Mystery Pecan Pie

I had a good Thanksgiving so far...and it's only halfway over. Still got another dinner tonight at my folks' (along with my brother's going away party).

I made pumpkin cookies (which weren't bad...at least they were lowfat) and mystery pecan pie (first pie I ever made COMPLETELY from scratch...even the crust!). The pecan pie was so delicous...Hubby's uncle said, "Wow...I've never had pecan pie like that!"

I mentioned the pie to my brother-in-law (even showed him the cook book) on Tuesday night when he came over. On the night before Thanksgiving, he was hoping I would bake that pie since it sounded so good. He had some during the dinner! ;)




Pillsbury bake-off cookbook from 1981. My mom had made this pie a lot when I was growing up...and it's one of my dad's favorite pies.


The recipe page...looks really yummy. The pecan pie has cream cheese in it. That's why it's a mystery. :-)


You can see what my mom wrote on the top "Very Good!"


My very first pie from scratch. Definitely DELICOUS!!!!!

Recipe:
MYSTERY PECAN PIE
unbaked 9 inch crust (or prepared pie pastry)
8 oz cream cheese, softened
1/3 cup sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla
1 egg
1 1/4 cups chopped pecans

Topping
3 eggs
1/4 cup sugar
1 cup light or dark corn syrup
1 tsp vanilla

Heat oven to 375F. In small bowl, combine cream cheese, 1/3 cup sugar, salt, 1 tsp vanilla and 1 egg; beat at medium speed until well blended. Spread in bottom of pastry lined pan. Sprinkle with pecans. In small bowl, combine all topping ingredients, beat on medium speed just until blended. Gently pour topping over pecans. Bake at 375F for 35 to 40 minutes or until center is firm to touch. Refrigerate leftovers. 8 servings.

Pecan Pie Cookies (Land O'Lakes)

I made those cookies after seeing 'em on a mailing list that I subscribe to (Land o' Lakes mailing list). I made and brought 'em to my husband's side of the family's Thanksgiving dinner. Those were gone so fast and they've asked me to make those again this year. Those were a huge hit on Thanksgiving last year, and I thought I'd post 'em right before this wonderful holiday!

This picture was taken from the Land o' Lakes website (I saved it on my computer and uploaded here so I didn't steal any bandwidth :))

PECAN PIE COOKIES

The flavors of pecan pie in a special thumbprint cookie.

Preparation time: 30 min Baking time: 8 min

Yield: 3 dozen cookies

Cookie Ingredients:

1		cup firmly packed brown sugar
3/4		cup LAND O LAKES® Butter, softened
1		egg
1		teaspoon vanilla
2		cups all-purpose flour
1		teaspoon baking powder

Filling Ingredients:

1		cup chopped pecans
1/2		cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/4		cup LAND O LAKES™ Heavy Whipping Cream
1		teaspoon vanilla

Heat oven to 350°F. Combine all cookie ingredients except flour and baking powder in large bowl. Beat at medium speed until creamy. Reduce speed to low; add flour and baking powder. Beat until well mixed.

Shape dough into 1 1/4-inch balls. Place 2 inches apart onto ungreased cookie sheets. Make indentation in each cookie with thumb; rotate thumb to hollow out slightly.

Combine all filling ingredients in small bowl; fill each cookie with 1 rounded teaspoon filling. Bake for 8 to 12 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool 1 minute; remove from cookie sheets. .

TIP: These cookies can be made ahead and stored in the freezer up to 3 months. Place cookies in containers with tight-fitting lids, separating layers with waxed paper.