An overhead shot of a slice of no corn syrup bourbon pecan pie on a plate.

I don’t know why I love so much that this pie requires neither corn syrup or Lyle’s golden syrup, but I do. Flavored with bourbon and maple syrup, this pecan pie is the ideal finale (along with this one and this one) to a fall feast. A dollop of salted whipped cream, for me, is essential.

As with all the pies, galettes, and tarts, I make, this one calls for a simple, foolproof pie dough made in the food processor. This dough recipe is adapted from a David Lebovitz recipe, and it employs a tea towel-technique for shaping I learned from a French woman years ago. Details below:

How to Make Foolproof Pie Dough

Measure your ingredients.

A counter with a food processor and the ingredients to make foolproof food processor pastry dough.

First pulse the flour, sugar and salt together.

A counter with a food processor filled with the ingredients to make foolproof food processor pastry dough.

Add the butter and pulse 10 times (about).

A counter with a food processor filled with the ingredients to make foolproof food processor pastry dough: flour, salt, sugar, and butter.

The butter should be the size of peas (about).

A counter with a food processor filled with dry ingredients pulsed with butter.

Add ice water.

A counter with a food processor filled with dry ingredients pulsed with butter and ice water added.

Pulse again about 10 to 15 times or until the dough is still crumbly, but holds together when pinched.

A counter with a food processor filled with dry ingredients pulsed with butter and ice water.

Divide dough between two clean tea towels. I love these tea towels by Now Designs.

Two tea towels filled with just-pulsed food processor pastry dough.

Gather towel into a beggar’s purse, and squeeze to form a round.

A tea towel with a round of food processor pastry dough.

Transfer one to the freezer for a future use.

A round of food processor pastry dough in a ziplock bag with the date on it.

On a lightly floured surface, roll out the remaining round into a circle about 12- to 13-inches in diameter.

A floured board with a round of foolproof food processor pastry dough on it.
A floured board with a round of foolproof food processor pastry dough on it rolled into an 11-inch circle.

Fold dough into quarters to easily transfer to a pie plate or tart pan. Freeze for at least 30 minutes.

A floured board with a round of foolproof food processor pastry dough on it rolled out and folded into quarters.

How to Make Bourbon Pecan Pie

For the pecan pie: toast the pecans till lightly golden and fragrant.

A skillet filled with pecans.

Then stir together the filling, pour it into a parbaked pie shell, and bake until set.

Ingredients for bourbon pecan pie.
slice of bourbon pecan pie (no corn syrup)
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Bourbon pecan pie

Homemade Bourbon Pecan Pie (No Corn Syrup)


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4.6 from 7 reviews

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Description

Adapted from this David Lebovitz recipe.

Notes:

If you want to make a double batch of pie dough, follow this recipe. I’ve written the pie dough as a single recipe should you only want to make a single pie.

I love my Emile Henry pie plates (similar to this one).


Ingredients

For the pie dough:

  • 1 1/4 cups (160 g) all-purpose flour
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • 1/4 teaspoon table or kosher salt
  • 8 tablespoons (114 g) cold, cubed butter, salted or unsalted
  • 1/4 C. + 1 T. (71 g) ice water

For the pecan pie:

  • 1 cup (215 g) packed dark brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup (125 ml) maple syrup
  • 3 large eggs
  • 4 tablespoons melted butter
  • 3 tablespoons bourbon
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 2 cups (225 g) pecans, lightly toasted (I do this in a skillet over medium-high heat, watching closely), chopped coarsely or finely, depending on your preference — I prefer a finer chop

For serving:

  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • confectioner’s sugar to taste
  • flaky sea salt, such as maldon, if you have it, kosher or other salt if you don’t
  • vanilla

Instructions

Make the pie dough:

  1. In the bowl of a food processor, pulse the flour, sugar, and salt together. Cut the butter into small pieces, then add to the food processor. Pulse at 1-second intervals until butter is the size of peas—should be about 10 quick pulses. Add the ice water and pulse again about 10 times until the mixture is crumbly but holds together when pinched. Lay a clean tea towel on a work surface. Dump the crumbly dough mixture into the center of the towel. Grab the four corners of the towel together and twist to create a beggar’s purse, pressing the dough into a round. Use your hands to pack and flatten the round. If time permits, chill the dough for 30-60 minutes before proceeding. 
  2. On a lightly floured work surface, roll out the dough into a 12- or 13-inch round. Use as much flour as needed to prevent the dough from sticking, and every few rolls, flip the dough over. Transfer it to a 9-inch pie plate or pan. Trim dough that hangs over by a lot — leave at least an inch over hanging; you may not need to trim everywhere. Tuck the overhanging edges under, between the rim of the pie plate and the dough, and crimp the edge of the dough. If time permits, chill the dough in the fridge until firm, about 30 minutes.

Parbake the dough (Optional):

Note: this is new guidance. If you’ve had success not parbaking with this recipe, you can skip this step. I have in fact had succes not parbaking here, but I do think parbaking makes a superior crust. 

  1. Heat your oven to 425ºF. If you have a Baking Steel or pizza stone, place it on a rack in the lower third of your oven. On a lightly floured work surface, roll out one of the chilled rounds of pie dough, flipping the round over every few strokes, until you have a circle roughly 15 inches in diameter — the thickness should be about that of a Ritz cracker — learned this visual tip from King Arthur Flour. 
  2. Transfer the round to a pie plate. Trim any excessive overhanging pie dough — there should be roughly 1/2 inch of dough overhanging the edge. Save the scraps in an airtight container in the fridge. Tuck the overhanging dough behind itself; then use your fingers to crimp the edge into a fluted pattern — video guidance here. Lay a sheet of parchment across the pie plate and pour pie weights or dried beans into the center until they reach the top of the pie crust. Use your hands to press the weights down and fit them into the edges of the fluted crust.
  3. Transfer the filled pie crust to a parchment-lined sheet pan and transfer to the oven for 15-20 minutes or until the edges are just beginning to color — do rely on the visual cues here. It sometimes takes my crusts a little longer to take on that light color at the edges.
  4. Remove the pan from the oven and carefully remove the pie weights or dried beans (which you can use again and again — let them cool completely; then transfer to a storage bag). Return the pan to the oven for another 2 to 3 minutes — it should take on only the slightest bit of more color all around.

Make the Filling and Bake the Pie:

  1. Heat oven to 350ºF. In a large bowl, whisk together the brown sugar, maple syrup, eggs, melted butter, bourbon, vanilla, and salt. Stir in the pecans.
  2. Pour the filling into the pie shell and bake until the center of the pie is seems just about set. It should still jiggle a little. Begin checking it at the 40 minute mark, but it may take 45 to 50 minutes (I find 50 minutes to be about right) to reach that point of doneness. Remove it from the oven and let cool on a wire rack. Serve at room temperature.
  3. To make the salted whipped cream: Whip heavy cream in the bowl of a stand mixer until soft peaks begin to form. (You can do this by hand, too, with a bowl and whisk.) Add confectioner’s sugar — start with 1/4 cup and add more to taste. Add a big pinch of sea salt and the vanilla and beat to combine and until the peaks begin getting firmer. Taste — the mixture should be slightly sweet and the salt should be noticeable, though the whipped cream should not taste salty. You don’t want the whipped cream to taste too sweet because pecan pie is very sweet.
  • Prep Time: 30 minutes
  • Cook Time: 50 minutes
  • Category: Dessert
  • Method: Oven
  • Cuisine: American