Ask any good Texan about their state’s most cherished pie and they’ll most likely answer, “pee-can!” But now it’s official. Just last month, thanks to Rep. Marsha Farney (R-Georgetown), the Texas House of Representatives recognized pecan pie as the State Pie of Texas.
To celebrate, we’ve rounded up five of the best place in town to go nuts.
The Frisco Shop
6801 Burnet Road, (512) 459-6279
Take one step inside and it is no surprise The Austin Chronicle designated their pie the Best in 2012. There is nowhere I’d rather eat pie than at the long counter of the legendary Frisco Shop, which will celebrate its 60th anniversary this August.
Their classic pecan pie has a rich and eggy filling, a thin and flaky crust, and a firm layer of caramelized local nuts on top. You’d be silly not to order it a la mode, in which case it arrives warm, in a bowl and topped with vanilla bean-flecked Blue Bell scoops.
Tiny Pies
(512) 916-0184 (call or order online)
This mother-daughter operation specializes in — you guessed it! — adorable mini-pies for caterings and celebrations. They come on sticks, in jars, handheld, or in 9-inch “not-so-mini” pies.
At the Food & Wine Festival, I recently sampled a bourbon-laced version of their Texas Two Step, a marriage of brownie batter and Texan pecans. They also do a classic pecan, and will customize any order. Their crust is more similar to a flaky, delicate pastry dough which, besides melting in your mouth, gives each pie a rustic feel.
Texas Pie Kitchen
500 East 7th Street, (512) 814-7PIE (call or order online)
What’s better than pie? Pie for a good cause, of course! Texas Pie Kitchen bakes theirs in the kitchen of the Austin Resource Center for the Homeless, where students in their job training program learn financial literacy and culinary skills.
In addition to their classic pecan, they make two other incredible variations. The caramel apple pecan starts with thin slices of spiced apples, topped with a layer of crumbs, then thick caramel and whole pecans. The German chocolate pecan is packed with chocolate chips, coconut flakes, and ooey gooey pecan pie filling, all held together by a crust that is just the right amount chewy and crusty.
Pieous
12005 US 290 West, (512) 394-7041
Pizza is mainly what’s drawing folks west to their 290 West/Oak Hill location, but savory pies aren’t the only delicious rounds they’re turning out. The chocolate pecan pie is surprisingly less sweet than it looks. The dark, pudding-like filling is much more rich and custardy than fudgy and contained in a thin, ruffled crust.
Cake and Spoon
(visit website for ordering info and locations)
The secret to Melissa Brinckmann’s decadent pecan pies is the brown butter and Texas-grown pecans she uses exclusively.
She sells 4” minis from Franklin Barbecue and from the SFC farmer’s markets. 10” pies can be specially ordered, unless it’s the holiday season, when they’re readily available at the market and selling like hotcakes.
TX Pie Kitchen caramel apple pecan pie.
