Add shortening and butter. Work the butter into the flour using a pastry cutter. If you don’t have a pastry cutter, you can use your hands, forks, or knives. Mix until chilled butter and shortening resembles small pebbles or sand.
Add egg, water (must be cold!!), and vinegar. Stir until combined. If you’re using your hands, be careful to not let the butter get too warm!
Divide dough in half and chill until needed. Makes two.
Filling:
1 cup corn syrup
can be white or dark - the primary difference is how much molasses is added into the corn syrup.
If using dark corn syrup, use a light brown sugar (recommended)
1 cup dark brown sugar
Can be substituted with light brown sugar if using dark corn syrup
1/3 tsp salt
1/3 cup melted butter
1 heaping cup of whole pecans
Recipe calls for them whole, I like to chop them a little so the chunks aren’t enormous in the pie
3 whole eggs slightly beaten
1 tsp vanilla
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Combine syrup, sugar, salt, butter, and vanilla. Mix well.
Add slightly beaten eggs. Be careful: you do not want the eggs to cook if the butter is still hot.
Roll out dough into two pie pans and divide pecans evenly into bottom of crust.
Divide mixture evenly between the two.
Bake for 45 minutes. Depending on oven and how filling wants to cooperate, may take longer.
Notes:
For a flaky crust, make sure the butter doesn’t melt. There should still be small chunks of butter, albeit small ones, incorporated throughout.
Always use chilled if not iced water.
This recipe is either for two pies or one large one. It honestly seems to vary how much it wants to make. The one(s) I made tonight were a little shallow but one thing to keep in mind is that the filling magically rises.
The dish should not be filled too high and when putting in the oven, an extra tray to catch potential spills should also be included, or you will never get the smell of burned sugar out of your oven.
To test doneness, it should be compared similar to a custard: you want it firmed up but not so rigid that it cannot move.
If, upon shaking the pan, the filling moves fluidly, then it should go back into the oven.
Another way to check is to stab the filling. Ideally it will come out thick and gooey - when the knife or fork pulls out, there should appear to be clumps of brown filling - again, almost like custard - clinging to the surface. If it appears that the surface is coated with syrup, it needs to keep cooking.
It can be very misleading because the top may appear to be done, but in actuality it is not. To prevent burning, the top and especially the edges of the crust can be covered with aluminium foil.
Feelings:
This is kind of a funny recipe for my family. It’s my aunty’s recipe, but she...doesn’t cook.
Or bake.
I don’t think she’s ever even made this pie. She kind of just...gives it to my mom to make. (Not that I’m saying that she’s a free-loader in terms of baking but she does have an issue with it haha.)
As I’ve said before, sweets aren’t really my thing but I have a lot of good experiences with this recipe. It’s quick and easy...not that pies aren’t necessarily...but it’s a recipe my family enjoys a lot.
(The only other pie I really make are apple pies...well...fancy apple pies.)
I don’t eat sweets that often and I don’t participate in many holiday events because I don’t have family in this area. However, my coworkers really do enjoy this pie so I do try to make it a few times for them, much like the way I make bread.
Slice strawberries in half and blot with a paper towel to get rid of some of the excess moisture.
Place strawberries in a layer over the brownies, covering completely, with the halved sides down.
In a small pot on the stove, heat up heavy cream. Do not let it reach a boil - when it is warm enough, the sides will bubble and you should remove from heat to keep it from scalding.
Pour hot cream over chocolate chips and let sit for 3-5 minutes.
Whisk chocolate mix until completely combined and shiny.
Pour chocolate ganache over strawberries and smooth with the back of a spoon so that all are covered in an even layer.
Put in refrigerator to cool and set for at least 15 minutes before serving.
Preheat oven to 350 F and line 9x9 pan with parchment paper (1)
Microwave butter and 1/2 cup chocolate chips for 30 seconds and mix. Repeat at 15 seconds each time until mixture is well combined and all chocolate is melted. (2)
Add 1/3 cup cocoa powder. Mix until well combined. (3)
Add 3/4 white sugar and 4/5 cup packed brown sugar. Mix until well combined.
Add eggs one by one, mixing well between each.
Add vanilla extract. Mix until well combined.
Add salt. Mix until well-combined.
Add flour. Mix until well-combined.
Fold in chocolate chips.
Add batter to pan, using a spatula or the back of a spoon to smooth out.
Optional: for brownies with more of a crackle on top, refrigerate for 30-35 minutes.
Remove from refrigerator (if added) and bake for 30-35 minutes (1).
Notes:
1. This sounds dumb but it’s worth the effort, I promise. Measure out the size of the pan and cut parchment paper into a long strip and lay across one way. Do the same thing and lay across the other so that it forms an X and the extra sides stick up. This makes it easier to remove the brownies from the pan. Spray lightly with cooking spray...it’s not strictly necessary and not all recipes call for it, but I like to take an extra precaution.
The size of the pan also determines the amount of time to cook. A 9x9 pan will take more time to cook than a 13x9 pan, for example, which can take as little as 15-20 minutes.
2. You will feel moments of doubt. “Is that too much butter?” But it will work! I promise! If you do not have a microwave, you can melt by making a sort of homemade double-boiler. Boil water in a pot and let a heat-safe bowl rest on top, careful not to let the bowl touch the water. Using an oven mitt, hold the bowl in place - this will prevent the chocolate from burning.
3. You reportedly cannot over-mix this batter so go crazy.
