The Simple Dessert That's Always on Dolly Parton's Holiday Table
Dolly Parton and a slice of walnut pie
There just aren’t enough good things to say about Dolly Parton. The 77-year-old country music star has more than 40 country albums and a theme park in Tennessee, helped fund the COVID-19 vaccine and was even a secret producer on the show Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Phew! This gal can do it all!
And in case you didn't know, Miss Dolly can also cook (just peep her baking-related Pinterest page for proof). Although she has her own line of Duncan Hines baking mixes, she also loves to make a scratch dessert now and then. One of her favorite holiday recipes is her easy walnut pie, which the internet is going totally nuts for (pun intended). Dolly says this pie is always on her table for Thanksgiving and Christmas, so I knew I had to give it a shot in my kitchen. Would Dolly hold on to her perfect recipe record? There was only one way to find out.
Get the recipe: Dolly Parton's Walnut Pie
Ingredients for Dolly Parton’s Walnut Pie
For this recipe, you’ll need one single-crust pie dough, eggs, sugar, light corn syrup, vanilla extract butter walnuts, salt and whipped cream for serving.
Courtesy of Jessica Wrubel
Related: Dolly Parton's Famous Biscuits Taste Just Like My Grandma's
How to make Dolly Parton’s Walnut Pie
Preheat the oven to 400°. Roll out your pie dough and fit it into a 9-inch pie plate. Trim the overhang and then place the crust in the refrigerator to chill while you make the filling.
For the filling, beat the eggs into a large mixing bowl, then gradually add in the sugar, corn syrup, vanilla and salt. Mix until combined, then stir in the melted butter until the batter is smooth.
Take your pie shell out of the fridge and pour your filling into the prepared crust. Sprinkle the walnuts over the filling and bake for 10 minutes. Reduce the heat to 300° and bake the pie for 45 more minutes. When it’s done, it should be golden brown and the filling will not be jiggly. Move the pie to a cooling rack and let it cool completely. Serve cold or at room temperature. Dolly says to serve slices with whipped cream (or as she calls it a “Dolly up” of whipped cream).
Courtesy of Jessica Wrubel
Related: The Viral Pecan Pie Dip That *Has* to Be On Your Thanksgiving Menu This Year
What I thought of Dolly Parton’s Walnut Pie
This pie was not only the easiest thing that I made all week, but it was a lot of fun too. I was able to get a little creative with the crust crimping and easily whipped it up by hand with my vintage handheld mixer all while dancing around to classic Dolly hits.
Aside from the magic inside my oven that perfumed my entire house like an amusement park from the caramelized nuts baking in the oven (aka what I imagine Dollywood smells like), the finished pie was a thing of beauty, much like Dolly herself. It was chewy and dense with a pleasant toasted nuttiness from the walnuts and a basic, buttery crust base. It was delicious at room temperature or chilled. Also, unlike some recipes for pecan pie, which is pretty similar to this one, it was sweet but not cloyingly so (meaning you can go back for seconds).
Tips for making Dolly Parton’s Walnut Pie
Place a baking sheet under the pie pan. Make sure to place a baking sheet underneath the pie in the oven so that if the pie bubbles over, it won’t make a sticky and very hard-to-clean mess on the floor of your oven (ask me how I know this).
Sub in maple syrup for the corn syrup. If you find yourself without light corn syrup, commenters online say that you can use maple syrup in a pinch, or even honey.
Next: Maple & Orange Pecan Pie Takes the Classic Dessert in a Fresh New Direction
