Caramel Crunch Pecan Pie

-TOFFEE-
2 c Dark brown sugar, firmly
– packed
1/8 ts Salt
1/4 c Unsalted butter or margarin
2 tb Boiling water
1 tb Cider vinegar

TOFFEE Grease a jellyroll pan with Butter Flavor Crisco. Combine brown
sugar, salt, butter, boiling water and vinegar in large saucepan. Stir
until well blended. Cook and stir over medium heat until mixture
comes to a boil. Cover and boil 2 to 3 minutes. Uncover and brush
brown sugar crystals with wet pastry brush. Boil slowly wothout
stirring until mixture reaches hard-crack stage, 295 to 310 degrees
on candy thermometer. Stir gently without touching sides of saucepan.
Pour into pan, spreading if necessary. Cool to room temperature.
Break into squares, then break up enough squares to make 3
tablespoons small bits or pieces. Cover and store remainder of candy
for eating. CRUST Combine flour and salt in medium-size bowl. Cut in
Crisco until all flour is blended to form pea-sized chunks. Sprinkle
with ice water, 1 tablespoon at a time. Toss lightly with fork until
dough will form a ball. Divide dough in half. Press between hands to
form a couple of 5- to 6-inch “pancakes”. Roll dough for bottom
crust into circle between sheets of plastic wrap. Peel off top sheet.
Trim pastry 1 inch larger than upside-down 9-inch pie plate. Fit into
pie plate. Press to fit. Remove other sheet of plastic wrap. Freeze.
Roll second “pancake” same as for crust. Freeze 15 minutes. Heat oven
to 400 degrees. Cut out 26 to 28 leaf shapes and 3 larger maple-leaf
shapes from rolled pastry. Arrange leaves in overlapping and slightly
curved pattern on baking sheet. Brush with whipping cream. Moisten
tips of small leaves with ice water. Press around edge of crust in
overlapping fashion. Brush with cream. Bake leaves at 400 degrees 10
minutes, or until lightly browned. FILLING Combine granulated sugar,
salt, corn syrup, eggs, syrup, melted butter, vanilla and molasses in
medium-size bowl. Beat with whisk until blended. Stir in nuts. Pour
into unbaked pie shell. Bake at 400 degrees 10 minutes. Reduce
temperature to 350 degrees. Bake 25 to 35 minutes, or until filling
is firm when pie is shaken gently. Cover edge to keep from
overbrowning. SAUCE Combine granulated sugar and water in small
saucepan. Cook and stir over low heat until sugar dissolves. Increase
heat to medium. Boil without stirring 11 minutes until mixture is
deep amber color, brushing down sugar crystals from sides of pan with
wet pastry brush. Remove from heat. Stir in whipping cream; mixture
will bubble up. Add butter, stirring until smooth. Cook and stir over
low heat about 3 minutes or until color deepens and sauce thickens
slightly. Spoon 1/2 cup over warm pie. Cool 1 hour. Cover and
refrigerate remaining sauce for ice cream topping. Sprinkle top with
toffee bits. Place leaf decoration to 1 side of pie. Refrigerate 4
hours before serving. Refrigerate leftovers. Makes 9-inch pie.

Yields
1 Servings