Pecan Recipes

By Jennifer Beeler
Victor Protasio; Prop Styling: Mary Clayton Carl; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall
Whether you say pee-can or peh-kahn, we're pronouncing these pecan recipes as some of the best we've ever tasted!
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Double-Chocolate Pecan Pie

Victor Protasio; Prop Styling: Mary Clayton Carl; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall

Recipe: Double-Chocolate Pecan Pie

Sweet chocolate-pecan filling in a dark chocolate crust with a chocolate drizzle? This pie is absolutely decadent.

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Fudgy Flourless Chocolate-Pecan Cookies

Victor Protasio

Recipe: Fudgy Flourless Chocolate-Pecan Cookies

See if your holiday guests can guess which baking ingredient these rich cookies lack—we’ll bet you they can’t.

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Toasted Coconut-Pecan Cupcakes with Coconut-Cream Cheese Frosting

Photo: Victor Protasio; Prop Styling: Mary Clayton Carl; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall

Recipe: Toasted Coconut-Pecan Cupcakes with Coconut-Cream Cheese Frosting

Instead of a cake you have to stand by and slice, bake these portable cupcakes for your holiday parties and dinners. Your guests will be amazed at how well coconut and pecans taste together in this rich recipe.

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Mini Pecan Monkey Bread Loaves

Photo: Victor Protasio; Prop Styling: Mary Clayton Carl; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall

Recipe: Mini Pecan Monkey Bread Loaves

Start your day off in the sweetest way with this caramel-topped monkey bread. You can make this recipe a day ahead, store in the refrigerator overnight, and bake when you’re ready to serve.

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Butter Pecan Layer Cake with Browned Butter Frosting

Photo: Victor Protasio; Prop Styling: Mary Clayton Carl; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall

Recipe: Butter Pecan Layer Cake with Browned Butter Frosting

When the holidays come around, it’s time to bring out the layer cakes. A tip from the test kitchen: When browning the butter for the frosting, pour the butter into a bowl as soon as it turns golden brown, or it will continue to cook and get too dark.

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Pumpkin-Spice Bundt with Brown Sugar Icing and Candied Pecans

Photo: Victor Protasio; Prop Styling: Mary Clayton Carl; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall

Recipe: Pumpkin-Spice Bundt with Brown Sugar Icing and Candied Pecans

We can already picture this fancy Bundt cake on your Thanksgiving dessert table. A tip from the test kitchen: For the smoothest texture and most impressive presentation, make sure the icing is still warm when you spoon it over the cake.

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Putt’s Butter Pecan Sundae

Photo: Victor Protasio; Prop Styling: Mary Clayton Carl; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall

Recipe: Putt’s Butter Pecan Sundae

We’re lucky that Putt Wetherbee shared this oh-so-good sundae recipe that’s made with homemade toasted-pecan ice cream and praline sauce.

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Decadent Cream Puffs with Praline Sauce and Toasted Pecans

Photo: Helen Norman

Recipe: Decadent Cream Puffs with Praline Sauce and Toasted Pecans

It may be tempting to use a stand mixer for the cream puff batter, but it pays to mix by hand. You need to see when the mixture is smooth and shiny, which will prevent overmixing. Top with Praline Sauce.

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Salted Chocolate Matzo Madness Toffee

Greg Dupree

Recipe: Salted Chocolate Matzo Madness Toffee

Take a crack at this Southern spin on a traditional Passover treat. But it’s not only relegated to the holiday. In fact, you can make this sweet snack year-round using saltine crackers for a crispy, salty base that makes the chocolate and pecans pop in your mouth. So do yourself a favor and indulge!

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Pecan Pound Cake

Photo: Helen Norman

Recipe: Pecan Pound Cake

A drizzle of lemon-infused Citrus Glaze gives this creamy nut-filled cake a sweet finish.

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Pecan Pie Bars

Photo: Helen Norman

Recipe: Pecan Pie Bars

These chewy, bite-size bars require just 20 minutes of prep time.

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Pumpkin-Pecan Streusel Pie

Photo: Helen Norman

Recipe: Pumpkin-Pecan Streusel Pie

Create the chunky texture by leaving those extra-big blueberry-size pieces in the Pecan Streusel Topping mix.

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Pecan-Espresso Toffee

Photo: Helen Norman

Recipe: Pecan-Espresso Toffee

Take a crack at this intensely rich and buttery holiday treat.

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Chocolate Chip-Toasted Pecan Pancakes

Photo: Alison Miksch

Recipe: Chocolate Chip-Toasted Pecan Pancakes

Add a generous dollop of whipped cream for an unexpected dessert.

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Chocolate-Pecan Mousse Tart

Photo: Helen Norman

Recipe: Chocolate-Pecan Mousse Tart

You can make and freeze crust ahead of time; thaw in your refrigerator overnight before preparing the filling.

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Spicy-Sweet Pecans

Photo: Helen Norman

Recipe: Spicy-Sweet Pecans

The egg white helps the spice mixture adhere evenly and gives the pecans a crisp, glossy coating.

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Utterly Deadly Southern Pecan Pie

Photo: Jennifer Davick

Recipe: Utterly Deadly Southern Pecan Pie

Once you’ve made a pecan pie in a cast-iron skillet, you may never go back to a pie plate. Simply press a refrigerated pie crust into the skillet, sprinkle with sugar, top with the pecan mixture, and bake. Serving it in the skillet is also easy and makes the dish even more Southern.

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Bourbon-Butter-Salted Pecan Ice Cream

Photo: Hector Sanchez

Recipe: Bourbon-Butter-Salted Pecan Ice Cream

We just can't resist the salty sweet combination in this ice-cream recipe.

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Sticky-Bun Pumpkin Muffins

Photo: Jennifer Davick

Recipe: Sticky-Bun Pumpkin Muffins

Sticky buns and pumpkin bread combine in this amazing muffin recipe. A mixture of toasted pecans, butter, and brown sugar creates the sweet topping. Serve these for breakfast, or skip the "sticky" part and make Pecan-Pumpkin Bread instead.

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Fettucine with Zucchini and Pecans

Photo: Jennifer Davick

Recipe: Fettucine with Zucchini and Pecans

Pecans aren't just for dessert. Try them toasted in this Italian-inspired fettucine with fresh basil and Asiago cheese.

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Apple-Pear Salad with Maple-Pecan Bacon

Photo: Jennifer Davick

Recipe: Apple-Pear Salad with Maple-Pecan Bacon

Pecans add crunch and a hint of nutty flavor to this delicious fall salad. Maple bacon, fresh fruit, and Gorgonzola cheese up the ante in flavor, and a Cranberry Vinaigrette makes it even more delicious!

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Chicken Marsala

Photo: Jennifer Davick

Recipe: Chicken Marsala

We added buttery toasted pecans and even dredged the chicken in a pecan mixture for extra flavor and texture in this Chicken Marsala recipe. The results are amazing!

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Turkey Burger Patty Melts

Photo: Jennifer Davick

Recipe: Turkey Burger Patty Melts

Never eat a bland turkey burger again! Mix toasted pecans, Gorgonzola cheese, and garlic salt with ground turkey to form the patties. A cranberry-Dijon mustard sauce serves as the perfect condiment to the layers of grilled bread, Monterey Jack cheese, arugula, and favorful turkey burgers.

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Mama's German Chocolate Cake

Photo: Jennifer Davick

Recipe: Mama's German Chocolate Cake

Pure Southern perfection! Layers of moist German chocolate cake and sweet-and-nutty Coconut-Pecan Frosting will make this dessert an instant favorite.

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Pecan-Honey Butter

Photo: Jennifer Davick

Recipe: Pecan-Honey Butter

Slather this sweet Pecan-Honey Butter on a slice of bread bread for a tasty little treat.

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Pecan-Stuffed Pickled Jalapeños

Photo: Jennifer Davick

Recipe: Pecan-Stuffed Pickled Jalapeños

For an easy appetizer, fill pickled jalapeños with garlic-and-herb cheese. Top with toasted pecans, and you're ready to entertain!

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Banana-Pecan Smoothies

Photo: Jennifer Davick

Recipe: Banana-Pecan Smoothies

Bananas, pecans, cinnamon, and honey blended together combine the flavors of summer and fall in this easy smoothie recipe.

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Chili-Lime Pecans

Photo: Jennifer Davick

Recipe: Chili-Lime Pecans

You won't be able to stop munching on these toasted pecans seasoned with lime juice and chili powder.

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Hot Caramel-Pecan Topping

Photo: Jennifer Davick

Recipe: Hot Caramel-Pecan Topping

Spruce up your ice cream with this surprisingly easy caramel topping.

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Warm Pecan Vinaigrette

Photo: Jennifer Beeler

Recipe: Warm Pecan Vinaigrette

Serve this warm vinaigrette over baby spinach for a great fall salad. Toasted pecans, apple cider vinegar, honey, and Dijon mustard give it its wonderful flavor.

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Croissant French Toast with Pecans

Photo: Jennifer Davick

Recipe: Croissant French Toast with Pecans

The combination of honey, butter, and toasted pecan makes this decadent French toast irresistible.

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Pecan Pesto

Photo: Jennifer Beeler

Recipe: Pecan Pesto

Toasted pecans kick up the flavor of ordinary pesto. Use this recipe for homemade pesto, or as a shortcut add toasted pecans (coarsely chopped in a foor processor) to store-bought pesto.

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