Pecan Cream Pie with Windmill Cookie Crumb Crust

 

This is another recipe from Thanksgiving, and you’re going to need to refer to my posting for Monday of this week to understand why the photos aren’t the best. Essentially I was frantic, I had company, and this was the best I could do.

 

I am not a fan of pie of any kind, so instead of sticking with the traditional pumpkin (I don’t like it at all) or pecan (my late dad’s favorite and one I’ll tolerate), I decided to go in a completely different direction and make a pecan cream pie. It was very good. But, this is less about the pie than it is about the crust.  I decided that I wanted to make a graham cracker crust not realizing that I didn’t have graham crackers. What I did have, however, was a package of those windmill cookies. I love those things and have done since my youth. So this pie has a windmill cookie crust. My son loved it so much that he said he will never make a graham cracker crust again. Here’s the recipe for both pie and crust.  You can make any kind of filling that you want, but you MUST make this crust!

 Pecan Cream Pie with Windmill Cookie Crumb Crust

 Pie

 1 recipe Windmill Cookie Crumb Crust

1 c. heavy whipping cream

¼ c. powdered sugar

2 8-oz. pkgs. cream cheese, softened

½ c. light brown sugar

¼ c. pure maple syrup

1½ c. finely chopped pecans, divided

¼ t. salt

Make pie crust according to recipe (below). Chill before adding the cream pie filling.

 In the work bowl of your stand mixer, place heavy whipping cream and powdered sugar. Beat until stiff peaks form.

 In a separate mixing bowl place softened cream cheese, brown sugar, and pure maple syrup. Beat together until combined and creamy.

 Fold the whipped cream into the cream cheese mixture until combined. Stir in 1 cup of the chopped pecans. Spread the filling mixture into the pie crust. Sprinkle the remaining pecans (½ c.) on top of the pie.

 Cover the pie with a lid or plastic wrap and refrigerate for 8 hours, or overnight, before serving.

 Crust

 1½ c. Windmill Cookie crumbs

⅓ c. granulated sugar

½ c. salted butter, melted

 Pulse the cookies in a food processor or place them in a Ziploc bag and crush them with a rolling pin until they form a fine, even crumb. Add the granulated sugar and combine evenly.

Melt the butter in a heatproof bowl in the microwave. Pour the melted butter into the crumb mixture and pulse until combined.

 Press the graham cracker mixture evenly across the bottom and up the sides of a 9-inch pie plate.

Use your fingers or the flat bottom of a measuring cup to pack the crust tightly and evenly into the pie plate.

 Chill in the freezer for 10 to 15 minutes before filling with a no-bake pie filling.

 Alternately, bake in a 350°F oven for 6 to 8 minutes or until the crust is lightly browned. Allow to cool completely before adding pie filling.

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