Browned Butter Pecan Tart

In the Top 5 rankings of my favorite pies, The Pecan has been the undefeated champion for years now. It just ticks all the boxes for me: sweetness, butter and texture in abundance. Not only that, when it comes to labor, pecan is one of the easiest to make.

Something I’ve started to do lately is experiment with see how well my favorite pies translate into different iterations, like tarts or bars. I had great results with Day 2’s Sweet Potato Bars, and today’s recipe on Day 9 is yet another experiment I did with successful results. Not only that, it features one of my favorite ingredients to bake with: browned butter.

Browned butter is one of those ingredients that in my opinion serves to elevate already delicious foods to heights you may not have thought them even capable of. I have yet to try it in anything, sweet or savory food alike when I haven’t been completely satisfied with the addition of browned butter. I’m pleased to report that the pecan pie is no exception.

I like to think of this as pecan pie for a crowd in that it serves more people than the standard 9 inch pie, and the browned butter gives it an added flair that you usually try to whip out when/if you’re trying to show off a bit for guests. It would be a perfect dessert for Christmas dinner. Just a suggestion.

Day 1: Winter Spice Sausage Rolls
Day 2: Sweet Potato Cookie Bars
Day 3: Peanut Butter Snickerdoodles
Day 4: Sweet Potato Gingerbread
Day 5: Brown Sugar Cookies
Day 6: Gingerbread Biscotti
Day 7: Cranberry Custard Pie
Day 8: Pecan Pinwheel Cookies
Day 9: Browned Butter Pecan Tart
Browned Butter Pecan Tart
Recipe Adapted from the Daily Meal
Ingredients
For the Crust
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature, cut into small pieces
- 5 tablespoons sugar
- 1 large egg yolk
- 1 1/4 cup sifted cake flour
For the Filling
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into pieces
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 cup Golden Syrup or light corn syrup
- 4 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1 tablespoon bourbon, optional
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 cups pecan halves, lightly toasted
Directions
For Crust: Coat a 10-inch loose-bottomed fluted tart pan with nonstick spray (round or rectangular); set aside.
In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the butter with the flat paddle attachment on medium-high speed until creamy, about 1 minute. Add the sugar gradually and continue to beat on medium-high speed until lightened and creamy, about 2 minutes. Beat in the egg yolk until well combined. Add the flour and pulse the mixer on and off until it begins to combine, and then run the mixer on medium-low speed just until the dough begins to form. Scrape out onto plastic wrap and use the wrap to help press the dough into a flat disk shape. Wrap the dough thoroughly. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight.
Roll out on a lightly floured surface and fit into the pan, pressing into corners and trimming the top flush with fluted edges. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours or freeze for 15 minutes while the oven preheats. (At this point, you can double-wrap the tart shell very well in plastic wrap and then aluminum foil and refrigerate for up to 2 days before baking, or freeze for up to 1 week.)
Position a rack in the middle of the oven. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Bake directly on the oven rack for 8 to 12 minutes or just until it feels dry to the touch and is beginning to color around the edges. Check about halfway through baking; if the crust is puffing up, gently press back down with the back of a fork. Cool the tart pan set on a rack while you make filling.
For Filling: Place the butter in a medium saucepan and melt over medium heat. Continue to cook until the butter browns, but do not let it burn.*
(To Brown Butter: Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Cook, gently swirling pan constantly, until particles begin to turn golden brown and butter smells nutty, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and continue swirling the pan until the butter is a rich brown, about 15 seconds longer. Transfer to a medium bowl, whisk in ice cube, transfer to refrigerator, and allow to cool completely, about 20 minutes, whisking occasionally.)
Remove browned butter from the heat and whisk in the sugar and golden syrup or corn syrup. Allow to cool slightly (you maybe transfer this to a mixing bowl if you like to hasten the cooling). Once it is barely warm, whisk in the eggs one at a time, then whisk in the bourbon, if using, vanilla, and salt. Stir in the pecans. Scrape into the crust.
Bake at 350 degrees F for 35 to 40 minutes. The filling will be slightly puffed and set around the edges. The middle might still look a bit soft; that’s okay. It firms up tremendously upon cooling. Cool the pan on a rack. The tart is ready to serve or may be loosely covered with foil and stored at room temperature overnight.

Sharing at Fiesta Friday #411, co-hosted this week by Jhuls @ The Not So Creative Cook.
What is Golden syrup? I looked up substitutes for corn syrup and found that rice syrup can be used.
It’s like a ‘blond’ flavored molasses. It’s kinda hard to find in most grocery stores in the US unless you look in places like World Market or artisan grocery stores. And yes, rice syrup can be used in substitution for corn syrup 🙂
Looks delicious. Thank you! I need to try this one.
Yes please do! I think you’ll like it 🙂
I bet these disappear quickly!
Thanks Dorothy, it didn’t last long here 😉