Southern Pecan Pie

Name: Southern Pecan Pie
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 1 h
Yield: 8
Ingredients: ¼ cup soft butter; ¾ cup sugar (scant — Marye writes "Scant" next to the sugar on the card); ⅛ cup cornstarch (Marye's handwritten addition — thickens the filling); 1 teaspoon vanilla; 3 eggs, beaten well; 1 cup dark corn syrup; 1½ cups pecan halves; 1 (9-inch) unbaked pie shell

Marye Cakes & Pies

Serves 8 Prep 15 min Cook 40–45 min

Southern Pecan Pie with pecan halves arranged in concentric circles.

Printed recipe card with Marye's handwritten notes: "Scant" next to ¾ cup sugar, and "⅛ cup cornstarch" added.

Marye's handwritten copy on page 23 of her spiral recipe notebook — same Southern Pecan Pie recipe from the printed card.

From a printed recipe card kept with Marye's papers, with her own handwritten variations in the margin: a SCANT ¾ cup sugar and an addition of ⅛ cup cornstarch to thicken the filling. The pecan-pie illustration on the card is original to the print.

Ingredients

¼ cup soft butter
¾ cup sugar (scant — Marye writes "Scant" next to the sugar on the card)
⅛ cup cornstarch (Marye's handwritten addition — thickens the filling)
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 eggs, beaten well
1 cup dark corn syrup
1½ cups pecan halves
1 (9-inch) unbaked pie shell

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 450°F.
2. Cream the soft butter and sugar together. Whisk in the cornstarch — Marye's addition, which keeps the filling from running.
3. Gradually beat in the vanilla, eggs, and dark corn syrup until smooth.
4. Sprinkle the pecan halves evenly into the unbaked pie shell.
5. Pour the filling over the pecans.
6. Bake at 450°F for 10 minutes.
7. Reduce the heat to 350°F and bake 30 to 35 minutes longer, or until the pie is set — a slight wiggle in the center is fine; it firms as it cools.
8. Cool completely before slicing.

Notes

The original printed recipe calls for the full ¾ cup sugar with no cornstarch — both are also fine if you'd rather make it the magazine way. Marye's version reads less sweet and holds a cleaner slice.