Pecan Pie Muffins

The book published on May 24, 2022. "Feed Them Well: A Life in the Kitchen." My book. Real and present and in the world.

Susan called at eight in the morning to tell me it had shipped. Gary and I drove to the bookstore and stood in front of the cooking section and found it — there, on the shelf, between two other books, my name on the spine. I pulled it out and held it. My hands in flour on the cover, the kitchen window behind them. I looked at it for a long time and Gary looked at me looking at it and neither of us said anything for a moment. Then he said, "I remember the night you came home from the grief counselor and said you were starting the workshop. Do you remember that?" I said yes. He said, "This is that, all the way to here."

This is that, all the way to here. I bought three copies — one for me, one for my mom, one for Debra. Gary bought two more. The bookstore owner, who recognized me from the local news segment years ago, put a small "local author" sign next to my copies.

I made a video that evening: not about the book exactly, but about the first recipe in it — my grandmother's biscuits, the recipe I learned at her knee and that appears on page one as the starting point of everything. Seventy thousand people watched it in the first week. In the comments: "I bought the book." Over and over. "I bought the book."

The first recipe in my book is my grandmother’s biscuits — but the second one, the one I always think of as the reward for learning to bake, is something sweet and Southern and completely over the top in the best possible way. Standing in that bookstore holding my own name on a spine, I knew exactly what I was making that night. These Pecan Pie Muffins are the kind of thing you bake when you’ve arrived somewhere — when flour on your hands finally means something, when the kitchen stops being a place you run to and starts being a place you belong.

Prep Time: 10 minutes | Cook Time: 22 minutes | Total Time: 32 minutes | Servings: 12 muffins

Ingredients

1 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup chopped pecans
2/3 cup unsalted butter, softened
2 large eggs, beaten
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt

Instructions

Preheat and prepare. Preheat your oven to 350°F. Generously grease a standard 12-cup muffin tin with butter or non-stick spray, making sure to coat the sides well — these muffins are sticky and rich, so don’t skimp.
Mix dry ingredients. In a large bowl, whisk together the brown sugar, flour, and salt until evenly combined. Stir in the chopped pecans and set aside.
Combine wet ingredients. In a separate bowl, beat the softened butter with the eggs and vanilla extract until smooth and well incorporated.
Fold together. Pour the wet mixture into the dry ingredients and stir gently until just combined. Do not overmix — a few streaks are fine. The batter will be dense and sticky.
Fill the pan. Spoon the batter evenly into the prepared muffin cups, filling each about 2/3 full.
Bake. Bake for 20 to 22 minutes, until the tops are golden brown and set. A toothpick inserted in the center should come out with just a few moist crumbs.
Cool before removing. Let the muffins cool in the pan for 10 minutes before running a butter knife around the edges and lifting them out. They firm up as they cool and are best enjoyed warm or at room temperature.

Nutrition (per serving)

Pecan Pie Muffins — The Southern Sweetness That Comes After the Biscuits