Pumpkin pie is just as ubiquitous at the Thanksgiving spread as stuffing and cranberry sauce. But at Mark and Cindy’s house it’s the darkhorse Pecan Pie that takes center stage during the Thanksgiving meal’s encore. Pecans, being native to North America, have been a popular nut throughout America since the late 19th Century when, after the Civil War, importers began developing new varieties.

As reported by eater.com a few years ago: “The earliest printed pecan recipes began popping up in Texas cookbooks in 1870s and 1880s; the first recipe that most closely resembles what we know today as pecan pie was published in 1898 in a church charity cookbook in St. Louis, but it was sent in by a Texas woman. By the beginning of the 20th century, recipes for pecan pie had started appearing outside of Texas, but the pie wouldn’t surge in popularity until the mid-1920s. That’s when the manufacturer of Karo syrup began printing a recipe for pecan pie on cans of the product”

Cindy’s award-winning Pecan Pie recipe pulls out all of the stops. While store-bought crusts save a little time and energy, the real joy in a pie like this (much like a good pizza) lies in the crust. Enjoy!