To really understand how important pecan pie is in my life, I need to tell you a story about the first time I went to Afghanistan, in 2008.

As soon as I got off the plane at Kandahar Air Field, my friend Kelly (who was the public affairs officer for the unit I was embedding with) told me that there were occasionally rocket attacks on the base, and if I heard an announcement over the loudspeakers, I just needed to go to a bunker.

Roughly an hour later, I had just taken a shower and was getting dressed when I heard an announcement over the loudspeakers. That’s when I realized I had no idea what a bunker looked like or where I could find one.

It turned out that that particular announcement was just a drill. But a few days later, I was eating dinner in the chow hall with Kelly and Toby when there was another announcement over the loudspeaker. Most of the soldiers in the room dropped what they were doing and basically ran out of the building. But I had a piece of pecan pie that I hadn’t even taken a bite of, and I didn’t want to let a stupid rocket attack (really just one rocket that had already hit a patch of dirt in a remote corner of the base) ruin it.

So I took the pecan pie with me, which both Kelly and Toby thought was absolutely hilarious. I ate it while we were waiting for the all-clear. It was delicious.

But not nearly as delicious as this pecan pie.

This beauty is the best pecan pie I’ve ever had… and trust me, I’ve had a lot. So how is it different? For one, there is golden syrup in the filling, instead of corn syrup. All credit for that brilliant tweak goes to Deb from Smitten Kitchen, from whom I adapted this recipe.

It also has a splash of bourbon, which gives it a little extra oomph. But I think the thing I like the most about this recipe is that there is a good ratio of pecans to gooey filling… and the gooey filling isn’t that gross, gelatinous consistency of many mass-produced pies.

I hope you’ll agree with me. Let me know if you make it yourself!

Best Pecan Pie

(Recipe adapted from Smitten Kitchen, makes one pie)
1 pie crust (recipe here, or use your favorite)
For filling:
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 cup (packed) dark brown sugar
3/4 cup golden syrup (this is a British product that you may be able to find at a nice grocery store and can definitely find online. I didn’t have enough one time and used about 1/4 cup of real maple syrup, which also worked, but don’t use all maple syrup or your pie will taste too maple-y)
2 cups of pecan halves or pieces
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar (white vinegar is OK in a pinch)
1 tablespoon bourbon
2 teaspoons real vanilla extract
3 large eggs

Preheat the oven to 400F. Line the frozen or cold unfilled pie crust with buttered or oiled aluminum foil, then fill it with pie weights, uncooked rice, or dried beans. Place the crust on a rimmed baking sheet and bake for 15-20 minutes. (Note: If you forget to pre-bake the crust, it’s OK. Just bake the pie at 400F for the first 5-10 minutes, before turning the temperature down, and watch it in case it’s finished early!)

While the crust is baking, toast the nuts by placing them in an ungreased skillet over low heat, stirring occasionally, until they smell nutty (this should only take a few minutes — don’t let them burn!).

When the crust is ready, take it out and let it cool while you’re making the filling. Turn the oven down to 350F.

Place the butter, brown sugar and golden syrup in a medium to large saucepan and heat over medium heat. Bring the mixture to a simmer and cook for 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Take it off the stove and add the toasted pecans, apple cider vinegar, vanilla and bourbon, and stir well to combine.

Pour the mixture into a bowl and allow to cool for about 10 minutes (you can leave it in the pan if you want, but you’ll need to let it cool a little longer). Once the mixture has cooled a bit, stir or whisk one egg in at a time. Remove the foil and weights from the pie crust and pour the filling mixture in.

Bake the pie for 40 to 45 minutes, or until the edges look puffy and firm, but the center still jiggles a little when you move the pan. Allow the pie to cool on a rack, then serve warm or at room temperature (preferably with vanilla ice cream!).