For nine decades, Our State has made its way into homes across North Carolina, the United States, and the world. To celebrate, every month this year, we’re paying tribute to the readers who inspire us, offering a taste of our earliest recipes, and revisiting old stories with new insights. Follow along to find out how our past has shaped our present.

December 18, 1937 • The mark of a traditional pecan pie recipe is a hefty helping of Karo syrup in its filling. The sweetener, first sold in 1902 and likely named for the developer’s wife, Caroline, was invented in the North, but it was bakers from the South who first used it to create a perfect pecan pie recipe.

Yield: 6 servings.

¾ cup light brown sugar
¾ cup Karo dark corn syrup
3 large eggs
¼ cup salted butter, melted and cooled
2½ cups pecans, chopped
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ teaspoon salt
1 unbaked pie shell
Vanilla ice cream (optional)

Preheat oven to 350°.

In a large bowl, mix sugar, syrup, eggs, butter, pecans, vanilla, and salt until well combined. Pour mixture into pie shell. Place pie onto a baking sheet and bake for 50 to 55 minutes or until filling is set and crust is golden brown. Serve with vanilla ice cream (optional).

— Recipe adapted by Lynn Wells