Pecan Pie

I LOVE the Holidays!  It is a wonderful time filled with meaningful and delicious baking. There is great reason to bake and even better reasons to eat what you bake.  In my mind it is the greatest time of the year for pies. Pies, when done right, are the BEST kind of dessert.  This year the favorite pie was Pecan Pie. I did not really stick to one recipe, but looked over several and then made a twist of them all.  And of course it would not be my kind of pecan pie if I did not use my trademark- Agave Nectar.

I think the most frequent complaint on a Pecan Pie, is that the sweetness is way too sweet. In my opinion, it is a turn off if all I taste is sugar.  Pecan Pie should not be flooded with a taste overwhelmed by sugar, it should be a subtly sweet pie that showcases the pecans, because after all it IS Pecan Pie. . .RIGHT? Corn syrup is very frequently used in combination with sugar as the primary ingredients.  I am not a fan of corn syrup or sugar.   SOO the changes I have made focus on taking away the sugar drenched taste that the typical Pecan Pie boasts, while increasing the Pecans to offset the sweetness.  The end result was a dreamy blissful pecan delight! 

Pecan Pie

1/2 cup Chopped Pecans
1/2 cup Maple Syrup

1/2 cup Agave Nectar

1/4 cup Brown Sugar (lightly packed)

2 TBSP Melted Butter

1 1/2 TSP Vanilla Extract
2 TSP Molasses

1/4 TSP Salt

4 Eggs

*  *  *  *

1 pie crust

Pecan Halves

1) Combine the first ingredients.
2) Pour into unbaked crust.

3) Top filling with enough pecan halves to fully cover.

3) Bake 350 For 40-50 minutes.  Check at 40 minutes and then increase by increments of 5 minutes if not done. You will know it is done when the filling swells to be dome like and when you touch/tap it has firm touch through the center.  As it cools, however, the dome appearance will go away.  In my oven it generally takes 50 minutes, but my oven really does not vent moisture very well, extending the time it takes to bake wetter goods.