Basil-Pecan Cream Cheese

  • 1 8-ounce package cream cheese; softened
  • ¼ cup butter; softened
  • ½ cup snipped fresh basil
  • ¼ cup Pecan Valley Pecan Pieces
  • 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
  • 1 clove garlic; minced
  • ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • ⅛ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  1. In a medium mixing bowl beat cream cheese and butter with an electric mixer on medium speed until smooth.
  2. Stir in basil, pecans, vinegar, garlic, red pepper, salt and black pepper until well combined.
  3. Serve immediately or cover and chill up to 3 days

Makes 1½ cups

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Basil-Pecan Cream Cheese

1 8-ounce package cream cheese; softened
¼ cup butter; softened
½ cup snipped fresh basil
¼ cup Pecan Valley Pecan Pieces
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
1 clove garlic; minced
½ teaspoon crushed red pepper
¼ teaspoon sea salt
⅛ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1. In a medium mixing bowl beat cream cheese and butter with an electric mixer on medium speed until smooth.
2. Stir in basil, pecans, vinegar, garlic, red pepper, salt and black pepper until well combined.
3. Serve immediately or cover and chill up to 3 days

Makes 1½ cups

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Betty Carter’s Double Pecan Pie

2 8-inch pie shells; unbaked
3 eggs
⅔ cups granulated sugar
¾ cups dark syrup
⅛ teaspoon sea salt
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
2 cups Pecan Valley Pecan Pieces

1. Preheat oven to 400ºF.
2. In a large mixing bowl beat eggs until blended, add sugar, syrup, salt, and beat thoroughly. Stir in butter.
3. Put 1 cup of pecans in each pie shell. Pour liquid mixture equally over each.
4. Place pies on a cookie sheet on middle rack of oven, bake for 10 minutes.
5. Lower oven temperature to 300ºF.
6. Continue to bake about 30 minutes until filling is firm.

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Beverly’s Pecan Pie

1 9-inch pie shell; unbaked
3 eggs
¼ cup unsalted butter
1 cup Karo Light Corn Syrup
1 dash of sea salt
1 cup Pecan Valley Pecan Pieces
Whipped Cream

1. Preheat oven to 375ºF.
2. Sprinkle pecan pieces evenly over bottom of pie crust.
1. In a large mixing bowl mix eggs, butter, corn syrup, salt, and pecans until smooth. Pour into pie crust.
2. Bake in a preheated oven for 1 hour or until filling is almost set. If pie begins to brown too quickly before filling is set, place piece of aluminum foil over pie to retard further browning. (It should jiggle a little.) Cool completely before cutting.
3. Serve with generous amounts of Whipped Cream.

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Bill’s Special Edition of Texas Pecan Pie

1 9-inch pie shell; unbaked
3 eggs; slightly beaten
1 dash sea salt
1 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoons all-purpose flour; heaping
2 teaspoons cornmeal
½ cup Karo Light Corn Syrup
½ cup Karo Dark Corn Syrup
½ cup unsalted butter/margarine; melted
1 pinch sea salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon butternut extract
1½ cups Pecan Valley Pecan Pieces
Whipped cream

1. Preheat oven to 350ºF.
2. Sprinkle pecan pieces evenly over bottom of pie crust.
3. In a large mixing bowl mix beaten eggs, salt, sugar, flour, cornmeal, Light and Dark Corn Syrup, melted butter until smooth. Pour into pie crust.
4. Bake in a preheated oven for 1 hour or until filling is almost set. If pie begins to brown too quickly before filling is set, place piece of aluminum foil over pie to retard further browning. (It should jiggle a little.) Cool completely before cutting.
5. Serve with generous amounts of whipped cream.

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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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Black Pepper and Pecan Biscotti

⅓ cup Pecan Valley Pecan Oil or walnut oil
3½ cups all-purpose flour
3 eggs
1½ teaspoons baking soda
1½ cups dark brown sugar; firmly packed
½ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1½ teaspoons black pepper; coarse ground
1½ cups Pecan Valley Pecan Pieces; toasted

1. Preheat oven to 375ºF. Butter and flour 2 baking sheets.
2. In a large mixing bowl beat the eggs and oil together, add the sugar, nutmeg and pepper and then beat until the ingredients are well combined.
3. In another bowl combine the flour and baking soda, and slowly add the dry ingredients to the egg-sugar mixture.
4. Add the pecans to the dough, which will be fairly stiff, but sticky.
5. Divide the dough into four equal parts. On a floured board, or work surface, form each piece into a rope about 12 inches long and 2 to 3 inches wide. Place the ropes on the baking sheet. Flatten the top of each loaf slightly with your fingertips.
6. Bake in a preheated oven for 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool on racks for 10 minutes.
7. Slice each loaf into slices about ½-inch thick. Place the slices on the baking sheets, cut-side down, and return to the oven for about 20 minutes.
8. Turn the biscotti after 10 minutes.
9. Cool on racks and store in air-tight tins or jars.

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Blueberry and Pecan Pie

1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
¼ cup granulated sugar
1 pinch sea salt
¼ teaspoon baking powder
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 large egg
2 pints blueberries
¾ cups granulated sugar
3 tablespoons cornstarch
3 tablespoons water
1 tablespoon grated lemon zest
¾ cups Pecan Valley Pecan Pieces; toasted
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
¼ cup granulated sugar
½ teaspoon cinnamon
¾ cups unbleached all-purpose flour
½ cup Pecan Valley Pecan Pieces

1. Preheat oven to 350ºF.
2. Mixing the pastry dough: stir together the flour, salt and baking powder in a bowl.
3. Cut up and add the butter; toss gently to coat. Rub in the butter until the mixture looks sandy.
4. Beat the egg and toss into the flour and butter mixture.
5. Press the dough together, wrap and chill it.
6. Forming the pie shell: lightly flour the work surface and dough. Roll the dough to a 14-inch diameter disk, ⅛-inch thick.
7. Fit the dough into a 9-inch oven-proof glass pie pan and trim away all but ¼-inch of the excess dough.
8. Turn the excess dough under and flute the edge of the pie.
9. Chill while preparing the filling.
10. Mixing the filling: rinse and pick over the blueberries and drain them on a paper-towel-lined pan.
11. Combine one third of the berries and the sugar in a saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium heat, stirring occasionally.
12. Simmer the berries in the juices that accumulate about 5 minutes. Strain the juices into another pan.
13. Pour the water into a small bowl and stir in the cornstarch to dissolve it.
14. Return the blueberry juices to a boil and beat about one quarter of it into the dissolved cornstarch.
15. Return the remaining juices to a boil and beat the cornstarch mixture into it.
16. Return the juices to a boil, beating constantly, and allow to boil about 1 to 2 minutes, beating constantly.
17. Stir in the remaining blueberries, the cooked berries, lemon zest and pecans, and cool.
18. Mixing the crumb topping: cream the butter until soft, add the sugar and cream until soft and light.
19. Beat in the cinnamon.
20. Mix in the flour, then the pecans. The mixture should fall into large, soft crumbs.
21. Pour the filling into the prepared pan and smooth. Scatter over the crumbs.
22. Bake in a preheated oven for 40 minutes until the filling is set, the crumbs have colored and the crust is baked through, about. Cool on a rack.

Makes one 9-inch pie

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Bourbon Pecan Pumpkin Pie

1 9-inch pie shell; unbaked
3 egg; slightly beaten
1 16-ounce can pumpkin pie filling
¾ cups brown sugar; firmly packed
1½ cups half and half
3 tablespoons bourbon
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon ginger powder
¼ teaspoon sea salt
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
Brandy Pecan Sauce

1. Preheat oven to 425ºF.
2. In a large mixing bowl combine eggs, pumpkin, ¾ cups sugar, half-and-half, 3 tablespoons bourbon, cinnamon, ginger, and salt; mix well. Pour mixture into the pie shell.
3. Bake in a preheated oven for 10 minutes.
4. Reduce heat to 350ºF.
5. Bake an additional 45 minutes or until set. Set aside to cool.
6. Spoon Brandy Pecan Sauce over the pie. Heat the remaining bourbon in a saucepan just long enough to produce fumes (do not boil); remove from heat, ignite, and pour over pie. Serve pie when flames die down.

Brandy Pecan Sauce
¼ cup brown sugar; firmly packed
1 cup Pecan Valley Pecan Halves
¼ cup bourbon; divided

1. Combine butter and ¼ cup brown sugar in a saucepan; cook over medium heat, stirring until sugar dissolved.
2. Add pecans and 2 tablespoons bourbon, stirring to coat.
3. Spoon mixture over pie.

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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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