For the Crust:

1. Add white whole wheat flour and salt to a food processor. Pulse once to mix. Next add maple syrup, vanilla bean paste, and butter. Pulse 5-7 times until the butter looks more like rice.
2. Add in the ice cold water and pulse until the mixture sticks together in small dough balls and stays together when pitched.
3. Remove from food processor. Form into a large dough ball. Cut in half. Roll into two dough balls.
4. Place each ball in between plastic wrap or parchment paper. Press down to form balls into small discs. Then place dough in refrigerator for an at least hour. (dough can keep up 3 days in the refrigerator)
5. Remove one ball from refrigerator (save the other for another pie.) Roll out into 10″ disc, place in pie pan. Crimp edges as desired.

For the Filling:

1. Add whole pecans directly to the bottom of prepared pie.
2. Heat a small sauce pan to medium heat. Add butter to pan and melt, cook for 2-3 minutes until butter becomes bubbly. Next whisk in the flour. Cook for 2-3 minutes until flour is cooked out and mixture starts to look light brown, has thickened and is bubbling.
3. Pour in the water, whisking the whole time. Cook for 2 minutes. Whisking throughout the cooking process.
4. Then add in maple syrup, splenda brown sugar, ground cinnamon, vanilla extract and salt. Whisk everything together. Remove from heat and let cool for 5 minutes.
5. In a small bowl, whisk together eggs. Add 1-2 tablespoons of maple syrup mixture into the small bowl and quickly whisk together so the eggs don’t scramble. (this is your way of tempering the eggs)
6. Then add the entire egg mixture into the maple syrup pot. Whisk together until everything is smoothly blended.
7. Pour mixture over the pecans into the pie crust. Shake a little bit to move the pecans around and let them rise.
8. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
9. Place pie in oven at 400 degrees F for 10 minutes. Reduce heat to 350 degrees F and bake an additional 25-30 minutes until the pie filling no longer giggles.