Abigail Van Buren's Pecan Pie [Dear Abby Columnist]

Abigail Van Buren, better known as Dear Abby, built a career answering mail with blunt kindness. Her pecan pie works the same way, simple, honest, and unfussy. No bourbon, no chocolate, no molasses theatrics. Just corn syrup, brown sugar, butter, vanilla, eggs, and whole pecans.

The distinctive move is that the pecans go on top, scattered across the poured filling rather than mixed in. As the pie bakes, the nuts rise and set into a candied crust that caramelizes into something closer to brittle. Chopping them or stirring them in muddies the top and loses that pretty, crunchy layer.

Brown sugar instead of granulated gives a deeper, almost molasses-adjacent flavor, and an unbaked shell goes straight in the oven with the filling poured in cold.

Kitchen Tips

• Beat eggs only lightly, overbeaten eggs make a foamy, cakey pie instead of a silky one
• Arrange the pecans halves-up if you want a showpiece top, they bake into a rosette pattern
• Check at 45 minutes with a toothpick, electric ovens often need an extra 15-20 minutes
• Let the pie cool completely before slicing, a warm pecan pie is a runny pecan pie

Variations

• Stir two tablespoons of bourbon or dark rum into the filling for a grown-up version
• Add a half cup of chocolate chips to the bottom before pouring filling for Southern derby-style
• Use dark corn syrup instead of light for a richer, more pronounced caramel note