The pros: Trader Joe's Pecan Pie Filling in a Jar was very tasty straight out of the jar. Yes, it's going to be very sweet. It's pie filling. If you read through the ingredients they seem to be using good stuff including bourbon.
The cons: Probably not as good as homemade, but as good as you can get in a jar. Should have alternate recipe for chocolate pecan pie. Just sayin'
The verdict: For $6.99, this is way more economical and time-saving than buying all the individual ingredients yourself. To make this as a pie, it costs around $10.
Hard to buy a quality pecan pie in the store for $10. If you are like me and find yourself always running short on time, then this is a good way to go. If you try this right out of the jar and quickly realize that it tastes sweet, but pretty darn delicious, then this is a fabulous topping for say, some vanilla ice cream.
Either way, if you realize that you enjoy this product, please pick up a few as this appears almost as quickly as it disappears. I picked up a few to get me through the holiday season.
On the shelves Trader Joe's Pecan Pie Filling in a Jar looks like this:
The nutritional information (You didn't think this was diet food, did you?) along with the ingredients:
How to prepare:
What else you'll need to make this:
Beat eggs:
Mix in filling:
Add butter:
Add to pie crust:
Out of the oven:
What did I think of the end product? Pecan pie is very sweet so if you don't have a sweet tooth you probably wouldn't enjoy this. It's not going to be as pretty or as outstanding as a Southern grandma would make, but for a filling that came out of a jar with minimal ingredients that needed to be added it was pretty darn good.
The flavor of vanilla and bourbon are very prominent. If you are in a hurry this is a good choice to consider. I'll keep a jar in my house for when company comes over.
Want to see more items I've reviewed from Trader Joe's? Click on Thoughts & Reviews of Trader Joe’s for a searchable list.
This was rated highly by my husband, my MIL (whose pecan pie is the only one I've eaten besides this where it didn't taste only like overwhelming syrupy sweetness), and a friend who joined us for Thanksgiving -- oh, and by me as well.
Pros: no corn syrup, the bourbon flavor (if you're in that), a darker sugar taste probably due to the brown sugar, and only having the ingredients necessary for the pie (i.e., no leftover pecans or corn syrup that will eventually be thrown out).
Cons: Like a number of TJ's frozen foods, it took much longer baking time than the recipe called for. I believe I baked it for somewhere between 1:20 and 1:30 and the recipe calls for :50 to 1:00 in baking time.
Caveats: I pre-baked my pie shell (also a TJ's product) because I hate when the bottom of the crust is all gooey; this meant that I had to put foil around the edge of the crust to keep it from burning.
The baking temperature was on the low end (325 F). Since I'm planning on getting a few more jars, next time I plan on upping the baking temperature and seeing how that works out.
All in all, definitely worthwhile, especially if you prefer home-baked pies to store-bought ones, but don't use corn syrup or pecans enough to keep them in the house for any other reason.
I couldn't agree with you more. Thanks so much for sharing. I agree very much that I too should have blind baked my pie crust.