Pecan Walnut Pie {with Cream Cheese}

I am joining with several other talented bloggers today for Tastes of the Seasons and am sharing a recipe that I originally blogged about way back in 2010: a pecan pie with cream cheese….mmm…so good!

I was almost going to call this post, “The Best Pecan Pie I Have Ever Had,” because, seriously, it is.

In the fall of 2010 my husband and I had just moved into our first home, and I was testing out the kitchen with this recipe that I saw on an episode of Katie Brown’s Workshop on PBS.

I have made it quite a few times since because my family loves it, and I hope you do too! The original post where I shared this can be found on my Typepad blog, if you would like to see it and the trials I went through in making it. I think it was my first pie ever! (If you head over, sorry for the look of that blog now – all of the pictures get cut off since I switched to the free version awhile ago.)

(Oh and if you are wondering why I don’t move all of those posts over here…well let’s just say that I tried and after countless hours of work, and only a few months worth transferring, it was just a pain. I blogged over there for about four years, so that is a lot of posts to move. Instead, I am resharing them in various ways here…like this one today!)

So let’s get started! 

First, I gathered up the ingredients which included chopped pecans and walnuts, dark corn syrup, brown sugar, vanilla, and a prepared pie crust (I did have to send my husband out at the last minute to get some eggs, of which you need four…oops!). But the thing that makes this pecan pie so special is the cream cheese.

(The full ingredient list and directions can be found at the end of this post.)

My kitchen is a huge work in progress, but it is definitely functional, so I guess I will just try to be grateful for that. And this was the perfect fall day to bake a pie. The weather was cool and a little rainy. My favorite kind of day.

To begin, I started with a premade pie shell, which went straight into the pie dish to be prebaked according to the instructions on the package. It said to pierce it with a fork to avoid it puffing up, so I did. I think I baked it a little too long (even though I went with the time on the box) because it was pretty dark when all was said and done).

And since I am beyond terrible with creating pretty edges to pie crusts, I pulled out a scalloped biscuit cutter and rolled it all the way around. Whatever works, right?

To start the pie filling (of which there are two parts that get layered into the pie shell) softened cream cheese goes into the mixing bowl, along with 1/4 cup of brown sugar, 1 teaspoon of vanilla and 1 teaspoon of salt. Which all gets mixed until combined. I had to stop a few times to scrape the sides and bottom to make sure it blended together completely.

Once it is combined, you add one egg and mix again until smooth.

Now, in another bowl, combine three eggs, brown sugar, 1 teaspoon of vanilla, and 1 cup of dark corn syrup.

When, I made this pie the first time, I had read in an article that the pecans and walnuts should be toasted prior to going into the pie to enhance the flavor, so I popped one cup of walnuts and then one cup of pecans into the toaster oven for a few minutes. Once they were lightly toasted, I added them to this mixture and stirred well.

I was making this pie while my kids were napping, but then one woke up and had to get his adorable, little hands in on this…literally.

He even threw in a few of his own ingredients…like oh say, some toddler utensils. See that little blue fork in there? No worries, I took it out before baking 🙂

At this point, the prebaked pie crust had cooled and was ready, so in went the cream cheese layer and then the nut layer on top.

I popped it into the the preheated oven at 350 degrees for about 40-45 minutes. Checked to see if it was done, and when it was set in the center, took it out.

Once our pie had cooled awhile, we decided to eat it outside on our back patio (which I have decorated for fall and will be revealing later this week). It was the perfect autumn evening. A little brisk, but so lovely.

Hazel wanted me to make sure I got a picture of her in here for this post…she requested to hold a tiny gourd for it 🙂

 Wish I had made two cause now I am craving another piece…

1 10 inch deep dish pie crust

Cream Cheese Layer:

1 package cream cheese, softened (I used 1/3 less fat)

1/4 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 egg

Nut Layer:

3 eggs

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup dark corn syrup
1 cup chopped pecans, toasted

1 cup chopped walnuts, toasted (optional – you could exchange these out for more pecans if you preferred)

DIRECTIONS

1. Prebake pie shell according to package direction
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees for pie
3. In a mixing bowl, combine cream cheese, 1/4 cup brown sugar, 1 teaspoon vanilla, and salt. Once mixture is smooth, add 1 egg and continue to mix well.
4. Spread cream cheese mixture into the base of the pie shell.
5. In another bowl, combine three eggs, 1/2 cup brown sugar, 1 teaspoon vanilla,  dark corn syrup, pecans and walnuts. Pour mixture over cream cheese layer.
6. Bake for 40-50 minutes or until center of the pie is set.

Now, you better get yourself in the mood for some more sweet treats for fall and head over to visit the other lovely ladies participating in Tastes of the Seasons with me!

Spiced Pumpkin Mocha Latte by City Farmhouse 

 Caramel Apple White Chocolate Chip Cookies by Yellow Bliss Road 

 Almond Apple Pear Tarts by Shades of Blue 

 Spiced Pumpkin Maple Syrup by Ella Claire 

 Fall Marshmallow Pops by Craftberry Bush 

 Pecan Walnut Pie with Cream Cheese by Thoughts from Alice 

 Chocolate Pumpkin Cream Cheese Swirl Bars by Clean and Scentsible 

 Gluten Free Pumpkin Muffins by AKA Design 

 Grown Up Apple Crumble by Finding Silver Pennies 

 Pumpkin Pie Made From Scratch by Town and Country Living

I have been working hard to get my home all spiffy for you, so don’t forget to come back this Thursday for my fall home tour! I can’t wait to share it with you!

Till next time…

~Alice W.

You might also enjoy:

Simple Banana Bread without Baking Soda

Thoughts of Fall on My Mind