Down-home Blackstrap Molasses Pecan Pie

Total Time: 1 hr 30 mins Preparation Time: 25 mins Cook Time: 1 hr 5 mins

Ingredients

• Servings: 8
• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 6 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces
• 4 tablespoons ice water
• 3/4 cup blackstrap molasses (use unsulfured mild molasses for a milder molasses flavor)
• 3/4 cup packed light-brown sugar
• 1/2 cup light syrup
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter
• 3 large eggs
• 2 cups pecan halves
• 1/2 cup chopped pecans
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• sweetened whipped cream (optional) or vanilla ice cream (optional)

Recipe

• 1 to make pastry: in a medium bowl, combine flour and salt.
• 2 using a pastry blender, cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
• 3 sprinkle water over mixture and stir with a fork until dough comes together.
• 4 press into a 1/2-inch-thick disk; wrap in plastic wrap.
• 5 refrigerate 1 hour.
• 6 on a lightly floured surface, roll pastry into a 12-inch round, 1/8-inch thick.
• 7 fold dough in half and fit into a 9-inch pie pan; press dough against bottom and sides of dish.
• 8 fold edge under and flute or crimp decoratively.
• 9 refrigerate pie shell.
• 10 to make filling: combine molasses, brown sugar, syrup, and butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat; cook until butter is melted and sugar is dissolved, about 4 minutes.
• 11 raise heat to high and boil 1 minute.
• 12 remove from heat and cool mixture to room temperature.
• 13 stir in eggs until blended, then stir in remaining filling ingredients.
• 14 heat oven to 350 degrees.
• 15 pour filling into pie shell.
• 16 bake 1 hour, or until filling is set.
• 17 cool completely on a wire rack.
• 18 serve with whipped cream or ice cream, if desired.