Indeed, Zooey Deschanel is often recognized for her role in “500 Days of Summer.” However, lately, the actress, singer, songwriter, and producer, along with her mother, have sparked a fervent desire for everything autumnal.
In case you overlooked it, when she’s not busy on set filming TV shows and movies such as “Elf,” “Almost Famous,” and “New Girl,” Zooey has a pair of hobbies that resonate with many: cooking and baking. The celebrity has her own spatula design that benefits the No Kid Hungry charity, she hosts the HBO Max series “What Am I Eating,” and she even co-hosted an Instagram cooking series in 2023.
It turns out that Zooey inherited her culinary interests from a good place. Back in 2012, she visited Rachael Ray’s talk show to share her mom’s pecan pie recipe; a dessert that Kelly Clarkson once deemed worthy of her holiday table. With the change from summer’s spritzes to autumn’s sweater weather, I decided to don my apron and give it a go.
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Here’s how to craft this family treasure custard pie:
Prepare the crust. In a bowl, mix all-purpose flour, salt, and cold, unsalted butter, cut into small pieces. Using a pastry cutter, work the butter into the dry ingredients until it resembles gritty sand. Gradually add ice water, 1 tablespoon at a time, until the dough comes together. Shape the pastry into a disk, wrap it in plastic wrap, and chill for 30 minutes. (Hint: It’s vital to keep pie crust cold.)
Mix the filling. In a separate bowl, blend dark Karo syrup, beaten eggs, melted butter, flour, salt, brown sugar, and vanilla extract.
Assemble and bake. After chilling, remove the pastry, place it on a flour-dusted surface, and roll it into a ¼-inch-thick circle about 12 inches in diameter. Roll the crust onto a rolling pin, then unroll it into a 9-inch pie plate. Press it into place, crimp the edges if desired. Sprinkle a handful of pecan halves over the crust, pour the filling on top, and drizzle with molasses. Bake at 425°F for 15 minutes, then reduce the temperature to 350°F and bake for an additional 40 minutes.
While “easy as pie” is a common saying, mastering the art of homemade pie isn’t always a breeze. The Deschanel family’s pecan pie recipe, however, is as straightforward as they come and can be ready to serve on your countertop in less than two hours.
Should you feel inclined to indulge in nuts, here are some insights I gathered from my testing (plus some additional tips from our Test Kitchen).
Customize your crust. Zooey’s mom’s holiday pie begins with an all-butter pie crust, known for its rich flavor. Our Test Kitchen has also refined a flaky shortening-based pie crust and a pastry that combines elements of both. Feel free to choose from any of these three options—or opt for a pre-made, thawed frozen pie crust to save time and reduce cleanup.
Go for the nuts. The Deschanels suggest “a heap of pecan halves,” or enough to fill the crust. Typically, our Test Kitchen uses 1 ¼ cups of pecans, which should suffice for this recipe as well.
Take it up a notch. Once the pie has cooled to room temperature, I suggest serving it with a generous dollop of whipped cream, a scoop of vanilla ice cream, or a spoonful of caramel sauce.
When I first came across this recipe, I was pleased to see that Zooey’s mom uses a pecan pie recipe that’s quite similar to our Test Kitchen’s, which is the one my own mother bakes every Thanksgiving. With this in mind, I was hopeful for the outcome.
Despite this, there are three distinct differences that set the Deschanel family’s dessert apart from ours. Their recipe calls for dark corn syrup instead of light, brown sugar instead of granulated, and a final drizzle of molasses before baking. These three sweeteners combine to give the filling a robust, caramel-like flavor and depth that sets this pecan pie recipe apart from others I’ve tried.
While I don’t think I’ll ever switch sides and choose pecan over apple when I have the choice of both, I can definitely appreciate the allure and simplicity of a custard pie like this, which doesn’t require peeling, slicing, or pre-cooking fruit. When it’s time to bring pecan pie to the gathering, the Deschanels’ version will likely be my go-to.
Whether you’re a novice to homemade pie or a seasoned baker with decades of Thanksgiving menus under your belt, this straightforward pecan pie recipe makes the process as straightforward as possible.
