By Claire Saffitz
Updated Nov. 16, 2023
- Total Time
- 1 hour 50 minutes
- Prep Time
- 15 minutes
- Cook Time
- 1 hour 35 minutes
- Rating
- 4(377)
- Notes
- Read community notes
This tart layers toasted, sugared pecans over brown-buttery pecan cream, recreating the flavors of traditional pecan pie but with greater depth of flavor and a lot less sugar. To prevent the filling from puffing and pushing out the walls of the tart during baking, it’s baked inside a 9-by-13-inch pan. (Watch Claire make Thanksgiving dinner from start to finish on YouTube.)
Featured in: These Five Thanksgiving Pies Are a Dessert Lover’s Dream
Learn: How to Make a Pie Crust
or to save this recipe.
Print Options
Advertisem*nt
Ingredients
Yield:8 servings
- 4¼cups/454 grams pecan halves
- ½cup/113 grams unsalted butter
- 1ice cube
- ¾cup plus 1 tablespoon/163 grams Demerara sugar, plus more for sprinkling
- 1teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt or ½ teaspoon Morton kosher salt, plus more for sprinkling
- 2teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2large eggs, chilled
- 2tablespoons all-purpose flour, plus more for rolling dough
- 1recipe Flaky Pie Crust, chilled
- 1large egg white, at room temperature
- Unsweetened whipped cream, for serving
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Preparation
Step
1
Arrange an oven rack in the center position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Scatter pecans on a rimmed baking sheet and toast, shaking once or twice, until nutty-smelling, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool. Turn off the oven.
Step
2
Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, bring the butter to a boil over medium heat and cook, stirring constantly and scraping the bottom and sides of the pan with a heatproof flexible spatula, until you see golden brown specks, about 5 minutes. Scrape the browned butter into a heatproof bowl. Add an ice cube to the bowl and stir briefly, then set aside to allow the butter to cool slightly.
Step
3
In a food processor, combine ¾ cup Demerara sugar, the salt and 1¼ cups cooled, toasted pecans and process in long pulses until the pecans are finely ground. Add the vanilla and eggs, and process until the mixture is smooth, then, with the motor running, stream in the browned butter. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, then add 2 tablespoons flour and pulse just until the flour disappears. Scrape the mixture into a bowl or container and refrigerate until spreadable, 10 to 15 minutes.
Step
4
Remove the pie dough from the refrigerator and let it sit at room temperature for a minute or two to soften slightly. Place the unwrapped dough on a lightly floured surface and, using a rolling pin, beat evenly across the surface in one direction, applying enough force to leave an imprint but not enough to crack or splinter it. Beat the dough in a crosswise direction, lifting it frequently and adding flour as needed to prevent sticking, until it’s just under ½-inch thick. Dust underneath and on top of the dough with more flour, then roll it out in opposite directions to work it into a rectangular shape, frequently lifting and rotating the dough, until it’s about ⅛-inch thick and roughly 14 inches long and 10 inches wide.
Step
5
Roll the pastry onto the rolling pin, then unroll it onto a 13-by-9-inch baking pan (preferably metal) or a quarter sheet pan, doing your best to center it. Gently pat the pastry into the pan, taking care not to stretch it, and work it firmly into the corners and about ½ inch up all the way around the sides. Press and pinch together any cracks or gaps to close them. Scrape the pecan filling onto the pastry and with the back of a spoon or offset spatula, spread it in an even layer all the way to the sides. Refrigerate the pan while you make the topping.
Step
6
In a medium bowl, vigorously whisk the egg white and 1 tablespoon Demerara sugar until the sugar is dissolved and the mixture is pale and foamy, about 30 seconds. Add the remaining pecans and toss until evenly coated. Remove the baking sheet from the fridge and scatter the coated pecans across the filling, arranging them in an even layer. Sprinkle the entire surface of the tart with more Demerara sugar and a pinch or two of salt. Return the baking sheet to the refrigerator and chill until the pastry is firm and cold, 10 to 15 minutes.
Step
7
Meanwhile, heat oven to 375 degrees. Transfer the pan to the oven and bake until the pastry edge is deep golden brown and the filling puffs, 40 to 50 minutes. After 30 minutes, check the tart to make sure the pecans aren’t getting too dark – if they are, cover the surface with aluminum foil. Remove the tart from the oven and let cool completely. Carefully invert onto a cutting board or wire rack, then invert again onto a serving dish so it’s right-side up. Serve with whipped cream.
Tip
- The tart can be made 1 day ahead. Store in the pan at room temperature. The filling can be made up to 2 days ahead. Keep covered and refrigerated.
Ratings
4
out of 5
377
user ratings
Your rating
or to rate this recipe.
Have you cooked this?
or to mark this recipe as cooked.
Private Notes
Leave a Private Note on this recipe and see it here.
Cooking Notes
Tom Salamone
Is Demerara sugar materially different in taste from regular light brown sugar allowing me - a relative novice cook - to substitute the latter for the former? Thanks. Tom
Aaron
If you hadn't seen already, highly recommend watching Claire go through her Thanksgiving recipes (which includes this one) on the NYT YouTube page. Lots of extra explanation from her and it's super useful!
TG
Could this be done with puff pastry instead, considering it's so shallow?
Julie
I don't understand the reasoning behind adding an ice cube to the browned butter. There are other ways to cool the butter without adding water-and ice cubes are very inconsistent in sizing. Just say cool the butter and add 2TBSP of cold water (or whatever the amount needs to be).Otherwise the recipe sounds great-almost like a frangipane made with pecans instead of almonds.
camille
Do NOT make this in a metal quarter sheet pan without lining the bottom with parchment or buttering/flouring. I just made this and it not only wouldn’t be loosened but completely fell apart when prepared as described.
msjenne
The ice cube is to replace the water that was in the butter, which evaporates during the browning process.
Linda
TG - I've made a similar recipe for years - a family favorite - and I strongly recommend sticking with the flaky pie crust. Puff pastry does not have the body or the texture that are a key part in the recipe's success.
Margaret
I love pecans but not the toothachy sweetness and gloppy texture of pecan pie. Can’t wait to try this recipe!
Glori
Beating an “X” in the dough before rolling it out is supposed to help to create the rectangle shape.
Jen Fitzy
I made this and served it yesterday for an early Thanksgiving. The recipe is really well written and I followed it to a tee, using a metal quarter-sheet pan.To answer a few questions here:- You cannot replace the demerara with brown sugar. You could use turbinado though.- The dessert is not very sweet.- The dessert is "drier" than pie, but the guests really liked it. I did serve it with unsweetened whipped cream.- The pastry worked out just great. Do not par bake, not needed.
Sheri
I've made this slab pie the way I do all slab pies - with puff pastry. SO much easier, and to my mind, better tasting. Try it and see!
KO
Delicious crowd pleaser. Made twice and learning #1. def cover after 30 min bc pecans became too browned. #2 don’t over-blend demerara and pecans in the food processor bc it results in filling becoming too runny which causes the pecan topping to sink into the filling instead of sitting on top. A coarser grind is ideal. Otherwise great recipe!
MomC
Am looking forward to trying this recipe, but surprised the weights used in the ingredient list are not carried into the recipe. 1 1/4c pecans instead of, what, roughly 135 grams of pecans in the food processor, the demerara measurement? I don’t understand providing weight if not carrying through to the instructions.
RR
This came out perfectly. Followed recipe exactly and made in a quarter baking sheet. Be warned, though, line the bottom of your oven with foil, or bake on top of another lined baking sheet, as our kitchen got smoked out. Next time, I'll not only do that, but use a baking pan with higher sides. It fits beautifully in the quarter sheet, but the higher sides might prevent the molten stuff from escaping.
Laura
I would not recommend making a pecan pie without pecans. However, for a similar feel, look up Smitten Kitchen's Black Bottom Oat Pie, which has a pecan pie-like filling but with oats instead of pecans.
WillJ
Made a half recipe of this and used a 9 in spring form pan. It was ready in about 35 min. Came out great and I would definitely make it again as a pecan pie substitute. As other folks mentioned not too sweet. Note I used half brown sugar and half granulated sugar for the filling. I would place a sheet pan under it next time as the bottom was a little browner than I would like.
Irene G
Delicious and a winner at Thanksgiving with my family over traditional pecan pie. Have made it since by request for parties.
jamie
I made this for Christmas dinner and have a few thoughts: no one else mentioned this, but I felt the ratio of pecan topping to filling was off. Not enough filling. Perhaps I read the recipe wrong! I will definitely make this again, though, since it is a wonderful much less sweet alternative to traditional pecan pie.
Irene G
Perfectly delicious (and so much better than the traditional version which I find cloying.). A definite crowd pleaser.
Annelise
Found the overall pie to be a little dry, though I really enjoyed the flavor and lower level of sweetness, and I was glad it wasn’t gooey like a traditional version. Next time I will experiment with a higher ratio of frangipane filling to the pecans on top.
Jenn
Made this twice and love it but will seek out a different crust recipe for it next time I make it. The linked crust recipe is tasty and flaky but so tough I couldn't believe it.
KarenB3D
Made this with graham cracker crust. It was delicious and devoured by all at Thanksgiving.
Sue
I have made this twice. It's fantastic. The first time I baked it in a 9X13 Pyrex glass baking pan, came out great. Second time, used quarter sheet pan and like several other commenters had a disastrous smoke fest in my kitchen because so much fat went over the edges of the pan and onto the bottom of the oven. And, when the slab was cool enough to look underneath, I discovered the bottom was not golden and flakey like the one I make in the glass dish, rather pasty and pale. Still tasty.
Anthony Silk
I enjoyed this very much. It is a bit of pain to make - there are a lot of steps, but we found the result was worth it. I did not use the ice cube. Instead, I added 1 oz of cold bourbon to the browned butter. I think it added a little bit of warmth to the pie, but definitely did not give it a bourbon flavor. I also baked this in a 9x13 glass dish with parchment paper on the bottom. Cooked well and came out cleanly.
Ferguson
Because of the comments about over-browning, I toasted most of pecans (320 grams) for only 3 minutes and toasted the ones processed in the food processor (133 grams) for the full 8-10 minutes. You could use chopped pecans for the smaller amount if they are cheaper. I had no problem with the pie sticking to the pan.
Sarah
So yummy. Most flaky crust I have ever made.
R.N.
I made this instead of pecan pie for Thanksgiving and it came out looking exactly like the photo. Tasted good, just not great. Looks a bit dry in the photo and YES, we all agreed that it seemed a bit dry to eat. In the end, we really missed the gooey pecan pie that we all love. If you love pecan pie, skip this one and just make it. It is about the same amount of work.
Amanda L
I made this for Thanksgiving and the flavor was perfection, but I was a little disappointed by the texture of the filling. It came out drier and more like a baked dough than a custardy filling. Maybe this was because of the two tablespoons of flour? I was also one of the people who didn't add an ice cube to my butter, but just stuck it in the freezer, so maybe that was it? Or I simple over-baked it? I'm going to tweak it and try again.
Aviva Garrett
We have been looking for a long time for a pecan pie that uses less corn or maple syrup, because they are too sweet. As promised, this is a pecan pie that is less sweet, and all of us loved it. The only modification I made was to use 250 grams of pecan halves for the topping (at the time, this was all I had) and to grind the remaining 200 grams for the filling. The pecans halves completely covered the top, and the filling was nuttier.
Thom W
This slab pie is a great concept for a Pecan Pie. I did make two of them for different gatherings. The most common reaction was to find the pie was a bit on the dry side, which I would agree. The flavor overall is excellent. Would adding a cup of half-n-half or heavy cream with two more eggs do the trick? Just thinking.
Private notes are only visible to you.
