Pecan Recipes | April, 2005

Finnish Pecan Balls

1 cup unsalted butter
4 tablespoons granulated sugar
2 cups pastry flour
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 cups Pecan Valley Pecan Pieces

1. Preheat oven to 300ºF.
2. Cream butter, add sugar gradually and cream. Add flour, vanilla, and nuts. Roll to size of butter ball.
3. Bake in a preheated oven for about 45 minutes in preheated oven.
4. Roll in powdered sugar while hot and again when cold.

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Fudgy Pecan Pie

1 9-inch pie shell; unbaked
4 ounces sweet cooking chocolate or 2 ounces unsweetened chocolate
¼ cup margarine or unsalted butter
14 ounces sweetened condensed milk
½ cup hot water
2 eggs; well beaten
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
⅛ teaspoon sea salt
1¼ cups Pecan Valley Pecan Halves; or Pecan Valley Pecan Pieces
Whipped Cream or Ice Cream

1. Preheat oven to 350ºF.
2. In medium saucepan, over low heat with margarine. Stir in sweetened condensed milk, hot well. Remove from heat; stir in remaining ingredients. Pour into prepared pie crust.
3. Bake in a preheated oven for 40 to 45 minutes or until center is set. Cool slightly. Serve warm or chilled.
4. Garnish with Whipped Cream or Ice Cream, if desired.

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Georgia Pecan Pie Bars

1½ cups flour
2 tablespoons brown sugar; firmly packed
½ cup unsalted butter; softened
½ cup
2½ cup Pecan Valley Pecan Pieces

1. Preheat oven to 350ºF.
2. In a small bowl mix together the flour and brown sugar to make a dough. With fingers, work in softened butter until dough begins to hold together. Press into bottom of 9-inch square pan.
3. Bake in preheated oven for 12-15 minutes until firm.
4. In another bowl, lightly beat brown sugar, eggs, corn syrup, melted butter, vanilla, salt and pecans. Pour over baked crust.
5. Continue baking for 25 minutes or until edges are light brown. Cool and cut into bars.

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Graham Cracker Torte

½ cup butter; softened
1½ cups granulated sugar
5 egg yolks
36 cinnamon graham crackers squares; crushed (about 2¾ cups)
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1¼ cups milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup Pecan Valley Pecan Pieces
5 egg whites
1 recipe White Frosting
Crystallized ginger
Chopped pecans1. Preheat oven to 350ºF. Grease 15-inch-by-10-inch-by-1-inch baking pan. Line bottom of pan with waxed paper or parchment paper; grease paper. Beat softened butter with electric mixer 30 seconds. Beat in granulated sugar until combines.
2. Beat in 5 egg yolks. Combine graham cracker crumbs with flour, baking powder; stir in milk and vanilla. Beat into butter mixture one-third at a time, on low speed just until combined. Stir pecans; set aside. Wash beaters. In large bowl beat egg whites on medium speed until stiff peaks form gently stir half of the egg whites into graham cracker mixture; fold in remaining egg whites (batter may appear slightly curdled). Spread in pan.
3. Bake in a preheated oven for 25 to 30 minutes or until top springs back when lightly touched. Cool in pan 10 minutes. Invert onto large cooling rack, gently peel off paper. Cool completely. Prepare White Frosting. Cut cake crosswise into 3 equal pieces. Place one piece on plate; frost top with one-third of the frosting. Repeat, stacking layers with remaining cake and frosting. Top with chopped crystallized ginger and pecans. Serve at once or cover and refrigerate up to 8 hours.

Makes 10 servings

White Frosting
½ cup butter; softened
6 cups powdered sugar
3 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 to 3 teaspoons milk1. In a bowl beat butter until fluffy. Gradually add 2 cups powdered sugar; beat well. Beat in 3 tablespoons milk and vanilla.
2. Beat in remaining 4 cups powdered sugar. Beat in milk (1 to 3 teaspoons), if needed, until spreading consistency.

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Impossible Pumpkin Pecan Pie

1 16-ounce can (2 cups) pumpkin filling
12 ounces evaporated milk
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 cup Bisquick
½ cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
¾ cups Pecan Valley Pecan Pieces
1½ cups Cool Whip; thawed
¼ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

1. Preheat oven to 350ºF. Grease 10-inch pie plate.
2. In a large mixing bowl beat pumpkin filling, evaporated milk, eggs, vanilla, Bisquick, sugar, and pumpkin pie spice until smooth, 1 minute in blender or 2 minutes by hand; stir in pecans. Pour into pie plate.
3. Bake in a preheated oven for 50 to 55 minutes or until knife inserted in center comes out clean.
4. Mix the cool whip well with the pie spice; spread over pie. Garnish with additional pecans if desired.

Bisquick Substitute
2 tablespoons baking powder
1 tablespoon sugar
2¼ cups flour
5 tablespoons canola oil

1. Sift baking powder and sugar into flour. Sift together twice into large mixing bowl.
2. Slowly add oil, cutting in with pastry blender (or 2 knives), until mix is consistency of corn meal.
3. Store in tightly covered container at room temperature or may be refrigerated.

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Keebler Pecan Sandies

1½ cups vegetable shortening
¾ cups granulated sugar
1½ teaspoons sea salt
2 eggs
4 cups all-purpose flour
¼ teaspoon baking soda
2 tablespoons water
1 cup Pecan Valley Pecan Pieces

1. Preheat oven to 325ºF.
2. In a large bowl, cream together the shortening, sugar, and salt with an electric mixer on medium speed.
3. Add the eggs and beat well.
4. While mixing, slowly add the flour, baking soda, and water.
5. Chop the pecans into very small bits using a food processor or blender on low speed. Be careful not to over chop; you don’t want to make pecan dust. The pieces should be about the size of rice grains.
6. Add the pecans to the dough and knead with your hands until the pecans are well blended into the mixture.
7. Roll the dough into 1-inch balls and press flat with your hands onto greased baking Sheets. The cookies should be about 2 inches in diameter and ½-inch thick.
8. Bake in preheated oven for 25 to 30 minutes or until the edges of the cookies are golden brown then remove cookies to a wire rack and cool to room temperature.

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Kentucky Pecan Cake

2½ cups self rising flour
2 cups granulated sugar
1½ cups vegetable oil
1 cup applesauce
2½ tablespoons ground cinnamon
2 tablespoons hot water
4 egg yolks
1 cup Pecan Valley Pecan Pieces
4 egg whites
Powdered sugar for dusting1. Preheat oven to 350ºF.
2. Combine flour, sugar, vegetable oil, applesauce, cinnamon, hot water and egg yolks. Beat at medium speed of mixer until smooth. Stir in chopped pecans.
3. Beat egg whites (at room temperature) until stiff; fold into batter. Pour mixture into an ungreased 10-inch tube pan.
4. Bake in preheated oven for 1 hour and 30 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
5. Invert pan, and cool cake completely; remove from pan. Sprinkle top of cake with powdered sugar.

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Maple Pecan Cake

¾ cups maple syrup
¼ cup unsalted butter
¼ cup brown sugar; firmly packed
Pinch ground mace
1¾ cups Pecan Valley Pecan Pieces
2½ cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
Pinch sea salt
½ cup unsalted butter; room temp
¾ cups granulated sugar
2 eggs; room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon grated lemon peel
1 cup plain yogurt
¾ cups dried currants1. Position rack in center of oven and preheat oven to 350ºF.
2. Generously butter 10-inch-diameter cake pan with high sides (or 7½-inch-by-11½-inch ovenproof glass baking dish).
3. Heat syrup, ¼ cup butter, brown sugar and mace in heavy medium saucepan over low heat, stirring until sugar dissolves. Bring to boil. Pour into prepared pan.
4. Sprinkle with pecans. Sift flour, baking soda and salt into bowl. Using electric mixer, cream ½ cup butter in another bowl. Add ¾ cups sugar and beat until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs 1 at a time, and then beat 2 minutes. Blend in vanilla and lemon peel. Stir in flour mixture and yogurt alternately, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Fold in currants. Spoon batter atop pecan mixture, spreading gently to sides of pan.
5. Bake in a preheated oven for about 55 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Immediately invert cake onto rack set over sheet of waxed paper.
6. Serve warm. Garnish with whipped cream if desired.

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Maple Pecan Pie

1 9-inch pie shell; unbaked
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
¼ cup all-purpose flour
1 cup maple syrup
½ cup fresh maple sap*
¾ cups Pecan Valley Pecan Pieces

1. Preheat oven to 350ºF.
2. Melt butter in small saucepan.
3. Add flour all at once. Cook, stirring constantly, until mixture is golden brown.
4. Add syrup and water and cook, whisking constantly until thickened.
5. Allow to cool for 10 minutes. Add nuts.
6. Pour warm filling into prepared pie shell.
7. Bake in a preheated oven for 35 to 40 minutes or until filling is set and crust is golden brown.
8. Cool on wire rack.
9. May be decorated with nuts, pastry maple leaves, etc. Best if garnished with whipped cream.

Note: You can substitute ½ cup water for the fresh mape sap if its not available.

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Mashed Sweet Potatoes with Pecans

6 medium (about 2 pounds) sweet potatoes
2 eggs
2 tablespoons barley malt syrup
2 tablespoons margarine or unsalted butter; melted
Pinch of sea salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup orange juice
2 tablespoons honey
½ cup Pecan Valley Pecan Halves

1. Preheat oven to 425ºF.
2. Bake sweet potatoes until tender, about 45 to 60 minutes. Remove and discard skin.
3. Reduce oven temperature to 375ºF.
4. Mash potatoes and beat in eggs, syrup, one tablespoon margarine, sea salt and cinnamon. Add enough orange juice to moisten and make fluffy. Spoon into a 1½ quart baking dish and drizzle with honey and remaining one tablespoon margarine. Sprinkle with pecans
5. Bake in a preheated oven for 20 minutes. Serve warm.

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