Ingredients
- 1 unbaked 9-inch pie shell
- 180 ml pure Quebec maple syrup (medium or dark)
- 3 large eggs
- 60 g unsalted butter, melted
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1/4 tsp fine salt
- 200 g pecan halves
Method
- Preheat oven to 160 °C (325 °F). Whisk eggs in a bowl until uniform.
- Add maple syrup, melted butter, vanilla, and salt; whisk until fully combined.
- Spread pecans evenly in the unbaked shell, then pour the maple mixture over them.
- Bake 50–55 min until the centre is just set with a slight jiggle. Cool completely before slicing.
Conversion and rationale
Original sweetener (classic version): 200 g dark corn syrup + 100 g brown sugar
Conversion used: Replace corn syrup and brown sugar with 180 ml maple syrup (dark, robust grade for depth). Reduce butter by 10 g to compensate for maple's added moisture. Lower oven from 175 °C to 160 °C to prevent over-browning of natural sugars.
Why Quebec maple syrup: Maple syrup provides a complex toffee-caramel flavour with trace minerals (manganese, zinc) absent from corn syrup, while supporting Quebec's emblematic local industry and reducing ultra-processed sweeteners.
General rule: 1 cup (250 ml) sugar ≈ 3/4 cup (180 ml) maple syrup; reduce liquids by 45–60 ml per cup of syrup and lower oven by 15 °C. Substitution calculator →