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Brown Sugar Maple Pecan Cookie Pie is a holiday favorite. Made with browned butter, brown sugar, maple syrup, eggs, maple candied pecans, and chunks of rich chocolate. All baked together until puffed on top, yet gooey in the center. The crust is buttery, flaky, and sprinkled with sweet vanilla sugar. The pie has a crunchy, salty-sweet flavor of bourbon brown sugar and maple toasted pecans with swirls of melted chocolate. Delicious when served with a dollop of perfectly whipped, whipped cream. It’s the pie to add to this year’s Thanksgiving menu, but it can easily be served all season long!
The pie I’ve been waiting to share! I’ve had this planned in my head for weeks, the recipe tested, and I’ve now made it more times than I probably should have.
But goodness gracious, this pie is scrumptious!
I’ve shared before that my mom is the baker of the family, and my dad is the cook. Growing up, Mom would make all the desserts—no one bakes better than her! Two of her specialties were her cookie pie and her pecan pie. We’d have both of them on Thanksgiving, but she’d also make these pies year-round.
They were just too good not to!
Now that I do most of the baking, I love recreating her recipes. I shared a slight variation on her cookie pie a couple of years ago, and today, I smashed the two pies together to make this. My new favorite pie, well, it’s tied with my molten chocolate crackle pie!
These are the details
Ingredients
- pecans
- maple syrup
- bourbon (optional)
- brown sugar, my favorite is a dark organic brown sugar
- pie dough
- eggs
- sugar
- heavy cream
- vanilla extract
- chocolate chunks or chips
Specials Tools
Nothing crazy here, you just need a mixing bowl, skillet, and your favorite pie plate!
Step 1: the pecans
Ever since I made this pecan latte, I’ve been obsessed with soaking my pecans in maple syrup. The maple adds the most delicious flavor, and when you toast the pecans in the oven with brown sugar, wow, they’re even yummier!
In a small pot, mix the maple syrup and pecans. Simmer until the maple syrup is steamy, and you can really smell the sweetness in the air. Simmering the pecans in the maple infuses the maple with the pecan flavor.
Pull the syrup off the heat, use a fork to strain out the pecans, then add vanilla to the syrup.
Step 2: the pie crust
Start with the crust. I did make my own crust, but I will be the first person to tell you that if you don’t want to make the crust, you shouldn’t make the crust! Pies can be stressful, I get it. If the crust is stressing you out, pick up your favorite from the store. I hear Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods have great options!
Fit the crust into a pie plate, then sprinkle it with vanilla sugar (simply sugar mixed with vanilla beans). No pre-baking the crust for this pie, which I found kind of nice!
Step 3: the filling
This is easy, and you don’t even need a mixer. What you do need is brown butter, so start with that. Brown the butter on the stove until it smells nutty, then let it cool.
Meanwhile whisk the brown sugar, eggs, maple syrup (from the soaked pecans in step 1), and the cream. Then add in that brown butter and vanilla.
Whisk everything together and stir in the pecans and either chocolate chips or chunks. I prefer chunks, as they provide the pie with puddles of melted chocolate, but chips work great, too!
Bake and Enjoy!
Bake the pie for about an hour. It will be very poofed on top with a bit of wiggle in the center. As the pie cools, it will fall and set up. The longer you bake, however, the less gooey it will be. I think 55 minutes is the perfect time!
Wait a little bit to let it cool slightly, then cut and serve while still warm or at room temperature. Our favorite is warm with a big ole dollop of whipped cream!
But honestly, this pie is great, warm or cool, so serve it however you like.
As always, my suggestion would be to test the pie tonight in preparation for Thanksgiving Day!
Looking for other Thanksgiving desserts? Here are my favorites:
Gooey Chocolate Chip Cookie Pumpkin Pie
Chewy Brown Sugar Maple Cookies
Gooey Chocolate Chip Cookie Pie
Lastly, if you make this Brown Sugar Maple Pecan Cookie Pie, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And, of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Brown Sugar Maple Pecan Cookie Pie
Servings: 8
Calories Per Serving: 661 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Watch the How-To Reel
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups raw pecans
- 1/2 cup maple syrup
- 1/4 cup bourbon (optional)
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- flaky sea salt
- 1 pie crust round
- 1 egg beaten for brushing
- vanilla sugar or coarse sugar, for sprinkling (optional)
- 4 tablespoons salted butter
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1 egg yolk, at room temperature
- 1/3 cup heavy cream
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips or chunks
Instructions
- 1. Position a rack in the lower third of the oven. Preheat the oven to 350° F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. 2. In a pot, combine the pecans, maple syrup, and bourbon (if using). Simmer over medium heat for 5 minutes. Remove from the heat. Strain the pecans away from the syrup and place on the prepared baking sheet. Set the syrup aside to use in the pie.3. Toss the pecans with 2 tablespoons brown sugar. Bake for 10 minutes, until toasted. Remove from oven and sprinkle lightly with sea salt (if desired). Let cool, then lightly chop.4. Fit the pie crust into an 8-inch pie plate. Brush the edges of the crust with beaten egg, then sprinkle with vanilla sugar (or coarse sugar). Lightly prick the bottom of the dough with a fork. Freeze for 10 minutes.5. Meanwhile, add the butter to a small saucepan set over medium heat. Cook until the butter begins to brown, about 3-4 minutes. Remove from the heat. 6. Whisk together 1 cup brown sugar, 2 eggs, and 1 egg yolk until well combined. Add the 1/3 cup of the reserved maple syrup mix and the cream. Whisk in the brown butter and vanilla until smooth. Fold in the pecans and chocolate. Pour the mixture into the crust.7. Bake for 55-60 minutes until the pie is puffed on top but still wiggly in the center. The longer you bake, the more set your pie will be. Remove from the oven and let cool for 20-30 minutes. Serve the pie warm and dolloped with whipped cream. Or serve at room temp. Both options are great!
This post was originally published on November 8, 2024
I really want to try these as muffin pies! How long do you suggest adjusting the time for if I am using a 12-count muffin tin for mini-pies? Thank you!!
Hi Justine,
So sorry, I have never tried this so I am honestly not sure how long they would take. Sorry I couldn’t be of more help! Let me know how they turn out! xx
Hi could I make the filling in advance? Thank you
Hi Bonnie,
Sure, I don’t see why not! Please let me know if you have any other questions! xx
My pie was very runny, tasted delicious but difficult to eat. Any suggestions?
Hi Emily,
Thanks so much for trying this recipe! How long did you let the pie rest before cutting into it? I would give a little more time! xx
Does this pie need to be refrigerated after cooking or can it be stored at room temperature?
Hi Kate,
You can store this at room temp:) I hope you love this recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! happy Thanksgiving! xx
Your thoughts on baking the day before Thanksgiving?
Hi Beth,
That would work nicely for you. Please let me know if you have any other questions! happy thanksgiving! xx
OMG! This is almost like a Kentucky Derby Pie!!! I can’t wait to try this!!!
I want to see if my girls notice the difference!! Thank you so much for sharing!!
Thanks so much, Debra! I hope you love this recipe! Let me know how it turns out for you! xx
Is this like a pudding pie? The videos on IG look really really wet.
Hi Jen,
I prefer this pie to be on the gooey side, but you can always bake longer if you want yours to be more set. I hope this helps! xx
This looks so good! I’ve been searching for a chocolate bourbon pecan pie without corn syrup and this fits the bill! I’m making it for Thanksgiving, I’ll let you know what I think. Thanks so much for exiperimenting for us all!!
Thanks so much, Sarah! I hope this recipe turns out well for you! Happy holidays! xT
Can this pie be made ahead and frozen for a couple of weeks?
Hi Pam,
You bet, that will work nicely for you! Please let me know if you have any other questions! xT
Any non dairy substitutes for the heavy cream that you can recommend?
Hi Carla,
I would try coconut cream, that should work nicely for you. I hope you love this recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xT
How does a shortbread (crumbled like graham crackers) crust sound?
Hi there,
Sure, I don’t see why that wouldn’t work for you. I hope you love this recipe! xx
If I make individual 4″ tarts, how long should I bake? Can they be frozen? How far in advance could they be baked? Store at room temp or fridge?
Hey Wendy!! Hmm I’m not sure. I would try baking 30 minutes. You can up to 3 days ahead of time. I have never frozen this pie but I do think it is best within 3 days of baking. Hope you love the pie!! Happy thanksgiving! Xx
Hi! If I leave out the bourbon, do I have to replace it with anything or does it just cook off anyway? Thanks!
No need to replace the bourbon with anything:)
If I leave out the the chocolate, do I need to add more pecans to make up for it? Will the baking time change? Thanks!
Hey Amy! Nope, no need to make any changes! You can add extra pecans, however if you’d like! Yum! Hope you love the recipe!! Xx
This looks amazing and I plan on trying to make it for my wedding anniversary next week (my husband and I had our at our wedding, so it’s our tradition!)! When cooking the pie until it’s still wiggly, how do we know if it’s cooked all the way through? My only concern is underbaking it!
Hey Grace! I wouldn’t be concerned about underbaking. This will fully bake in 55 minutes. The top should be poofed up and the sides just set! Let me know if you have other questions! Happiest anniversary! So exciting!! Xx
How far in advance can you make this?
Hi Emily,
You can make this 3 days in advance. Please let me know if you have any other questions! xT
Can’t wait to try this! I noticed the recipe calls for an 8-inch pie dish; since I only have a 9-inch, will I need to make any adjustments to the baking time?
Hi Amy,
You may need to reduce just slightly, I would just keep an eye on it. I hope you love this recipe! xx
Having thoroughly enjoyed your chocolate crackle pie, I have to make this this weekend. Looks fantastic – thank you!
Thanks so much, Marie! I hope you love this pie! Have the best Friday! xT