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 a 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!
Discovered this recipe on your blog when you initially posted it a few years ago – thank you! It is always a hit. This is the first thing my family asked me to make for Thanksgiving when I was creating this year’s menu. 🙂
Was just looking through my recipes yesterday and pulled this out to make again. So happy to have discovered it here a couple of years ago. It’s been a big hit with the family. Best of all… super easy to make!
We did this one last year and it was a huge hit with everybody, especially the kids. It has become their favourite pie and it will have to be a on the table again this year.