This is a traditional Southern holiday dessert, though the mysteries of its origins have been lost to time. Having had some less-than-wonderful renditions in my time, I decided to come up with my own ideal version. I went to the test kitchen with two things in mind: First, too much corn syrup yields a pie that is too sweet and runny. There is nothing worse than a pie with a soggy crust and syrup pooling in the pan where a piece has been cut out. Second, beating the eggs too much destroys the creamy texture of a properly cooked pecan pie. I am pretty pleased with these results, and I bet you will be too.

　　

Ingredients

serves 6

　　1 package Phyllo dough, defrosted if frozen

　　6 store-bought caramels. wrappers removed

　　1/2 cup pecan pieces

　　1/4 cup dark corn syrup

　　1/2 cup sugar

　　1 1/2 tablespoons butter

　　1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

　　1/8 teaspoon salt

　　1 tablespoon water

　　1 egg, lightly beaten

　　

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 300°F.

　　

Step 2

Stack 6 sheets of phyllo dough on a work surface. Using a 4-inch cookie cutter, cut 6 circles, each containing the 6 sheets of phyllo.

　　

Step 3

Spray a 6-cup muffin pan with nonstick spray. Place 1 layered circle of phyllo into each cup. Place 1 caramel and 1 1/2 tablespoons of pecans into each cup.

　　

Step 4

Heat the corn syrup, sugar, butter, vanilla extract, salt, and water in a small saucepan until the ingredients are combined. Stir in the egg. Divide the mixture among the 6 pastry cups.

　　

Step 5

Bake for 20 minutes, or until the pies turn a rich brown and are firm in the center. Cool in the muffin pan for 15 minutes before removing and serving.

　　

Cooking Method

Step 6

Oven

　　Big Bob Gibson's BBQ Book by Chris Lilly. Copyright © 2009 by Chris Lilly. Published by Crown Publishing Group. All Rights Reserved.Vice president, executive chef, and partner of Big Bob Gibson Bar-B-Q, Chris Lilly oversees the two company-owned restaurants as well as their new chain of franchises.