Easy Pecan Pie (with Williams Sonoma)

What do you think of when you hear “pecan pie”? If you think of a delicious flaky crust, and a sweet, nutty, buttery filling, then this easy pecan pie recipe is for you. Not only is it the star of any holiday table its on, it’s also quicker and easier than your usual pecan pie recipe, thanks to the help of a little friend.

this recipe

Hey bestie! Quick disclosure: This post is sponsored by Williams Sonoma. All opinions expressed are my own. Thank you for supporting the brands that support this blog!

Pecan Pie is typically made at Thanksgiving and Christmas. Personally, I think it tastes great year-round. And Williams Sonoma’s Pecan Pie-In-A-Jar makes it easy for you to whip it up faster than usual.

Jump to:

• What makes a perfect pecan pie
• How to make this easy pecan pie
• A quicker homemade pie
• Tips for the perfect pecan pie
• Flavour variations
• Storage instructions
• More dessert recipes to try
• Williams Sonoma
• 📖 Recipe
• 💬 Reviews

What makes a perfect pecan pie

I’ll be honest with you, bestie. I was late to the game when it came to pecan pie. I didn’t try it once growing up. Not a single time. But trust me when I tell you that I’ve more than made up for it these past 7 years. And what have I learnt?

Well, the perfect pie is different for everyone. Some like it extra gooey, yum!

Some will not compromise on a flaky crust, I get the appeal.

Some prefer a less sweet version, nothing wrong with that.

…and some like raisins in their pecan pie. These people cannot be trusted.

Here’s what you’re going to get with this recipe. A sweet and gooey (but not runny) filling paired with a flaky, buttery crust.

How to make this easy pecan pie

Honestly, making pie is easier than you think. Here are the basic steps:

1. Prepare the pie dough
2. Roll out the dough
3. Prepare the pecan filling
4. Bake.
5. Rest, slice, and serve!

A quicker homemade pie

I don’t make a lot of pies. And when I do make pies, I look for ways to speed up the process. There are three ways to do this for this pecan pie recipe:

Handmade vs machine-assisted dough

Handmade dough is a beautiful thing; literally, kneading shape and flavour into being. It also a thing that takes time and patience. It can also be a finicky thing…a finicky thing that I am not good at.

You might remember, I’m actually terrible at working with dough. (I was cursed by a fellow student while in grad school, because I wouldn’t give her the library book we both needed for our respective theses.)

Using a food processor helps me skip the fear of messing up my dough. It’s also quicker and easier. If you prefer working the dough by hand, you do you, bestie.

Using a store-bought crust

If you want to take almost all the real prep work out of this recipe, and have it in the oven in five minutes, you can use a store-bought crust. If you go for this method, make sure to follow the baking instructions on the packaging.

Using Pecan Pie-in-a-Jar

A premade filling saves you the work (and the time) of making a pecan pie filling at home. In fact, use a store-bought crust and Pecan Pie-in-a-Jar as your filling, and this becomes a perfect pie to let your kids make.

Tips for the perfect pecan pie

Keep the dough cool

As you’re working with cold butter and shortening, you’ll want to make sure not to cause any melting. Warm, melted butter will just be absorbed by the flour rather than coating it to create the tender, flaky crust you want!

For this reason, it’s also important not to skip the chilling step!

Use a pie shield

Ever had the problem where you’re crust is ready but your filling isn’t? So you bake it a little longer, so that the filling is perfect…but now you have a burnt crust? Simply fold a sheet of aluminium foil in half, and wrap it around the edge of your pie crust. It’ll protect your edges from burning, but it’s worth removing for the last 15 minutes of cooking (just to make sure your edges are fully cooked!).

Too much of a good thing

We all feel the tempted to overfill our pies with whatever delicious filling we’ve whipped up! However, if you overfill your pie (I don’t know any regular pie-bakers that hasn’t done this at least once!), there’s a good chance that it will overflow while baking, and make a mess of your oven.

Simply place a baking sheet under the pie dish to catch any overexcited pie filling – better safe than sorry! (I actually go as far as placing a baking sheet with parchment paper…because I don’t want to have to clean the baking sheet in case of spillage.)

Let it cool

Usually things taste best fresh out of the oven. However, bad things happen when you try to eat pecan pie before it’s had a chance to cool:

1. The filling hasn’t had a chance to set so it’ll just run all over the place
2. The filling will still be super hot. Like, burn your tongue hot. (Please don’t burn your tongue, bestie.)

Pair it for perfection

One of my favourite things to do with a slice of warm pecan pie is to add a dollop of ice cream to it. The mixture of hot and cold textures is divine. (Honestly, this is one of those simple things that can elevate even a mediocre slice of pie to greatness!)

Flavour variations

• Chocolate – coat the bottom of your pie with chocolate chips, and pour the filling on top. Once baked, drizzle on a little more chocolate.
• Brown butter – pretty self-explanatory, use brown butter instead of regular melted butter for a richer more caramelised taste.
• Salted caramel – make some caramel, toss in a few flakes of sea salt, and drizzle on top of your pie!
• Cinnamon – mix a teaspoon of ground cinnamon into your pecan filling to create some warmer notes.

Storage instructions

Once cooled, cover the pie tightly using plastic wrap, and freeze for up to 2 months. Allow it to thaw in the refrigerator overnight before you serve it.

The pie dough can be made up to 5 days in advance and stored in the refrigerator.

More dessert recipes to try

• Burnt Basque Cheesecake
• Lemon Curd Cake with White Chocolate Swiss Buttercream
• Kunafah
• Chocolate Croissant Bread Pudding

Williams Sonoma

I love Williams Sonoma. The Williams Sonoma store in Toronto’s Eaton Centre is actually my happy place in the mall. It’s been one of my favourite stores for a long time, and I’m super excited to have partnered with them for this post. Here’s a list of the Williams Sonoma products you’re looking at:

• The Great San Saba River Pecan Company Pecan Pie-in-a-Jar
• Ceramic Pie Dish (with “Baked with Love” message)
• Fall Pie Punches – I used these to get those pretty shapes on the pie crust!
• Harvest Bloom Spatulas (these are so beautiful, I wave them around like they’re magic Autumnal wands in my kitchen)

Did you go nuts for this easy pecan pie recipe? Have you tried Pecan Pie-in-a-Jar? Let me know in the comments below. (Also, did you get my clever little joke? No? Ugh. My wordy wit is wasted yet again!)

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Disclaimer: This recipe post has been sponsored by Williams Sonoma. All opinions expressed are my own. Thank you for supporting the brands that support this blog!