I know, I know. I have re-run this recipe before, but this pie is just So. Dang. Good. Seriously! This recipe has everything. It is vintage, it has a little bit of magic (the ingredients re-arrange themselves in the oven) AND it tastes amazing. What more can you expect from one recipe? So if you are looking for a mid-century recipe to add to your Thanksgiving table, make this one!
Well, it’s the day before Thanksgiving and let me tell you that I am cooking up a storm! But I just had to get this post up, because I think this may be the most delicious pie I’ve made on the Mid-Century Menu. If you are struggling to find an easy, interesting dessert that you can whip up before the big day tomorrow, this is it! You probably even have all of the ingredients on hand right now.
Behold, Mystery Pecan Pie!
Yep, that’s right. This is pecan pie with CHEESECAKE in the middle of it.
Cue heavenly chorus right….now.
AuthorRetroRuth
From Pillsbury Bake-Off Cook Book, 1964
[cooked-sharing]
Combine cream cheese, ⅓ cup sugar, salt, 1 tsp vanilla, and 1 egg. Spread into pie shell.
Sprinkle pecans over cheese layer.
Combine remaining eggs, sugar, vanilla and syrup; pour over pecans.
Bake at 375 degrees for 35-40 mins, until center is set.
Ingredients
Directions
Combine cream cheese, ⅓ cup sugar, salt, 1 tsp vanilla, and 1 egg. Spread into pie shell.
Sprinkle pecans over cheese layer.
Combine remaining eggs, sugar, vanilla and syrup; pour over pecans.
Bake at 375 degrees for 35-40 mins, until center is set.
Notes
This recipe comes from a cookbook I received from my Great Aunt Lorraine. She is one great lady, and when Tom and I visited her this last spring she gave me pretty much every cookbook she owned because she knew I loved them. My cookbook haul included a vintage book from the community of Brigham City, Utah, which had this recipe for the Mystery Pecan Pie. (*UPDATE: I just ran across the original recipe for this pie from the 1964 Pillsbury Bake-Off!)
Oh, and you are wondering what the mystery is? Well, I’ll tell you.
This is one of those great vintage recipes where the ingredients are put into the pan (or in this case, shell) in a certain order, but then they switch themselves around while they bake. I LOVE recipes like this and if you have kids, I can guarantee they are going to love it as well.
In this recipe, you put the cheesecake layer at the bottom…
…then cover it with pecans…
…then pour on the syrup…
…but when it comes out of the oven, the syrup is on the BOTTOM and the cheesecake is in the middle.
Love it!!
And Tom loved it, too.
“This is amazing.”
“Is it?”
“Yes. Normally I am not a big fan of pecan pie, but this is fantastic.”
The Verdict: Fantastic
From the Tasting Notes:
This vintage recipe has it all. It’s easy, there is a little bit of magic and the final product tastes amazing. The cheesecake layer stays nice and moist in the center, the bottom layer is delicious and gooey and the pecans at the top are nice and caramelized. Would be perfect served with a traditional pumpkin pie, with a small slice of each on the plate!
SOLD! I’m not a huge fan of pecan pie either Tom – so his disclaimer won me over. Definitely going to check this out and will let you know how it turns out. Thanks!
This is seriously the best pie recipe ever. SO. GOOD!
Can’t wait to try this!
Since the original posting of this recipe, it has become my household’s most favorite pie. I make it quite often. Best of both worlds – pie and cheesecake.
I made this pie last year and it was a winner! I think you should re-run it every year so everyone knows how danged good it is. 🙂 Thanks for all your hard work! 🙂
Made this! Mine fell apart completely but was still very, very, VERY yummy.
My original ’60’s recipe also calls for 1/8 tsp. nutmeg in the cream cheese mixture.
We have made this recipe for many a Thanksgiving and Christmas and it is always a hit with the family and visiting friends.
You should really try this version!!
We could NOT get this to set! Followed all the directions, checked it at 35 min, center totally liquid still. We ended up cooking it a total of 90 MINUTES between TWO OVENS – and it still never set! It was very tasty, but more a stew than a pie, hahaha! Any ideas as to what may have gone wrong?? I want to try again since the flavor was great, it just never cooked!
Oh dear! Too bad, Maya! Trying to guess what the issue was is always hard. Did you make any substitutions? Since it is the eggs that bind everything together for this pie, I am guessing it is some issue with the eggs. I would try again with some new eggs! 🙂
Hmmm, we definitely used fresh eggs (bought new ones for thanksgiving!) but maybe for some reason they just weren’t… good? It ended up setting after we put it in the fridge for a few hours (and was devoured instantly!!). I’ll try it again because it was so tasty, but if it doesn’t work out, I’ll go back to the black magic cake and the apple cider upside-down cake! 🙂 Thanks Ruth!!
Oh, and an unrelated note – do you think you and Tom are going to bring back cocktail Fridays? The beau and I LOVED those recipes and we would love to try more (though I know alcohol and toddlers don’t always mix well!) 😀
Well, I am glad it set up eventually! Sometimes baking is a mystery. 🙂
We are planning on bringing back cocktail Friday! I’ve had pneumonia for about 5 months now and I am finally, finally getting better. I am hoping to get my act together over the holiday break when Tom has some time off and start churning out some more tested recipe and cocktail posts. Glad you guys loved those!
It’s an art, it’s a science, and most of all, it’s MAGIC!
Oh my gosh! I can’t imagine feeling that awful for that long. Avoiding alcohol while sick is definitely a good plan so don’t start again until you feel absolutely better! Best wishes and healing vibes to you – just stay away from those mid-century “medicines”! <3 🙂