The good news: pecans are a great source of manganese, a mineral that has many benefits to overall health. Pecans are also a good source of protein and omega-6 fatty acids, and can help lower cholesterol.
The bad news: the health benefits of pecans may be canceled out by the corn syrup, sugar, and eggs that are also included in this recipe.
I actually adapted this from the original to adjust the filling ingredients, as the first few times I baked this my filling spilled over and created a tough, almost burned edge. The recipe below makes a more manageable filling, but I’ve done it in grams and approximate cups/tablespoons, so I highly recommend using a scale and going with the grams option for the best results. I make these periodically for my brother Andy, as they’re among his favorite treats.
Ingredients
For the crust
- 2 cups flour
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 12 tablespoons butter, cold, cut into small cubes
For the filling
- 3 eggs
- 253 grams (about 1 1/4 cups) sugar
- 382.5 grams (about 1 cup plus 3 tablespoons) light corn syrup
- 31.95 grams (2 1/4 tablespoons) butter
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups chopped pecans
Preparation
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 15 x 10 x 1 pan with baking spray.
In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, and salt. Cut in butter until the mixture looks like coarse crumbs; I also used my hands to get a more even consistency.
Press into the bottom of the pan in an even layer; bake for 20 minutes.
With a few minutes left on your crust baking time, prepare the filling. In a large bowl whisk eggs, sugar, corn syrup, melted butter, and vanilla until well combined. Stir in pecans.
Carefully pour filling over hot crust and return to the oven, baking for 25-30 minutes or until filling is set. Note: your pan will be very, very full so move it carefully; I placed a larger baking pan on the rack beneath mine to catch the drips, and my filling bubbled over a bit so I’m glad I did.
Remove from oven and cool on a wire rack completely before cutting.
