This recipe for Perfect Salted Mixed Nut Pie is a less-sweet, slightly salty variation on a classic pecan pie with maple syrup, coconut and vanilla notes.
I love pecan pie, but the sweetness is often too much for me. I started playing with this recipe back in the fall of 2020. Slightly less sweet than traditional pecan pie, this Perfect Salted Mixed Nut Pie recipe is packed with salted, mixed nuts and coconut. When you sprinkle the top with sea salt flakes and a scoop of vanilla ice cream, it’s a little slice of heaven.
I’ve often looked at that canister of roasted mixed nuts in the grocery store and wondered what other use it might have besides a salty snack. You know the kind – a sampling of cashews, pecans, peanuts, hazelnuts and the divisive Brazil nut. Yes, even the slighted Brazil nut gets a chance to “level up” in this pie. Any nut combination will work, but I find using a mixture that is a minimum of 30% peanuts delivers the best overall flavor.
For this recipe, I prefer to use Crown Maple Bourbon Barrel Aged Organic Maple Syrup. I like the subtle bourbon notes it lends to the pie. However, any good quality maple syrup will work just as well.
Jump to RecipeGetting the perfect crust without blind baking
The pastry used in this recipe for Perfect Salted Mixed Nut Pie is a staple in my kitchen. And because it makes two disks of pastry, I will often freeze one for use at a later date. You’ll find a variant of it in my recipe for Ginger Citrus Pumpkin Pie.
In order to avoid both an under baked bottom and a burnt top, I use a tried and tested technique. I start by heating both the oven and a baking tray or stone to 425 degrees F. before dropping the temperature down to 350 degrees. F.
This ensures the bottom of the crust is cooked completely. It also gives the pie filling the extra temperature boost it needs to set up properly. However, 350 degrees is gentle enough to ensure the pie doesn’t over-bake or crack.
Tip of the day: How to cube cream cheese.
Cream cheese is very sticky and can be hard to cube. So, how do you make this process easier?
After measuring out the flour for this recipe, roll the brick of cream cheese in the flour before cutting. The flour will coat the cheese and make it much easier to cut. And because you aren’t adding extra flour to the recipe, your dough won’t become too tough or dry.
Perfect Salted Mixed Nut Pie
Course: DessertCuisine: AmericanDifficulty: Easy10
slices30
minutes1
hourDepending on the size of the slices, this pie can serve between 8 – 10 people.
Ingredients
- For the pie crust
2 2/3 cup A.P. Flour
1/2 tsp. plus 1/8 tsp. kosher salt
1 Tbsp. granulated sugar
2 3/4 sticks butter (22 Tbsp. total), ice cold and cut into 1/4 inch cubes
8 oz. of cream cheese, cold and cut into 1/4 inch cubes
- For the Filling
3 eggs, room temperature
1/2 cup light brown sugar, firmly packed.
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup real maple syrup
2 Tbsp. unsalted butter, melted
1 1/2 tsp. white vinegar
1 tsp. vanilla
2 Tbsp. sweetened coconut flakes
1 1/2 cups salted mixed nuts, roughly chopped
Sea salt flakes (optional, to taste)
Directions
- Prepare the pie dough
- Cut the cold butter and cream cheese into 1/4 inch cubes. Place in the freezer to chill for 5 minutes.
- In a mixing bowl or food processor, blend the flour, salt and sugar briefly to get rid of any lumps.
- Add the butter and cream cheese to the flour mixture and blend on low until the dough just comes together.
- Divide dough into two equal disks. Wrap in plastic wrap or wax paper and place in the refrigerator to rest for a minimum of 4 hours. The dough can be prepared up to two days in advance.
- Rolling Out the Pie Crust
- Generously dust your work area with A.P. Flour.
- Roll one disk of dough to a little less than 1/4 inch thickness (approximately 10 inches in diameter), making sure to check the bottom of the dough. You don’t want it to stick.
- Using a 9-inch pie pan, trim the dough so you have 1/2 inch overlap all around the pie tin. Fold and tuck the ends of the circle under and crimp your crust. The extra dough can be chilled and re-rolled into strips or cut into shapes to decorate the top of the pie if desired.
- Brush to top of the crust with egg wash and place the unbaked pie shell back in the refrigerator to chill until you are ready to bake. This step can be done one day ahead.
- Prepare the oven for baking
- Place either a baking stone or a baking sheet in the oven. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
- Prepare the pie filling
- Whisk the eggs, sugars, maple syrup, melted butter, white vinegar and vanilla together until completely incorporated.
- Add the coconut flakes.
- Give the nuts a rough chop and add them to the mixture.
- Pour the mixture into the prepared pie shell. Decorate as desired and place in the center of the stone or baking sheet. Immediately reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees F.
- Bake at 350 degrees F for 60 minutes or until the pie is golden brown and set.
- Cool completely before serving.
- Sprinkle the top with sea salt flakes as desired (optional).
