Salty Nut Pie Recipe

By
María del Mar Cuadra
A headshot of Maria del Mar Cuadra, a contributing writer at Serious Eats.
María del Mar Cuadra
María del Mar Cuadra is a food stylist, recipe developer, and art director. She has written three cookbooks and worked for America's Test Kitchen.
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Updated April 15, 2020
Salty Nut Pie
Go nuts. . María del Mar Sacasa

This alternative to classic pecan pie has a salty caramel filling and a mixed cocktail nuts topping, making each bite well-balanced between salty and sweet and multi-textured.

Notes: It's very important to use a large saucepan as a low-sided pan will not hold the caramel once it begins to sputter in Step 2. I really, really dislike Brazil nuts and picked them out of the mix when I made this pie. And, on occasion, I add salted and roasted peanuts or honey roasted peanuts to the mix.

Blind bake your pie crust for about 10 minutes at 375°F (190°C), then reduce oven temperature to 350°F (180°C).

Recipe Details

Salty Nut Pie Recipe

Active 30 mins
Total 2 hrs
Serves 8 servings
Cook Mode (Keep screen awake)

Ingredients

  • 1 recipe easy pie crust, blind baked (see notes)
  • 2 cups (14 ounces) granulated sugar
  • 1/3 cup dark corn syrup
  • 1/4 cup (2 ounces) water
  • 3/4 cup (6 ounces) heavy cream
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 3 large eggs, beaten
  • 2 cups mixed roasted and salted nuts (see notes)

Directions

  1. Adjust oven rack to the middle position and preheat oven to 350°F (180°C).

  2. Combine sugar, corn syrup, and water in large, heavy-bottomed saucepan. Cook over medium heat, brushing inside of pan with a damp pastry brush to prevent sugar crystals from scorching, until sugar is completely dissolved. Increase heat to medium-high and boil mixture until dark amber and just beginning to smoke, 10 to 12 minutes. Immediately remove pan from heat and add cream (mixture will sputter and bubble).

  3. Once mixture has settled, return to medium-low heat and stir in salt. Cook, stirring, until mixture is smooth. Transfer to large bowl and allow to cool completely.

  4. Whisk eggs into cooled caramel. Fold in nuts and pour mixture into prepared pie crust. Bake until pie is set, about 45 minutes. Transfer to cooling rack and allow to cool completely before serving.

Special equipment

Large heavy-bottomed saucepan, pastry brush, 9-inch pie plate, cooling rack

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