Pecan Recipes | October, 2005

Angel Pecan Pie

  • 3 egg whites
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla
  • 1 cup Ritz Cracker crumbs
  • 1½ cups Pecan Valley Pecan Pieces
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • ¼ teaspoon almond flavoring
  1. Preheat oven to 350ºF.
  2. In a large mixing bowl beat egg whites until foamy. Add 1 cup sugar a little at a time, beating after each addition. Add 1 teaspoon vanilla. Continue beating until mixture holds soft peaks.
  3. In a large mixing bowl mix cracker crumbs and 1 cup pecans. Fold into meringue mixture a little at a time. Spoon mixture into an 8-inch pie plate to form a shell. Pull up mixture into peaks around edge of plate with back of spoon. Spread evenly.
  4. Bake in a preheated oven for 30 minutes. Cool thoroughly on a wire cake rack.
  5. In a large mixing bowl mix cream, 2 tablespoons sugar, 1 teaspoon vanilla and almond flavoring. Whip until thick and shiny. Spoon into cold pie shell.
  6. Sprinkle remaining ½ cup chopped pecans round edge of cream. Using a sharp knife, cut like a pie.
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Anise and Pecan Biscotti

  • 1⅔ cups bread flour
  • 2 cups cake flour
  • 2 cups Pecan Valley Pecan Pieces
  • ½ teaspoon baking powder
  • ¼ teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 tablespoon anise seeds
  • ½ cup unsalted butter
  • 3 eggs
  • 1⅓ cups granulated sugar
  • 2 teaspoons lemon zest
  • 2 teaspoons orange zest
  • ½ teaspoon anise extract
  • 8 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate; optional
  1. Preheat oven to 375ºF.
  2. Blend bread and cake flours, pecans, baking powder, baking soda and anise seeds in bowl.
  3. Melt butter and set aside to cool.
  4. In a large mixing bowl beat 2 eggs, 1 additional egg yolk and sugar until smooth. Reserve the remaining egg white. Stir in zests and anise. Add butter and mix until smooth. Add dry ingredients and mix to smooth dough.
  5. Roll dough into two 14-inch logs and place on baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Press tops of logs to flatten slightly. Brush with reserved egg white.
  6. Bake in a preheated oven for about 30 minutes until logs are light brown, but still give slightly when tops are pressed.
  7. Remove pan from oven and reduce temperature to 325ºF.
  8. While logs are still warm, cut diagonally into ½-inch slices. Return slices to baking sheet, placing on sides and then return to oven.
  9. Bake in a preheated oven for about 15 minutes until cookies are lightly brown. Remove from oven and cool on wire racks.
  10. Cut chocolate into ½-inch chunks. Place two-thirds in stainless steel bowl, spreading in even layer over bottom and up sides of bowl. Cover bowl with plastic wrap. Fill medium saucepan one-third full of water. Bring water to simmer over high heat. Remove pan from heat and set bowl of chocolate over top. Let stand until 80% of the chocolate has melted. Do not let temperature of chocolate drop below 88ºF on candy thermometer. If so, place bowl over saucepan of warm water and continue stirring. Stir until chocolate is smooth and glossy. Have clean sheet of waxed paper nearby.
  11. Dip half of each cookie in chocolate. As cookie is removed, scrape top and bottom against side of bowl to remove excess chocolate. Set cookies on waxed paper until chocolate sets, about 3 hours or put into freezer for about 20 minutes.
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Apple Pecan Cake

2 cups granulated sugar
½ cup margarine
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon sea salt
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
4 cups apples; sliced thin
1 cup Pecan Valley Pecan Pieces1. Preheat oven to 325ºF.
2. In a large mixing bowl cream margarine and sugar. Add beaten eggs and vanilla extract and whisk to blend well.
3. Combine baking soda, salt, flour and cinnamon; add to egg mixture and beat until thoroughly mixed.
4. Add peeled and thinly sliced apples along with the chopped pecans to batter. Blend only enough to spread apples and nuts throughout batter.
5. Grease and flour a 13-inch-by-9-inch-by-2-inch pan. Pour in the batter.Bake in a preheated oven for 1 hour.

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Apricot Pecan Bars

  • 2 cups unsalted butter
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 4 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2⅔ cups apricots; dried
  • 1⅓ cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon sea salt
  • 4 cups brown sugar; firmly packed
  • 8 large eggs
  • 2 cups Pecan Valley Pecan Pieces
  • 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
  • 1 cup powdered sugar
  1. Preheat oven to 350ºF.
  2. In a large mixing bowl cream butter and sugar. Stir in flour until crumbly. Pack into a 12-inch-by-18 pan.
  3. Bake in a preheated oven for 25 minutes or until lightly browned.
  4. Cook apricots in small amount of water until softened, drain and process until pureed in food processor.
  5. In a large mixing bowl beat brown sugar and eggs together until well-blended. Add dry ingredients and mix until blended.
  6. Add vanilla, apricots and nuts and mix until blended. Spread over baked layer.
  7. Bake in a preheated oven for 25 to 30 minutes until golden. Cool and sprinkle with powdered sugar. Cut into pieces approximately 1½-inch by ¾-inch.
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Banana Pecan Cake

⅔ cups banana; mashed
⅓ cup margarine
6 egg whites; large
¾ cups water
2 cups cake flour; unbleached
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
½ cup Pecan Valley Pecan Pieces
½ cup raisins1. Preheat oven to 350ºF.
2. In a mixing bowl, beat together mashed bananas and margarine until creamy.
3. Add egg whites and water. Beat well.
4. Stir in flour, baking powder, baking soda and cinnamon. Beat until smooth.
5. Add pecans and raisins. Spoon batter into a 9-inch-by-13-inch baking pan, sprayed with vegetable oil spray.
6. Bake in a preheated oven for 20 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool and cut into 3-inch-by-3-inch squares.

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Bittersweet Chocolate Pecan Squares

  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 stick unsalted butter (plus 2 tablespoons); cut-up and softened
  • 3 tablespoons brown sugar; firmly packed
  • 1½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract
  • ½ cup heavy cream
  • 3 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate; cut-up
  • 1 egg
  • 1 teaspoon instant espresso powder
  • ⅓ cup granulated sugar
  • 1½ tablespoon cornstarch
  • 1 cup Pecan Valley Pecan Pieces
  • Powdered sugar
  1. Preheat oven to 375ºF.
  2. In a food processor, combine flour, 1 stick butter and brown sugar. Process until blended. Add vanilla and process until dough clings together in a ball. Press evenly into bottom of an ungreased 8-inch square baking pan. Refrigerate while preparing topping.
  3. In a medium saucepan, combine cream, chocolate and remaining 2 tablespoons butter. Heat over low heat, stirring occasionally, until chocolate melts and mixture is smooth.
  4. Remove from heat; let cool slightly.
  5. With wire whisk, beat in egg, espresso powder, granulated sugar and cornstarch until well blended. Stir in pecans. Pour chocolate mixture over chilled crust.
  6. Bake in a preheated oven for 20 to 25 minutes, or until set. Let cool in pan.
  7. Cut into 25 squares. Sift powdered sugar over top. Store in refrigerator.
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Brownie Pecan Pie

1 9-inch pie shell; unbaked
⅔ cups granulated sugar
⅛ teaspoon sea salt
1 cup light corn syrup
4 ounces sweet cooking chocolate
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 eggs; beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup Pecan Valley Pecan Pieces
Vanilla Ice Cream

1. Preheat oven to 350ºF.
2. Combine sugar, salt and syrup in saucepan. Bring to a boil. Boil 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Stir in chocolate and butter and stir until melted and smooth. Cool.
3. In a large mixing bowl gradually beat chocolate mixture into beaten eggs, stirring constantly. Mix well. Add vanilla and pecans. Pour into pie shell.
4. Bake in a preheated oven for 50 minutes. Cool. May serve with Ice Cream.

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Butterscotch Cookies

  • 1 18.25-ounce package yellow cake mix
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 stick unsalted butter, melted
  • ¼ cup dark-brown sugar; firmly packed
  • 1 tablespoon cocoa powder
  • 1 cup butterscotch chips
  • ½ cup Pecan Valley Pecan Pieces
  1. Heat oven to 350°. Line 2 large baking sheets with nonstick foil.
  2. In a large mixing bowl combine cake mix, eggs, butter, brown sugar and cocoa powder.
  3. Stir to combine. Fold in butterscotch chips and pecans.
  4. Drop by level tablespoonfuls onto nonstick foil.
  5. Bake in a preheated oven for 14 minutes.
  6. Cool 2 minutes on sheets on wire rack, then transfer cookies to racks to cool completely.
  7. Repeat with remaining dough.

Makes about 3½ dozen cookies.

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Canadian Maple Pecan Cookies

  1. Preheat oven to 325ºF.
  2. In a large mixing bowl beat egg whites until they are stiff.
  3. In a 3-quart saucepan boil maple syrup for 10 minutes and pour over stiffly beaten egg whites. Stir until thick over hot water; add sherry and powdered sugar. Stir in chopped pecans.
  4. Force through pastry tube onto lightly buttered and floured cookie sheet.
  5. Bake in a preheated oven for 15 minutes.

Makes 5 dozen 1-inch cookies

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Carol Thomas’s Pecan Pie

1 9-inch pie shell; unbaked
½ cup butterscotch chips
1 cup Pecan Valley Pecan Pieces
¼ cup unsalted butter; melted
½ cup granulated sugar
½ cup white corn syrup
2 eggs

1. Preheat oven to 350ºF.
2. Scatter butterscotch chips and pecan pieces into pie shell.
3. Beat together butter, sugar, corn syrup and eggs in a medium sized bowl.
4. Pour over nuts and butterscotch chips.
5. Bake in a preheated oven for 45 to 50 minutes or until golden brown. If pie browns too quickly, cover with aluminum foil after 20 minutes.
6. Cool completely on wire rack.

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