‘The Pioneer Woman’: Ree Drummond Shares the Secret to Perfect Pecan Pie She Claims Will ‘Make You Cry’
Ree Drummond’s pecan pie recipe is so perfect, she claims it will “make you cry” and her husband Ladd is a big fan, too! The Pioneer Woman star shared the one secret to making the best pecan pie and it’s so easy.
Ree Drummond claims her pecan pie makes people cry
Drummond shared a link to her pecan pie recipe in a 2018 Facebook post, writing, “The pie that makes Ladd cry … from happiness! It’s a good one.”
She continued, “This is the pecan pie I make year after year, and I sometimes call it ‘The Pie That’ll Make You Cry’ because it’s just soooooo darn good. Also, Ladd cries if I don’t make it.”
Drummond shared the recipe again in a 2021 Facebook post, writing, “I used to call this ‘The Pie That’ll Make You Cry’ because it really has brought grown adults to tears. It’s that good! Hands-down the one thing Ladd looks the most forward to every holiday season.”
Drummond shared her pecan pie recipe in a 2010 blog post on The Pioneer Woman website. She explained her affection for pecan pie and how she developed the perfect recipe for “the most delectable, flavorful pecan pie on Earth.”
Her husband Ladd is also a fan. “Marlboro Man, who has never been a pecan pie fan, took one bite and said ‘Never stop making this,’” Drummond shared. “I love it when he says that.”
Ree Drummond shares her secret for perfect pecan pie
The Pioneer Woman star revealed her secret to the Ladd-approved pie and it’s all about texture. “One of the things I’ve always done with my pecan pies is finely chop the pecans,” she explained. “This could be considered a sacrilege to those who love the appearance of toasted pecan halves all over the top. But pecan halves bug me!”
The Pioneer Woman star explained that having finely chopped nuts makes a difference when you serve the pie. “When you cut into the pie, it’s hard to get nice, even, neat pieces because the big, bulky pecan halves get pushed into the perfect filling,” she wrote. “I’ve found that chopping the pecans makes such a difference and results in a nice, crunchy pie with flavor that’ll rock your world.”
Drummond makes her pie crust recipe, rolls it out, and places it in a pie pan. Then she pours the finely chopped pecans into the bottom of the crust. She mixes together sugar, brown sugar, salt, corn syrup, melted butter, eggs, and vanilla for the filling and pours it over the nuts. Drummond bakes the pie in a 350 degree Fahrenheit oven for 50 minutes.
‘The Pioneer Woman’ star loves the ‘crunch’ she gets with the small pecan pieces
Drummond pointed out how the smaller pecan pieces make all the difference with her pecan pie recipe. In her 2021 blog post for the recipe, she pointed out the benefit of smaller pecan bits.
“Do you notice how the small pecan pieces have settled at the top and created a nice ‘top crust?’ This is why I use chopped pecans instead of pecan halves, like many people use,” she wrote. “The pecan halves are just too heavy, too meaty, too … too much. If you use pecan bits, it creates more of a consistent top layer that makes a nice ‘crunch’ sound when you slice into it.”
She added “another VERY important step,” recommending the pie cools to room temperature so it’s completely set.
The full recipe is available on the Food Network website.
