Jack Daniel's Pecan Pie

This boozy version of a traditional Southern favorite exceeds everyone's expectations. It is great to serve for the holidays. You can experiment with light or dark brown sugar, but I prefer the stronger flavor of dark brown sugar. Always remember to use pure vanilla extract, unsalted butter, and fresh ingredients, as they improve the flavor. Since I bake this in a 10-inch ceramic pie plate, I make my own pie crust, which is not included here. The amount of filling might be more than you require for a smaller, store-bought frozen crust.

• Ready In: 1 hr 10 mins
• Yields: 8-10 slices

Ingredients

• 1⁄2 teaspoon salt
• 3  eggs
• 3⁄4 cup dark corn syrup
• 1  cup light brown sugar or 1  cup dark brown sugar
• 3  teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 2  tablespoons  Jack Daniels Whiskey
• 1  teaspoon  Jack Daniels Whiskey
• 6  tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• 16  ounces  shelled pecan halves (2 1/2 measuring cups)
• 1  large  pie crust

Directions

1. In a large mixing bowl, combine the first 6 ingredients and mix with an electric mixer.
2. Add the melted butter and mix quickly with mixer.
3. Place pecans halves in the pie crust in the 10-inch pie plate. Pour syrup mixture over the nuts.
4. Bake in oven at 350 degrees F for 50 minutes. Check on it at 40 minutes. At 50 minutes, the syrup should be bubbling up around the pecans, which means it's done. Remove pie from oven and let cool on rack for an hour or two.
5. Refrigerate pie for several hours or overnight. Refrigeration thickens pie syrup and intensifies flavor.
6. Serve a la mode with a scoop of good quality vanilla ice cream.