On any given day you may find Nancy Butcher filling and crimping more than 30 pies. That number jumps to the hundreds during the holidays and it’s easy to see why, given the fact that two of her creations have won national honors in a General Mills baking contest. “The lemon pecan, definitely serve that with ice cream,” Butcher says, adding that she sticks with a traditional choice. “And that would be vanilla.”

Lemon Pecan Pie
Recipe courtesy of Nutcracker ’50s Family Restaurant 

INGREDIENTS
3 large eggs
1 cup light corn syrup
Zest of 1/2 lemon, short zests
1/2 teaspoon lemon extract
1 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 tablespoons melted butter
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 cups chopped pecans
1 unbaked 9-inch, deep-dish crust (or use Nancy’s recipe to the right for making a from-scratch pie crust) 

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 F. Combine sugar and eggs and mix. Add remaining ingredients through salt and mix. Place pecans directly in pie crust. Pour mixture into crust and bake for 30 minutes, then shake the pie so it continues to firm. Bake another 15 minutes. Remove from oven. Cool completely before slicing and serving. Serve alone or with ice cream or whipped cream and lemon zest garnish.