28 Holiday Pie and Tart Recipes (2024)

FAQs

What are the 3 most popular holiday pies? ›

It's the greatest gift to yourself—creamy, smooth custard nestled in a flaky, buttery crust glazed with sugar and topped with rainbow sprinkles. There are 260 calories in McDonald's Holiday Pie. Order yours today from our full menu in the app using contactless Mobile Order & Pay* with Curbside pickup.

Pumpkin pie is a great make-ahead dessert to cross off your Thanksgiving to-do list. You can prepare and bake the pie up to two days in advance, and it will still taste great on the big day. Just make sure you store the pie in the refrigerator—not on the kitchen counter—until you are ready to serve it.

Pecan pie is a wonderful dessert to make ahead of time. Simply bake the pie as directed, allow it to cool completely, then wrap tightly with plastic wrap or foil. Place in a freezer-safe container or bag and freeze for up to 3 months.

The clear winner for the United States as a whole was (not surprisingly) apple pie with more than 27% of sales going to the traditional flavor.

Apple Pie. What it is: Somehow both quintessentially English and American, this may be the most famous pie of all. In Britain it goes back to the 1300s, and the earliest recipe includes figs and raisins. Modern recipes tend to consist of apples, sugar, butter and cinnamon encased in shortcrust pastry.

And then there's the long forgotten fried apple pie at McDonald's, which made the switch to baked in 1992 due to health reasons and has tasted inferior ever since. Unless you're over 40 and/or live in Hawaii (more on that soon), you've probably never tasted a McDonald's fried apple pie.

In 1992, McDonald's switched from frying its apple pies to baking them to quell health concerns. Today, nearly every McDonald's in America serves baked apple pies that are somewhat "healthier" than the beloved fried version. But customers in California and Hawaii can still get the deep-fried version.

In a move set to captivate taste buds across the country, McDonald's UK & Ireland have unveiled two new pink-themed hot and cold desserts this February - Raspberry and White Chocolate Pie and KitKat® Ruby Chocolate McFlurry® plus the Nestlé classic - KitKat® Milk Chocolate McFlurry®.

For better pumpkin pie, refrigerate the filling overnight

To that end, we've found that refrigerating pumpkin pie filling overnight before using it not only enhances the spices' flavors, but also mellows them. Any “sharp edges” disappear, and you're left with a smooth meld of complementary flavors.

Are Costco pumpkin pies good? ›

Costco's pumpkin pies are wildly popular and wildly delicious, and at the unbeatable price of just $5.99, it's not hard to see why they are one of the top holiday items at Costco. In their research for the book, David and Susan did a deep dive into the Costco pumpkin pie.

How Long Can Pumpkin Pie Be Left at Room Temperature? Your pumpkin pie can safely sit out on the kitchen counter for up to 2 hours, says the FDA. After that, you run the risk of bacterial growth.

Pecan pies can stay on the counter for up to two hours before they need to be refrigerated, according to the FDA. After two hours at room temperature, your food is at risk for harmful bacteria growth. The FDA recommends you store foods at or below 40 degrees F (4 degrees C).

Do I need to refrigerate pecan pie? According to the USDA, homemade egg-rich pies, including pecan pie, must be refrigerated after cooking and cooling to prevent the growth of bacteria. They recommend chilling pies promptly, and as a general rule, not leaving food at room temperature for more than two hours.

Why is my pecan pie hard? A hard pecan pie means it was cooked too long.

Pumpkin Pie

This pie is a traditional dessert served during the holiday season. It is made with pumpkin puree, spices, and a flaky crust, and is a popular favorite for Thanksgiving and Christmas. Pumpkin Pie is a traditional American dessert that is commonly enjoyed during the fall and winter seasons.

Thanksgiving and Christmas dominate the pie scene

Unsurprisingly, the most popular occasions for enjoying pie during the winter are the two major tentpoles of the holiday season, Thanksgiving (46%) and Christmas (41%). That makes for an 87% market share between the two of them.

3. Apple. There are five states they prefer apple pie to other flavors.

It's no surprise that the vast majority of the country favors pumpkin and apple pie on Thanksgiving. However, when you look at the most unique searches by state, there were some interesting regional favorites that ranked high in certain locations.