Salted Bourbon Caramel Pecan Pie

• For the Crust
• butter, chilled↗1⁄3 cup
• shortening, chilled↗2 tablespoons
• flour↗1 cup
• powdered sugar (optional)↗1 tablespoon
• apple cider vinegar↗1 tablespoon
• ice water2 tablespoons
• For the Filling
• brown sugar↗1 cup
• white sugar↗1⁄4 cup
• fine grain sea salt↗1⁄2 teaspoon
• butter, melted↗1⁄2 cup
• boiling water1⁄4 cup
• eggs, beaten well↗4
• milk↗1 tablespoon
• teaspoons vanilla extract or 1 1/2 teaspoons Bourbon↗1 1⁄2
• cups raw pecans, coarsely chopped↗2
• cup caramel topping, plus about 1/4 c. more for drizzling on top↗1⁄4

Step-by-step instructions

1. 1

   Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

2. 2

   Using a mixer on low, work the flour and powdered sugar into the cold butter and shortening until you have a relatively uniform, crumbly mixture.

3. 3

   Make a “well” in the middle of the mixture and pour the vinegar plus 1 tablespoon ice water into it.

4. 4

   Use your hands to delicately incorporate the liquid, starting from the center of the well and working outward.

5. 5

   Add to the mixture the remainding 1 tablespoon ice water, adding more if necessary, until you have a dough that holds together in a ball, but does not stick to your hands.

6. 6

   Roll the dough out on a floured surface. Place the crust into a greased 9" pie dish and prick the bottom several times with a fork.

7. 7

   For the Filling: Mix the brown sugar, white sugar, salt and melted butter in a large bowl.

8. 8

   Add the boiling water and stir until sugar and salt dissolve.

9. 9

   Add the beaten eggs and milk and mix well. If you want a very boozy-tasting pie, add 1 1/2 teaspoon bourbon. Otherwise, add 1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract.

10. 10

    Mix in the pecans.

11. 11

    Spread 1/4 cup caramel on bottom of prepared crust. Heat up the caramel first if it helps to spread it.

12. 12

    Pour the filling into the crust and bake at 400 degrees F for 10 minutes and then reduce the heat to 350.

13. 13

    Bake about 30 minutes more, or until the pie puffs up, and a knife inserted into the center comes out relatively clean.

14. 14

    Cool the pie for at least two hours. Before serving, drizzle about 1/4 cup more caramel on top. It helps to heat up the caramel for this step as well.