Maple Caramel Walnut Pie

This Maple Caramel Walnut Pie has a luxurious caramel filling that is made with maple syrup and real salted butter. Butter gives the caramel exceptional flavor and creaminess. An all-butter pie dough provides the most delicious flaky crust.

If we didn’t have pie each Thanksgiving, well, it wouldn’t feel like the holiday! There’s usually at least three on the sideboard, and they are all our expected favorites. Pumpkin pie, pecan pie, and buttermilk pie will all make an appearance.

Although I love all of our traditional pies, it’s nice to switch things up a little. This walnut pie is reminiscent of pecan pie without being as sticky or as sweet. Brown sugar, salted butter, and maple syrup give it rich caramel flavor. It’s a lovely ending to any meal and so season appropriate!

Recipe Details

The recipe begins with an all butter pie dough. I love making butter pie dough in a food processor because it comes together so quickly. Before I measure flour or other ingredients, I cube the butter and then stick it in the freezer. By the time I’m ready to use the butter, it’s cold enough to disperse throughout the flour under the food processor’s blade.

Just a couple of tablespoons of ice cold water added through the feed tube will bring the dough together. At this stage, pat it into a disk and refrigerate for about an hour before using.

The pie filling ingredients are simple, and altogether, so delicious! 

Pure maple syrup and brown sugar are cooked with heavy cream and salted butter to create creamy caramel flavor. The extra bit of salt in the salted butter really brings forth the flavor of the brown sugar, and it lends all the right buttery notes to the filling.

Believe me when I tell you that this pie is chock-full of walnuts! Chopped walnuts are stirred into the caramel filling, and then the top of the pie is garnished with walnut halves.

I recommend serving this rich pie with freshly whipped cream. It’s sure to be a crowd-pleaser. Enjoy!

Maple Caramel Walnut Pie

Heather Baird

This walnut pie has a luxurious caramel filling that is made with maple syrup and real salted butter. Butter gives the caramel exceptional flavor and creaminess, and an all-butter pie dough provides the most delicious flaky crust.

5 from 2 votes

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Prep Time 20 minutes mins

45 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr 5 minutes mins

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Servings 10

Equipment

• 9 inch pie plate

Ingredients

 

US CustomaryMetric

 

1x2x3x

For the Pie Crust:

• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, cold
• 3-4 tablespoons water cold

For the Maple Caramel Walnut Pie Filling:

• 1 cup packed light brown sugar
• 3/4 cup pure maple syrup
• 5 tablespoons salted butter cubed
• 1/4 cup heavy cream
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 4 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon maple extract
• 2 cups chopped walnuts
• 1 cup walnut halves
• Whipped cream for serving

Instructions

 

For the Pie Crust:

• In the bowl of a food processor, mix together flour and salt. Cube butter and place on top of the flour mixture. Blend the butter into dry ingredients in short bursts until pea-sized pieces are scattered throughout. Add ice cold water 1 tablespoon at a time through the feed tube while processing in short bursts. Keep pulsing until a shaggy ball is formed to one side of the bowl. Turn out dough and shape into a flat disk. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
• Preheat oven to 450°F.
• Roll the pie dough disk into a 12-inch circle and fit in the bottom of a 9-inch pie plate. Trim pastry to 1/2 inch beyond the edge of the plate and crimp the edges. Line the dough with parchment paper and add dry rice or pie weights. Bake for 8 minutes then cool on a wire rack. Remove parchment and pie weights.

For the Maple Caramel Walnut Pie Filling:

• In a large saucepan, combine the brown sugar, syrup, butter, cream and salt. Bring to a bubble over medium heat stirring constantly. Remove the pan from heat and let cool 12 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• In a large bowl beat together the eggs and maple extract. Gradually add the syrup mixture to the eggs in a thin stream while whisking constantly to temper. Stir in chopped walnuts; pour into the prepared pie crust. Arrange walnut halves on top of the pie filling. Bake the pie for 40-45 minutes or until well set. Cool on a wire rack. Serve with whipped cream.

Notes

To make homemade whipped cream, beat 1 cup of heavy cream in a stand mixer fitted with the whip attachment, until slightly thickened, about 2-3 minutes. Add 3 tablespoons of granulated sugar gradually as you continue to whip. Add a splash of vanilla extract and beat until billowy and fluffy, about 2 more minutes. 

Keyword fall, maple syrup, Thanksgiving dessert, walnut pie

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