Pecan Pie - No Corn Syrup
It was hard to find and make a good corn syrup free recipe while trying to keep it healthy as possible. I molded 3 different recipes and tried for lower glycemic index sugars.
It was hard to find and make a good corn syrup free recipe while trying to keep it healthy as possible. I molded 3 different recipes and tried for lower glycemic index sugars.
- Carbohydrate 45.6966410278294 g
- Cholesterol 31.1809586666667 mg
- Fat 15.4503148216602 g
- Fiber 1.67259379323031 g
- Protein 3.51852940826511 g
- Saturated Fat 2.92705823466564 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (85g)
- Sodium 106.093600666653 mg
- Sugar 44.0240472345991 g
- Trans Fat 1.04722673249786 g
- Calories 326 calories
Step-by-step
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees
- Roll the dough into a 12 inch circle. Place into a 9 inch pie plate coated with cooking spray. Flute the edges and freeze for 15 minutes.
- While freezing, place brown sugar and water in a pot and bring to a boil while stirring occasionally. Once boiling reduce to a simmer. After 3 minutes the consistency should be like a runny syrup. Feel free to cook a little longer if too runny.
- In a small bowl lightly beat the eggs and egg whites, set aside.
- In a medium bowl add the pecans (chopped and halves). Add in the granulated sugar, butter, vanilla, milk, flour, and mix. Then add in the hot brown sugar syrup. Mix together. Lastly mix in the egg mixture.
- Pour into the pie crust. Cover the crust edges and bake for 35-40 minutes. Should be lightly springy when the center is pushed. Last 5 minutes uncover the crust to make it golden brown.
- Cool before eating.
Replacing corn syrup with a boiled brown sugar syrup alters the binding chemistry of a traditional pecan filling. Water content matters here. Reducing the sugar and water mixture on the stove removes excess moisture so the filling thickens properly in the oven without commercial glucose support. Watch the pot closely during this three-minute simmer. The resulting consistency should resemble a runny syrup before mixing into the remaining ingredients.
Chilling the unbaked pastry shell in a nine-inch pie plate for fifteen minutes prevents shrinkage during baking. Raw pie dough contains gluten strands that snap back when heated unless relaxed by cold temperatures. Cover the fluted edges with foil during the first thirty-five to forty minutes of baking at 350 degrees. Uncover those edges for the final five minutes to achieve a golden brown color without burning the exposed pecans.
Testing for doneness requires tactile feedback instead of a digital thermometer. Press the center of the baked filling gently with a finger. The surface should feel lightly springy rather than liquid or entirely rigid. Proper setting relies on the coagulation of two whole eggs and two additional egg whites during the baking cycle.
Allow the finished dessert to cool completely at room temperature before slicing. Cooling permits the sugar matrix to finish setting internally, yielding clean wedges rather than a running pool. Store leftovers loosely covered at room temperature for up to two days, or refrigerate them for up to four days if desired.
