…Is this recently perfected Pecan Pie, which, one bite in, changed my life for the better.

First: Pecan Pie. There is nothing like it on earth. If you’ve never tried it—either because it’s not common in your area or you’ve written it off as some freaky-looking nutty concoction—you must, must, mustmustmustmust try it this year. Unless you’re deathly allergic to tree nuts. And in that case, please don’t try it. (I always have to throw that in for my poor little sister Betsy, whose head swells if she even looks in the direction of a pecan.)

I had to make several pecan pies recently and took the opportunity to tweak my ingredient amounts just slightly and experiment. The result was the most delectable, flavorful pecan pie on Earth.

Well, at least the tiny parcel of Earth on which my home sits. Marlboro Man, who has never been a pecan pie fan, took one bite and said “Never stop making this.”

I love it when he says that.

One of the things I’ve always done with my pecan pies is finely chop the pecans. This could be considered a sacrilege to those who love the appearance of toasted pecan halves all over the top. But pecan halves bug me! When you cut into the pie, it’s hard to get nice, even, neat pieces because the big, bulky pecan halves get pushed into the perfect filling. Not that neatness is a priority when trying to dive into a piece of pie, but I’ve found that chopping the pecans makes such a difference and results in a nice, crunchy pie with flavor that’ll rock your world.