My Meemaw’s Pecan Pie Recipe Is So Good, There Are Never Any Leftovers

My mom’s grandmother—Meemaw, as she was known to her grandchildren and great-grandchildren—was very old and not quite herself, I’m told, by the time I came along. I never got to know her as well as I would’ve liked, but I’ve heard enough stories to be confident in a few facts: She was one of the sweetest women to have ever lived, she grew the best vegetables in her small Alabama town, and she was a damn good baker. (One of the great tragedies of my mother’s life is that she never wrote down her famous chocolate chip cookie recipe.)

There is one recipe she did take the time to scribble onto a notecard, though. My Aunt Nancy shared Meemaw’s pecan pie recipe with me earlier this year — and she assures me there have never been any leftovers when she makes it.

How to Make Meemaw’s Pecan Pie

The pecan tree in Meemaw’s front yard blanketed the ground with nuts every fall, so it’s no surprise that this was her preferred Thanksgiving dessert. The recipe is similar to the classic one you’ll find on the Karo Corn Syrup bottle, but there are some notable differences: 

• The Karo recipe calls for ¼ cup more white sugar than Meemaw’s slightly less-sweet version.
• Meemaw’s recipe has a pinch of salt to enhance the flavors of the other ingredients. 
• You’ll need pecans for both recipes, but Meemaw’s version calls for ½ cup chopped pecans for the filling and ½ cup pecan halves for the top, for a beautiful presentation. 

Meemaw’s Pecan Pie Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 cup light corn syrup
• 3 large eggs, beaten 
• ¾ cup white sugar
• 2 tablespoons butter or Oleo (margarine), melted
• 1 to 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ½ cup chopped pecans
• 1 unbaked pie crust (homemade or store-bought) 
• ½ cup pecan halves

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). 
2. Combine corn syrup, beaten eggs, sugar, melted butter, vanilla, and salt in a large bowl; stir in chopped pecans until incorporated. 
3. Press pie crust into the bottom and up the sides of a 9-inch pie plate; flute the edges.
4. Pour filling into crust; arrange pecan halves on top. 
5. Bake in the preheated oven until filling is set, 45 to 60 minutes.