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White Russian Pecan Pie

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White Russian Pecan Pie – inspired a little by happy hour, a lot by a road trip, this unique pecan pie recipe is amazing! It’s a must for our Thanksgiving table. 

White Russian Pecan Pie - inspired a little by happy hour, a lot by a road trip, this unique pecan pie recipe is amazing! It's a must for our Thanksgiving table. * Recipe on GoodieGodmother.com

Have you ever had a dish so good at a restaurant you had to go back, even if it was out of your way, just to eat it again? This is what happened with us and this White Russian Pecan Pie. Actually, it wasn’t just the pie, we had to go back for all the amazing food. Last year, the Godfather and I stopped by Julia Belle’s Restaurant at the Pee Dee Farmer’s Market in Florence, South Carolina. It’s a tiny little place with some of the absolute tastiest food we’ve enjoyed on the road. So good, we knew it was a stop on the way home before we even started our vacation. Julia Belle’s is where I first heard of a White Russian Pecan Pie. 

White Russian Pecan Pie - inspired a little by happy hour, a lot by a road trip, this unique pecan pie recipe is amazing! It's a must for our Thanksgiving table. * Recipe on GoodieGodmother.com

The pie initially called our attention because it reminded us of our honeymoon. The Godfather and I went to a resort in the Caribbean for a week, and a White Russian, made with milk instead of cream, was the Godfather’s drink of choice for the trip. I believe he had one each day we were there. He’d recently watched the Big Lebowski movie and it clearly inspired his drink choices. When we saw this fun variation on a classic pecan pie, we had to try it, and it did not disappoint, and now it’s on the blog!

White Russian Pecan Pie - inspired a little by happy hour, a lot by a road trip, this unique pecan pie recipe is amazing! It's a must for our Thanksgiving table. * Recipe on GoodieGodmother.com

This is nowhere near as boozy as my rum cake. In fact, I am totally comfortable serving it to guests of any age as the pecan pie has just a hint of liquor flavor – any alcohol bakes out. The restaurant serves theirs with a bit of whipped cream on the side. However, I love pecan pie served warm with a tiny scoop of vanilla ice cream, too. Do what makes you happy. For simplicity, I used a store bought crust to make this pie. Feel free to make your own, or pick up your favorite store version as I did today. My little sous chef/pixie was around when I was assembling this pie, hence the “rustic” crust. I think it fits though, because holidays are about family in the kitchen, and I believe in inspiring a love of cooking at an early age.

White Russian Pecan Pie - inspired a little by happy hour, a lot by a road trip, this unique pecan pie recipe is amazing! It's a must for our Thanksgiving table. * Recipe on GoodieGodmother.com

I hope you enjoy this recipe, darlings! It’s just perfect for a fall dessert!

White Russian Pecan Pie - inspired a little by happy hour, a lot by a road trip, this unique pecan pie recipe is amazing! It's a must for our Thanksgiving table. * Recipe on GoodieGodmother.com

White Russian Pecan Pie

Yield: 10
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour
Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes

White Russian Pecan Pie - inspired a little by happy hour, a lot by a road trip, this unique pecan pie recipe is amazing! It's a must for our Thanksgiving table. 

Ingredients

  • 1 pie crust for a 9" pie dish, homemade or store bought
  • 6 tbsp unsalted butter, 85 g
  • 1 1/4 cups brown sugar, packed, 267 g
  • 3/4 cup light corn syrup, 234 g
  • 4 tbsp Kahlua or coffee-flavored liquor
  • 1 tbsp vodka
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 3 large eggs
  • 2 cups pecan halves, 1/2 lb, 452 g

Instructions

  1. Preheat your oven to 350 F (gas mark 4).
  2. On a lightly floured surface, roll out your pie crust to about 12" and then gently place in a 9" pie pan. Be sure to guide the crust (don't pull) it into the corners. Trim any overhang, crimp the edges, and prick the bottom all over with a fork. This prevents bubbling while baking. Place the crust in the freezer while you assemble the filling.
  3. In a light colored skillet or sauce pan, brown the butter over medium heat. Browning butter simply means cooking it a few minutes after it melts until brown flecks form. The second you see the brown flecks, lower the heat to medium low then add the brown sugar and corn syrup and stir until the mixture is smooth. You do not need the sugar to melt. Remove from the heat.
  4. Stir in the kahlua, vodka, and salt. 
  5. In a separate medium mixing bowl, lightly beat the eggs, and then slowly whisk the sugar mixture into the egg mixture.
  6. Remove the pie crust from the freezer and fill with the pecan halves. Pour the sugar mixture over the pecans and bake your pie 55 minutes to 1 hour until the center looks just set. If the edges start to brown too much, tent with foil. 
  7. Allow to cool completely on a rack before serving at room temperature or slightly warmed. 

Notes

If you are making your own crust, use vodka as a replacement for half the water. Not only will it add the "vodka" component to your pecan pie, but it provides a flakier crust. You won't taste it in the final product. 

Adapted from Epicurious

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White Russian Pecan Pie - inspired a little by happy hour, a lot by a road trip, this unique pecan pie recipe is amazing! It's a must for our Thanksgiving table. * Recipe on GoodieGodmother.com

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Peggy Grier

Tuesday 30th of November 2021

Could I substitute White Russian Kahula for the kahula? Then I wouldn’t add vodka.

Mary (The Goodie Godmother)

Wednesday 15th of December 2021

Of course!

Lauren Kermode

Saturday 20th of November 2021

I can't believeI can't believe I found this recipe! We just ate at Julia Belle's 2 nights ago. When I was disappointed that they didn't have any fruit pie the server suggested the White Russian Pecan Pie and said, "this'll make you forget all about fruit pies". She was right! I googled the name of the pie and there it was! What we had at Julia Belle's looked like it had a chocolate crust though.

Mary (The Goodie Godmother)

Wednesday 24th of November 2021

So fun! I noticed that the last time we were there too (a few years ago) and must have forgotten since I developed the recipe after our first visit because it was so amazing. I do have a chocolate pie crust recipe in my Bourbon Pecan slab pie. :)

I can't wait to be able to stop by Julia Belle's on a future road trip for another slice of their pie. So glad to hear it's still on the menu!

Brian Jones

Sunday 13th of November 2016

That sounds fab, I have not had a white Russian in years, I think I should make one and read the recipe again :D

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