Uploaded April 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
This video shares the story of Ida Chitwood, credited with writing the first documented recipe for Texas pecan pie in 1927. Presented by Tom Keener of the Allen Public Library, it looks at how Chitwood built a national reputation through large-scale cooking demonstrations and turned something as simple as a pie into a platform for influence.
Chitwood became one of Dallas’ first widely recognized food personalities, traveling across the country and drawing crowds in the hundreds of thousands. Her 1927 appearance in Chicago was significant enough to land on the front page of the Chicago Daily Tribune. She wasn’t just demonstrating recipes, she was running a business in a space where women were rarely positioned to lead. At the same time, shifts in society, including women gaining the right to vote and the rise of household technologies like gas stoves and refrigeration, created an opening. She used that opening to push for something bigger, encouraging women to pursue higher education alongside men and redefining the role of the housewife. Her granddaughter, Dr. Prudie Orr, described her work as elevating domestic life into something more intentional, blending traditional cooking with a growing awareness of nutrition.
Her programs were structured as full events, not quiet demonstrations. Live music and comedy were built into the experience, with performers such as Glenn Miller, Benny Goodman, and Tommy Dorsey appearing as part of the lineup. She also worked with W. Lee O'Daniel during the 1936 Texas Centennial, operating The Ole Mill Inn at Fair Park in Dallas. Around 1929, she collaborated with Ginger Rogers in San Antonio, where Rogers demonstrated her gingerbread recipe during one of Chitwood’s programs. That specific recipe has not yet been located.
Due to continued public interest, Chitwood’s original and revised recipes are included below.
Ms. Chitwood’s inaugural iteration of Texas Pecan crust and filling recipes.
Pie Crust-Too heavy, or too much rolling presses out the air needed to make the crust light. Prepare the pie filling before rolling the crust. Always use utensils because using hands can alter the air space. Sift the flour once, then measure and sift with the salt once. Cut the shortening into the flour with two knives and add water -just enough to make a stiff dough.
2 ½ cups flour
½ teaspoon salt
¾ cup shortening, her later recipes called for ¼ cup melted butter, 1/4 cup brown sugar, 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract, pinch of salt. Enough cold water to stick the flour and shortening together. Knead, let stand for thirty minutes in the ice box, bake at 450 degrees for ten minutes.
Later, Ms. Chitwood also used a shortbread crust,
3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup powdered sugar
1 pinch salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, at room temperature but still cool to the touch), chopped
1 large egg
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1–2 tablespoons ice-cold water
•
Preheat the oven to 350°F Prepare 9-inch pie dish by lightly oiling it. Combine flour, sugar, and salt by stirring. Add chopped butter to the bowl. Work the butter into the flour mixture until it resembles crumbs. In a small bowl, blend the egg and vanilla extract. With damp hands, gently mix the wet and dry ingredients together. Add 1 tablespoon ice-cold water over the dough and continue mixing until the dough binds together. Be careful not to overwork the dough. Partially bake the curst for ten minutes. Chill.
Pie Filling
The original pecan pie recipe called for light colored Karo syrup, sugar, eggs, vanilla, and pecans. The light color Karo syrup at that time was appealing — it didn’t overpower the tasty pecan flavor and was easier to work with in baking.
¾ cup light Karo syrup
1 cup pecan meats
¾ cup sugar
3 eggs
1 teaspoon real lemon juice
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
Mix all together and beat for two minutes. Pour into pastry-lined tin and bake in slow over for about forty minutes.
Ms. Chitwood’s later pecan pie filling included ½ cup brown sugar, extra serving of pecans, one teaspoon vanilla extract, ¼ teaspoon salt, and dash of cinnamon.
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This video shares the story of Ida Chitwood, credited with writing the first documented recipe for Texas pecan pie in 1927. Presented by Tom Keener of the Allen Public Library, it looks at how Chitwood built a national reputation through large-scale cooking demonstrations and turned something as simple as a pie into a platform for influence.
Chitwood became one of Dallas’ first widely recognized food personalities, traveling across the country and drawing crowds in the hundreds of thousands. Her 1927 appearance in Chicago was significant enough to land on the front page of the Chicago Daily Tribune. She wasn’t just demonstrating recipes, she was running a business in a space where women were rarely positioned to lead. At the same time, shifts in society, including women gaining the right to vote and the rise of household technologies like gas stoves and refrigeration, created an opening. She used that opening to push for something bigger, encouraging women to pursue higher education alongside men and redefining the role of the housewife. Her granddaughter, Dr. Prudie Orr, described her work as elevating domestic life into something more intentional, blending traditional cooking with a growing awareness of nutrition.
Her programs were structured as full events, not quiet demonstrations. Live music and comedy were built into the experience, with performers such as Glenn Miller, Benny Goodman, and Tommy Dorsey appearing as part of the lineup. She also worked with W. Lee O'Daniel during the 1936 Texas Centennial, operating The Ole Mill Inn at Fair Park in Dallas. Around 1929, she collaborated with Ginger Rogers in San Antonio, where Rogers demonstrated her gingerbread recipe during one of Chitwood’s programs. That specific recipe has not yet been located.
Due to continued public interest, Chitwood’s original and revised recipes are included below.
Ms. Chitwood’s inaugural iteration of Texas Pecan crust and filling recipes.
Pie Crust-Too heavy, or too much rolling presses out the air needed to make the crust light. Prepare the pie filling before rolling the crust. Always use utensils because using hands can alter the air space. Sift the flour once, then measure and sift with the salt once. Cut the shortening into the flour with two knives and add water -just enough to make a stiff dough.
2 ½ cups flour
½ teaspoon salt
¾ cup shortening, her later recipes called for ¼ cup melted butter, 1/4 cup brown sugar, 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract, pinch of salt. Enough cold water to stick the flour and shortening together. Knead, let stand for thirty minutes in the ice box, bake at 450 degrees for ten minutes.
Later, Ms. Chitwood also used a shortbread crust,
3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup powdered sugar
1 pinch salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, at room temperature but still cool to the touch), chopped
1 large egg
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1–2 tablespoons ice-cold water
•
Preheat the oven to 350°F Prepare 9-inch pie dish by lightly oiling it. Combine flour, sugar, and salt by stirring. Add chopped butter to the bowl. Work the butter into the flour mixture until it resembles crumbs. In a small bowl, blend the egg and vanilla extract. With damp hands, gently mix the wet and dry ingredients together. Add 1 tablespoon ice-cold water over the dough and continue mixing until the dough binds together. Be careful not to overwork the dough. Partially bake the curst for ten minutes. Chill.
Pie Filling
The original pecan pie recipe called for light colored Karo syrup, sugar, eggs, vanilla, and pecans. The light color Karo syrup at that time was appealing — it didn’t overpower the tasty pecan flavor and was easier to work with in baking.
¾ cup light Karo syrup
1 cup pecan meats
¾ cup sugar
3 eggs
1 teaspoon real lemon juice
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
Mix all together and beat for two minutes. Pour into pastry-lined tin and bake in slow over for about forty minutes.
Ms. Chitwood’s later pecan pie filling included ½ cup brown sugar, extra serving of pecans, one teaspoon vanilla extract, ¼ teaspoon salt, and dash of cinnamon.
===============
Download the ACTV App:
Roku tinyurl.com/3zf4jv7f
AppleTV tinyurl.com/3k8tyc6n
Amazon Fire TV tinyurl.com/brnfsuz4
CITY INFO
===============
Watch ACTV online 24/7: ACTV.org
Like us: facebook.com/CityofAllen
Follow us: instagram.com/cityofallentx
Tweet us: twitter.com/CityofAllenTX
