Uncle Sparky’s Pecan Pie

• 3 eggs, beaten with a fork
• 1 Cup sugar
• 1 Cup dark Karo syrup
• 2 heaping teaspoons flour
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1-1/2 Cups pecan halves
• pastry for single crust pie

Mix all ingredients except pastry and pecans. When thoroughly combined, add pecans and stir to coat. Pour into unbaked pie shell and cover lightly with a piece of foil to prevent the upper crust from burning. Bake (on a cookie sheet) at 375° F. for 35-40 minutes, then test the center. The pie is done when the center is firm and a clean knife inserted into the center comes out clean. If any of the filling sticks to the knife, bake another 10 minutes and test again.  This pie often takes up to an hour to bake.  If your oven is slow, cover the edges of the pastry with a strip of foil for the first 30 minutes of baking. Remove foil and complete baking, and the edges will not burn before the center of the pie is firm.

Note: this pie filling “boils over” as the Karo and white sugars heat up. Using a cookie sheet under single crust pies will save you many oven cleaning hours!

James “Sparky” Chambers

Mini Pecan Pies

Assemble pies in muffin tins, sprayed with Pam and lined with paper cups. Use a large biscuit cutter or jar lid to cut crusts about 3-4 inches in diameter. Place a heaping Tablespoon of filling in each shell. Bake 15 minutes at 375° F.