Rethink Traditional Pecan Pie With This Creamier Dessert

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Although traditional pecan pies are a favorite Thanksgiving dessert in many households, some people don't love the overly sweet flavor or crunchy texture. If you want to try a novel spin on a classic pecan pie recipe, we have the perfect one: Our maple pecan cream pie. This creamy, subtly sweet pecan dessert will still please pecan lovers, but it's also a happy compromise for guests who don't love an overwhelmingly sweet and nut-heavy pie.

Created by recipe developer Jessica Morone, this pie has a more custardy filling than a traditional pecan pie. It is also served cold, and has a flavor more similar to flan or even crème brûlée. The combination of cream cheese, maple syrup, and pecans creates the perfect balance of sweet, creamy, and nutty without overwhelming the palate.

To make the pie, you'll need your favorite homemade pie crust recipe and ingredients, or a store-bought pie crust. You'll also need pecans, heavy cream, maple extract and maple syrup, powdered sugar, cream cheese, light brown sugar, and salt.

The filling isn't baked. However, you will need to blind bake the pie crust for 20 minutes at 425 degrees Fahrenheit before adding the filling and chilling it for about eight hours or overnight. Make it a day or two before Thanksgiving, keep it in the fridge, and take it out about an hour before you want to serve dessert to bring it to room temperature, or serve it cold, topped with whipped cream and toasted pecans.

The best way to blind bake your pie crust is to chill a store-bought pie crust or pie dough, then place it into the bottom of your pie pan and form your crust. To prevent the crust from puffing up, you'll need to poke holes in the bottom to allow the steam to escape while cooking.

To prevent the crust from shrinking, use pie weights, dry beans, or uncooked rice to weigh it down. A two-pack of Mrs. Anderson's ceramic pie crust weights on Amazon is just $15.49, and you can blind bake two pie crusts at once. Put parchment paper at the bottom of the crust and dump in your pie weights. The parchment paper will make it easier to remove the hot pie weights after blind baking the crust.

You'll have the best luck making the cream cheese pie filling if your cream cheese and maple syrup are at room temperature. The softened cream cheese will blend better with the other ingredients, and blending the ingredients will allow air in, create a proper emulsion, and result in a fluffier, creamier pie filling. Conversely, when making the maple whipped cream, your heavy cream should be cold. Don't take it out of the fridge until right when you're ready to add it to the mixing bowl. The colder the cream is, the lighter your whipped cream will be. Following these tips will make this simple, no-fuss dessert even more delicious.