Slow Cooker Pecan Pie

 

Today I am bringing you a recipe that I just recently tried myself, and it was a huge hit.  As with all new recipes, there are things I often have to change for the next time I make it.  

 

With regards to this slow cooker pie, I need to keep an eye on it, and probably cut down the cooking time slightly, because some of the edges of the pie were a bit dark and hard from the filling.

Aside from that, this was so good, sooooo good, and I think it will be going on my Thanksgiving menu.  I have a pumpkin pie one to try as well, in the slow cooker, and if that one turns out good as well, then it will go on the menu right alongside the pecan pie.

If anything, the fact that it is cooked in the crockpot, and I don't need to faff over it, is a huge plus.

Slow Cooker Pecan Pie 

 Source:  The Country Cook

 

 

Ingredients 

1 refrigerated pie crust 

4 large eggs, lightly beaten 

1 ⅓ cups light corn syrup 

 1 cup sugar 

⅓ cup salted butter melted

 ⅛ teaspoon cinnamon (optional) 

2 teaspoons vanilla extract 

2 cups pecan halves, divided use 

 

 

Instructions 

 

Line a 6-quart oval slow cooker with parchment paper (12.5 inch x 16 inch). Press the paper down into the slow cooker to create an outline of the bottom of the slow cooker. Remove parchment paper and place unrolled pie crust onto the parchment paper (lining it up with the creases from the outline in the parchment paper). 

 

Gently roll up the edges of the pie crust and make small indentations to help the crust stick to the parchment paper and to keep in the filling better. Place parchment paper/pie crust into slow cooker (pastry should extend 2 to 3 inches up the sides). Bend and fold the pastry as needed to get it to fit properly. In a bowl combine the eggs, corn syrup, sugar, melted butter, cinnamon and vanilla. Whisk until smooth. Stir in 1 cup of the pecans. 

 

Gently pour batter into crust in the slow cooker. Then top with remaining cup of pecans. Placing them evenly in a pattern to make a nice presentation. Place a layer of paper towels on top of the slow cooker then cover with the lid. Cook on high for 3 to 3 ½ hours or until filling is puffed and set. Turn off slow cooker. Let stand, uncovered, 1 hour. 

 

Cut and serve straight from the slow cooker. Or gently lift the parchment paper out of the slow cooker, then slice and serve. 

 

Nutella No Bake Cheesecake

Ohhhh Nutella how I love thee.

I was watching one of my favorite vloggers, catching up on very old videos of hers and she had made a Nutella No Bake Cheesecake, which is actually a Nigella Lawson recipe.  It looked so easy and so yummy that I immediately bookmarked it to try.

What better day than Thanksgiving to put this beauty on the table?

I am sharing this recipe tonight so that if someone out there is still looking for a simple but yet decadent dessert for tomorrow, they still have time to do it.

I don't have a picture of the sliced cheesecake as it's still in the refrigerator, but I will snap one tomorrow and come and edit this post :)

Nutella No Bake Cheesecake

Source:  Nigella Lawson

10 oz graham crackers (I used a sleeve and a half)
5 tablespoons soft unsalted butter
1 x 13 oz jar Nutella (at room temperature)
¾ cup chopped toasted hazelnuts
1 lb cream cheese (at room temperature)
½ cup confectioners' sugar (sifted)


Break the digestives into the bowl of a processor, add the butter and a 15ml tablespoon of Nutella, and blitz until it starts to clump. Add 25g/3 tablespoons of the hazelnuts and continue to pulse until you have a damp, sandy mixture.

Tip into a 23cm/9inch round springform and press into the base either using your hands or the back of a spoon. Place in the fridge to chill.

Beat the cream cheese and confectioners' sugar until smooth and then add the remaining Nutella to the cream cheese mixture, and continue beating until combined.

Take the springform out of the fridge and carefully smooth the Nutella mixture over the base. Scatter the remaining chopped hazelnuts on top to cover and place the tin in the fridge for at least four hours or overnight. Serve straight from the fridge for best results.

Miss Kay's Honey Pecan Pie

Folks, do I have the perfect Pecan Pie for your Thanksgiving .

Usually I stick with the same recipe, which is the one you can find on the back of the Pecan bags, and truth be told, I've made that one every year.  It worked, it never failed and it was good.

And then I started watching Duck Dynasty a few months ago and I became enthralled by Miss Kay's cooking.  I noticed she had a Honey Pecan Pie and since I do love a good Pecan Pie I decided that I had to try it.  It's SO good guys and it's the recipe I'll use from now on.

Seeing that it's Thanksgiving tomorrow, I always bake the pies the day before so that I'm not so overwhelmed with everything else on the day of.

So, I'm here to share the recipe with you and to encourage you to get your hands on Miss Kay's Duck Commander Kitchen Cookbook.  It will make a great gift for the cook in your family :)

Miss Kay's Honey Pecan Pie

Source:  Kay Robertson

3 large eggs
¾ cup sugar
½ stick (4 Tbsp) butter, softened
½ tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla extract
½ cup light corn syrup (I use Karo)
½ cup maple syrup (I use Johnnie Fair) or honey
1½ cups pecan halves
1 (9-inch) unbaked pie crust, homemade or store bought


Heat the oven to 350ºF. Beat the eggs with the mixer until fluffy, about 8 minutes.

In another mixing bowl, stir together the sugar, butter, salt, vanilla, and syrups. Gently fold this into the eggs. Gently fold in the pecans. Pour the filling into the piecrust.

Bake for 40 to 50 minutes, until the filling is set and no longer wobbly in the center.

Let cool completely before cutting.

Pumpkin Pie Sheet Cake

Pumpkin Pie.

Love it, and love the traditional pie but there are years when you have more people at the Thanksgiving table and it's imperative that everyone get pie.  Right???



It's easier to whip up a big pan instead of a gazillion pies.

Now seeing that it's usually just me, the hubby and our two kids for Thanksgiving, I still prefer to make a big pan because we love having leftovers for a few days and nothing hits the spot late at night, like a slice of pie with some whipped cream on top.  YUM!

This recipe comes from Jamie Cooks it Up and it's a great way to feed a crowd.  The pan I used was my large Pampered Chef Cookie Sheet which is huge, like 15 x 10 x 1 inch I think.  Still, it bakes nice and tall and it's wonderful.

Pumpkin Pie Sheet Cake

Crust:
1 yellow cake mix
1/2 C butter, melted
1 egg

Filling:
1 29 ounce can pumpkin
1 1/2 C sugar
1 t salt
2 t cinnamon
1 t ginger
1/2 t cloves
4 eggs
2 12 ounce cans evaporated milk

1. To make the crust, pour the cake mix into your stand mixer, or medium sized mixing bowl. Pour the melted butter over the cake mix and stir it in for about 30 seconds. Add your egg and mix until all ingredients are well combined.

2. Spray a large jello roll pan with cooking spray. Press the crust into the pan.



3. Into a small mixing bowl combine the sugar, salt, cinnamon, ginger and cloves.



4. Crack the eggs into your stand mixer and beat them for about 1 minute, or until frothy.

5. Add the sugar mixture and the pumpkin and mix until combined.

6. Pour in the canned milk and mix until combined.

7. CAREFULLY pour the filling over the crust. Now. Just a word to the wise here. Your pan will be full. Really full. The kind of full that just might spill over the top while you carry it to the oven, if you aren't careful. I would advise setting the crust as close to the oven as possible, then pour the filling in so you don't have very far to walk.

8. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour, or until a knife inserted into the middle comes out clean.

9. Cool completely, then cut into squares and serve with whip cream.

Pecan Pie Bars

Thanksgiving cooking is under way.

I used to leave everything to the actual day but I've long since learned that it's just a way to drive myself completely bonkers, so for the past few years I've made sure to do as much as I can the day or two days before.....like the baking.

Instead of the traditional Pecan Pie, this year I'm going for the Pecan Pie bars, it's more of a way to make portion control easier....will stop me from being tempted into cutting huge slices and then gloming on a bunch of whipped cream....and I can just individually freeze the leftover bars too.

So here we go, this is how I make mine.


Pecan Pie Bars
Adapted from Gourmet

1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter
2 cups flour
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1/2 tsp salt
8 oz pecans (about 2 cups)
1 stick unsalted butter
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1/3 cup honey
2 tbsp buttermilk

1. Preheat oven to 350. Cut butter into 1/2-inch pieces. In a food processor, process the butter, flour, 1/2 cup light brown sugar and salt, until it starts to form small lumps. Pour onto a 19x13x2-inch pan and press evenly onto bottom. Bake shortbread in the middle of the oven until golden, about 20 minutes. While shortbread is baking, prepare filling.



2. In a food processor, coarsely chop the pecans. In a heavy saucepan, melt butter and stir in brown sugar, honey and cream. Simmer, stirring occasionally, for 1 minute.

3. Stir in pecans. Pour pecan mixture over hot shortbread and spread evenly. Bake in the middle of the oven until bubbling, about 20 minutes.

4. Cool completely in pan and cut into 24 bars. Will keep, covered, for 5 days at room temperature.

Leftovers Thanksgiving Pot Pie!

I'm sure like me, there are many of you with refrigerators brimming full with leftovers from the Thanksgiving feast.

Usually you may just keep eating them for the next few days or some may even toss them out, but what about using them in a Pot Pie, a big family sized pot pie?

The beauty of this is that you can use whatever you have on hand.

LEFTOVERS THANKSGIVING POT PIE!

Turkey, cut into bite size pieces (I used all the leftover breast meat I had, save the legs and wings for another meal)
Green bean casserole (if you don't have any leftover, just use a can of green beans)
Stuffing
Gravy
1 can of cream of mushroom soup
Salt and pepper to taste
Garlic powder
Heavy cream
Refrigerated Puff Pastry or Pie Pastry


Mix the turkey, green bean casserole, stuffing and gravy in a big bowl. Add one can of cream of mushroom and salt and pepper, garlic powder.

Stir well, pour mixture into a greased casserole dish or 13x9 baking pan.

Pour heavy cream over the top, I used about a cup.

Remember what I said about using what is on hand? All I had was Puff Pastry shells, not the sheets, so I those on top. If you have the sheets use them or roll out the pie crust to the right size needed.

Pop in a 450 degree oven for 30 minutes or until bubbly and the pastry is brown and cooked through.

It is SO good, chock full of the flavors you love. My kids had seconds and said it was the best pot pie they ever had.

Tonight's dinner, I'm going to take the leftover turkey legs and wings and roast them in the oven. I'll have the recipe up for you later today.