Mary Anne here. Without exception, everyone in my family loves the Pecan Pie my mom prepares each year. The one that we traditionally serve is a very basic, simple rendition using dark corn syrup, eggs, butter, sugar, and vanilla. Several years ago I created the following tart for a client and it was received with rave reviews. I have decided this year to stray a bit from tradition and serve this incredible treat to my family on Thursday.
One of my sons joined me for dinner last Sunday, allowing himself to be a guinea pig, and ended up taking home all of the leftover tart! If you hate making homemade piecrust, then this crust’s for you as it is not rolled out, but rather, it is pressed into the pan. Absolutely foolproof. And by the way, it is not a mistake that there aren’t eggs in the list of ingredients. The oatmeal serves as the “binder” for the filling.

Pecan Coconut Tart
Serves 12
You will need a 10- inch spring form pan with removable sides.
For the Crust:
½ cup firmly packed light brown sugar – stock
1 cup flour – stock
1 cup old-fashioned oatmeal (i.e Quaker Oats) – $0.95
½ Teaspoon salt – stock
½ Teaspoon baking powder – stock
1 stick sweet butter, melted and cooled slightly – stock
For the Filling:
¾ cup firmly packed light brown sugar – stock
1/3 cup plus 2 Tablespoons dark corn syrup $0.93
1 stick sweet butter, cut into 8 slices – stock
¼ cup plus 2 Tablespoons light cream – $1.25
1 cup old-fashioned oatmeal – included above
¾ cup unsweetened, flaked coconut – $.67
2 cups coarsely chopped pecans – $3.79
1 Teaspoon vanilla – stock
For the Topping:
1 oz. bittersweet or semi-sweet chocolate – stock
1 Tablespoon sweet butter – stock
Grand Total Assuming Well-Stocked Pantry: $7.59
Total Per Serving: $0.63
Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Prepare the tart crust by combining all of the crust ingredients. Mix thoroughly and then pat into the bottom and halfway up the sides of a 10-inch spring form pan.
2. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes until pale gold. Cool on a wire rack. *Increase the oven temp up to 350 degrees while the tart crust cools.
3. Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan, combine the corn syrup, brown sugar, and butter over a medium flame, stirring constantly until melted and smooth. Remove from the heat and whisk in the cream and vanilla.
4. In a medium-large mixing bowl, combine the oatmeal, coconut, and pecans. Add the butter/sugar mixture, combining well.
5. Pour the filling into the prepared crust and bake 25 to 30 minutes. The edges of the tart will be golden and the center of the tart will be nearly, but not quite set. It will set completely during the cooling process, so be careful not to over bake it or it will be on the dry side.
6. Cool the tart on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Run a sharp knife along the circumference and remove the sides of the spring form pan.
7. As the tart is cooling, melt the chocolate and butter in a small saucepan, stirring constantly to avoid burning. Transfer to a small, zip-lock bag. Snip a small hole at one of the bottom corners of the bag and drizzle the chocolate mixture in a decorative fashion over the top of the tart.
thanks for sharing this..will surely try this out..happy thanksgiving
cheers!!
Great post. I got some very useful information from it. I’ve been trying out some new Asian recipes lately and am having a great time experimenting with them. Do you have a favorite cookbook? If you’d like to see my blog it’s here. Thanks again for this blog – it is really well-done.
Hi Tracee. Thanks for your kind comment! And we did check out your blog — it’s GREAT and we are both so impressed . No, I don’t really have a single favorite cookbook, but I would say that Pierre Franey, Julia Child, and Craig Claiborne are my fave chefs! Their recipes and advice are simply timeless.