Fall is here, which means we’re about to dive into the holiday season, aka the busy, crowded months. It’s not that we don’t love a crowd or a packed calendar, but during this stretch of the year—when there are so many nostalgic recipes and family memories to remember and make from scratch—we need a breather. So, we look for shortcuts in the kitchen. Good, sneaky shortcuts.
Hey, if Ina Garten can pass off a Trader Joe’s frozen dessert as homemade for the holidays, so can we. And it seems we’re not alone in our need for semi-homemade, mostly-homemade, or store-bought desserts because the latest dessert trend popping up in our feeds is all about a classic Marie Callender’s pie.
With a very clever upgrade, of course—some might even say it’s “diabolical.” Yep, we’re destroying a perfectly good dessert again, only to make it so much better.
Earlier this year, TikTok star @the.honey.bee.hill shared a video of a unique dessert: Pecan Pie Trifle. In the video, which has earned more than one million views, they take two Marie Callender’s pecan pies and chop them up into cubes. Yes, really. Then, they layer the former pie pieces with Cool Whip and mascarpone cheese to create a literal pecan pie trifle.
It’s a genius trick, and we had to try it. So, Allrecipes Culinary Producer Nicole McLaughlin put it to the taste test. “Turning store-bought pies into new desserts is my new favorite thing,” she told us.
How to Make the Viral Pecan Pie Trifle Hack
Peyton Beckwith
While we love a classic pecan pie, we also love thinking outside the pie pan to celebrate the iconic fall flavor in other ways. Not only is a trifle a beautiful centerpiece, but it’s a fun, unexpected way to serve pecan pie. What’s more, it feeds more people than the frozen pie’s serving size, as a standard pie typically only has eight slices.
“This is the way to take your pecan pies and feed twice as many people,” says Nicole in her video, trying the viral recipe.
To make this delicious showstopper, first start with two pecan pies. You could pick them up from your local grocery store’s bakery (in this writer’s opinion, Publix has the best pecan pie) or head straight to the freezer aisle…because you can’t go wrong with a $6 Marie Callender’s frozen pie.
In fact, frozen might actually be key to this recipe. “I thought if they were still mostly frozen, they would be easier to chop up,” notes Nicole in the video. “I was right.” (She always is.)
Nicole then layers each chopped pecan pie between layers of homemade whipped cream with mascarpone folded in. “Since I took the shortcut with the pie,” Nicole told us, “I decided to go a little more special by using the mascarpone cheese and fresh whipped cream, even though the original creator did use Cool Whip.”
Another way Nicole takes this to the next level: She places one teeny, tiny pecan pie slice on top for the cutest garnish ever. However, you can keep it simple with chopped pecans or use any extra pie crumbles left, per @the.honey.bee.hill’s recipe.
Whichever route you choose, this creative, easy trifle is sure to win your Thanksgiving dessert spread or impress a crowd at any fall gathering. And, if you do find yourself with any leftover pecan pie on Thanksgiving Day (is that even possible?), consider freezing it for a pecan pie trifle at Christmas.
