch-by-2-inch baking pan. Bake 10 minutes.
3. In small mixer bowl on low speed beat cream cheese, brown sugar, egg, milk and teaspoon vanilla for 30 seconds scraping bowl constantly. Beat for 1 minute on medium speed, scraping bowl occasionally. Spread over baked layer; sprinkle with pecans.
4. Bake in preheated oven for about 25 minutes until edges are light brown. Cool; refrigerate at least 2 hours. Cut into 1¼-inches squares. Store in refrigerator.

Makes about 3 dozen squares

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Chocolate Coconut Pecan Cookies

1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon sea salt
½ cup unsalted butter; softened
1 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
2 ounces unsweetened chocolate; melted
1 cup flaked coconut;
½ cup Pecan Valley Pecan Pieces
¾ cups chocolate chips
2 tablespoons unsalted butter; softened

1. Preheat oven to 350ºF. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper or grease them.
2. On piece of waxed paper, combine flour, baking powder and salt.
3. In large bowl, cream butter with an electric mixer, add sugar and beat until fluffy. Beat in eggs and vanilla, and then add melted chocolate and beat well. Add flour mixture, mixing until smooth, then stir in the coconut, chopped pecans, and chocolate chips.
4. Drop dough from a teaspoon onto prepared cookie sheets, leaving about 2 inches between each cookie. Press pecan half on top of each cookie.
5. Bake on rack in middle of in preheated oven for 10 to 13 minutes or until set. Transfer cookies to wire racks to cool. Store in airtight containers for up to 1 week or in the freezer for up to 2 months.

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Chocolate Pecan Brownie Cake

1¼ cups unsalted butter; divided
½ cup cocoa; divided
1 cup water
2 cups all-purpose flour
1½ cups brown sugar; firmly packed
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon sea salt
1 can sweetened condensed milk; divided
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup powdered sugar
1 cup Pecan Valley Pecan Pieces
1. Preheat oven to 350F.
2. In small saucepan, melt 1 cup butter; stir in ¼ cup cocoa, then water. Bring to a boil; remove from heat.
3. In large mixer bowl, combine flour, brown sugar, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. Add cocoa mixture; beat well. Stir in ⅓ cup of the condensed milk, eggs and vanilla. Pour into greased 15-inch-by-10-inch jelly roll pan.
4. Bake in a preheated oven for 15 minutes or until cake springs back when lightly touched.
5. In small sauce pan, melt remaining ¼ cup butter; add remaining ¼ cup cocoa and remaining condensed milk. Stir in powdered sugar and nuts.
6. Spread on warm cake. Cool completely.
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