Bourbon Caramel Pecan Pie
This post might have affiliate links. For full details please see my disclosure policy.
This bourbon caramel pecan pie is by far one of my favorite holiday desserts! It has buttery pie crust, homemade bourbon caramel sauce, toasted pecans, and flaky salt. It’s cozy, rich, and delicious with whipped cream or ice cream. Definitely one of the best pies I’ve ever made!
Hello and welcome to my ultimate world of coziness. I have officially decorated for Christmas (oops) and invested in 3 new sweaters. Sad indie music is everywhere. There’s pecan pie! It’s total magic.
Anyways, before I enjoy Thanksgiving with my in-laws and jet off to Curacao for our honeymoon, I just had to share this recipe with you. At first, I was just going to make it for the holidays along with my pumpkin custard pie and deep-dish caramel Dutch apple pie and not even blog it.
But I couldn’t because this pie is absurdly good. I started making a version of this recipe back when I was a pastry school student and I’ve been tweaking it ever since. But I’ve finally reached pie bliss and you deserve to have it at your holiday celebrations as well.
We all know that I firmly live and die with Team Pie, so it’s hard to find one that truly impresses me. This, however, is not an issue with this recipe. Omg I think I could eat a slice of this pie every day for the rest of my life. It has everything. Bourbon. Caramel. Lots and lots of nuts. Flaky, buttery pie crust. I can’t!
Simple ingredients you’ll need
What I especially love about this recipe is that the ingredient list is fairly short. You just need granulated sugar, dark brown sugar, unsalted butter, heavy whipping cream, bourbon, pie dough, pecans, eggs, vanilla bean paste or extract, and Morton’s Kosher salt. No corn syrup here!
No bourbon? Try rum, or leave it out if you do not want to use alcohol in this recipe.
Make the bourbon caramel
If your caramel separates, don’t stress! To keep it from separating in the first place, start with room temperature ingredients so the cold ingredients don’t shock the hot sugar. If your caramel sauce still separates, just place the pan back on medium-low heat and whisk it vigorously until the caramel smooths out and comes together.
Par-bake the crust
Start with a good homemade pie crust. I like homemade but a good store-bought version is fine too! Make sure it stays very cold so the layers are nice and flaky.
Fill & bake
The pie is amazing on its own but I like serving it with a few extra toppings! Try drizzling the whole pie with extra caramel sauce and flaky salt. Then, serve the slices with vanilla ice cream, salted caramel gelato, or whipped cream. So good!
Checking for doneness
There is a fine line between perfect pecan pie and one that is over-baked. Since it’s a custard, over-baked pecan pie can taste eggy and have a lumpy texture.
To know when the pie is done, give it the jiggle test! Use an oven mitt to grip the edges of the pie plate and give it a gentle shake. It’s ready when the edges are set and the center has a small wobble (like Jell-O!) If the filling is flowing or liquid-y, keep baking.
Make-ahead & storage
This pie is super easy to make ahead. It needs a few hours to chill, so I actually recommend making it the night before to give it time to set up. It’s also way easier to slice when it’s chilled! To store leftovers, just cover the top of the pie and let it sit on the counter for up to 2-3 days. You can also store it in the fridge for 2-3 days to make it a little easier to slice.
If you make this recipe, I would love it if you left a star rating and review! I read every single comment and love hearing what you think about my recipes. Thank you for supporting Sunday Table!
Bourbon Caramel Pecan Pie
Ingredients
Bourbon Caramel Sauce
- 1 cup sugar
- 6 Tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
- 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream, room temperature
- 2 Tablespoons bourbon
- 1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt, more to taste
Pie Crust
- 1 9-inch pie dough, homemade or store-bought
- 1 large egg
Pecan Filling
- 2 cups whole pecans
- 1 cup bourbon caramel sauce + more for drizzling (recipe above)
- 1/2 cup dark brown sugar, packed (or light brown sugar)
- 3 large eggs, room temperature + lightly whisked
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
- 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste (or 1 Tablespoon vanilla extract)
- Flaky salt, for serving
- Ice cream or whipped cream, for serving (optional)
Equipment
- 9-inch pie plate (metal or stoneware)
- Parchment paper
- Pie weights or dry beans
Instructions
Bourbon Caramel Sauce
- First, pour the sugar into a heavy-bottom sauce pan. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring frequently, until the sugar is completely melted and a deep amber color. The sugar will clump up first before it melts! Keep a close eye so it doesn't burn.
- Once the sugar is melted, remove the pan from the heat. Immediately whisk in the butter until the mixture is smooth. It'll bubble and splatter quite a bit (that's what the heavy-bottom sauce pan is for!)
- Next, pour in the heavy whipping cream, bourbon, and the Kosher salt. Stir vigorously until you have a silky caramel. Taste and add more Kosher salt if desired.
- Immediately pour the caramel into a heat-proof bowl and cool completely.
Pie Crust
- Preheat the oven to 400°F.
- Roll out the pie dough until it's about a 12'' round. Place the pie dough into a 9'' pie plate. Fold the edges of the dough and crimp. Refrigerate for 10-15 minutes.
- Line the chilled pie crust with parchment paper. Evenly fill with pie weights or dry beans.
- Bake the crust for 15-17 minutes, until the pie dough is light golden-brown on the edges. Remove the pie from the oven and let it cool for about 5 minutes. Carefully remove the parchment with the pie weights/beans. Let the crust cool.
- Meanwhile, whisk the egg with 1 Tablespoon of water until smooth. Brush the egg wash all over the bottom, sides, and edges of the pie crust.
Pecan Filling
- Lower the oven to 350°F.
- In a medium pan, toast the pecans just until they're fragrant, about 2-3 minutes. Cool for a few minutes. Coarsely chop 1 cup of the pecans. Reserve 1 cup of whole pecans if you want the concentric design on top. If you want a smoother filling, roughly chop all of the pecans.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the bourbon caramel sauce, dark brown sugar, whisked eggs, melted butter, vanilla bean paste, and chopped pecans just until the filling is smooth. Don't over-mix!
- Pour the filling into the par-baked crust. If you're doing a design on top, arrange the whole pecans in a concentric circle on top of the pie.
- Bake the pie for 40-45 minutes, just until the edges are set and the center is still a bit jiggly (like Jell-O). Bake for another 5 minutes, if necessary.
- Remove the pie from the oven and let it cool for 1 hour at room temperature. Then, wrap the pie and let it cool in the fridge for 2-3 more hours.
- Remove the pie from the fridge and garnish with extra caramel sauce and flaky salt. Slice the chilled pie and re-warm in the microwave if desired. (You can also let it come up to room temperature for an hour on the counter). Serve with ice cream or whipped cream and enjoy!
I’ve always been pretty happy with my pecan pies, until my son came home and told me that a “pie place” in downtown Seattle had a caramel pecan pie that was the best that he’s ever had.
He challenged me to make a Caramel pecan pie! your recipe is the best and the instructions were …well, easy as pie. 😀 thank you for sharing your recipe and talent!
Thank you so much, Rebecca! I’m so glad you loved the recipe. 🙂 It’s one of my all time faves!