I Tried Dolly Parton's "Walnut Pie" and It's Definitely on My Thanksgiving Menu
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Lately, we’ve been incredibly lucky to try lots of great recipes from the legendary Dolly Parton. Some of her most delicious dishes, such as her Stampede Soup and her Pecan Chicken Salad, are also unbelievably easy to make.
Where Dolly’s recipes truly shine, however, are her desserts — like her Walnut Pie, which she always serves for Thanksgiving and Christmas (although it’s really great whenever!). The recipe comes from her Dolly’s Dixie Fixin’s cookbook.
How to Make Dolly’s Walnut Pie
Preheat the oven: Start by preheating the oven to 400 ˚F. You can use either a “roll-out” refrigerated pie crust or a frozen pie shell in a disposable foil pan.
Mix the wet ingredients: Use an electric hand mixer or a stand mixer (if you have either) to mix the eggs, sugar, corn syrup, vanilla extract, and salt.
Mix in the melted butter: With the mixer on low, add the melted butter to the mixture. Continue mixing until the mixture is thick and creamy.
Add the filling to the pie shell: Pour the egg mixture into the pie shell (the recipe doesn’t say to “blind bake,” so I didn’t). Carefully place the pie on a baking sheet and then place in the preheated oven. Bake the pie for about 15 minutes.
Lower the temperature: Decrease the oven temperature to 300°F and bake for 45 minutes. (After 30 minutes, cover the edges with foil if they start to brown.) Let the pie rest for around 15 minutes before slicing.
My Honest Review of Dolly’s Walnut Pie
I truly loved Dolly’s Walnut Pie! That said, I am, in fact, a fan of pecan pie during Thanksgiving, so I may only be a little partial. The only major difference, aside from the pecans, is that I found the filing to be a bit creamier than the average pecan pie, which may be due to the use of three eggs. Either way, I enjoyed the texture very much, and it was easy to get a relatively clean slice.
I think something important to emphasize is how much better the pie is the next day after it’s spent some time in the refrigerator. While I do like lots of pies served warm, this pie I think is better either at room temperature or partially chilled.
My only other input would be that I’d love to see how the flavor of the pie would change if the walnuts were roasted before being added to the pie. Overall, though, this is an excellent alternative or addition to the usual holiday pies we know and love.
