An easy dessert recipe with a no-bake filling made from brown sugar swirled with warm melted butter mixed with cream cheese, pecans and whipped topping over a simple pecan shortbread crust. Special enough for Thanksgiving and Christmas but easy enough for anytime!
Growing up and to this day, my very favorite dessert is something we call Chocolate Delight (excuse the photos, this was one of my very first recipe posts). It’s a dessert with chocolate and cheesecakey layers over a pecan shortbread crust with chopped pecans sprinkled on top. I’ve tried other versions of it and have learned what I LOVE about our version is the pecans. The pecans make it.
It’s where the cheesecakey layer meets the pecan crust that the magic happens. Don’t get me wrong, I love chocolate but I have mentally dissected this dessert for over 35 years and know, for me, it’s the specific combo of the flakey pecan shortbread and the creamy sweet cheesecake that revs my engine.
I decided to make a similar dessert that really focused on those two specific tastes and am tickled to tell you, it is thoroughly spectacular! A whole dessert that focuses on my favorite combo: chunky, flakey, pecan shortbread with a sweet, creamy, almost butterscotchy, Butter Pecanish decadent cream cheese filling.
And I love it! I think it might be my new favorite! Or at least a close second to my first love.
To give you an idea of how absolutely delicious this is, I was thoroughly humiliated yesterday when I made it. I’d just spread the cheesecake layer over the shortbread and couldn’t resist licking the spoon.
Which lead to me licking the whisk attachment for my stand mixer.
I must have blacked out in ecstasy for a second because when I saw my reflection in the kitchen window, I had streaks of the filling on my nose and chin.
Then through my reflection I saw Harry, our FedEx driver, standing on the porch dropping off a package trying very hard to pretend he didn’t just witness me making out with a whisk the size of a cantaloupe.
Oye.
A FEW NOTES ABOUT MAKING PECAN CREAM DEEP DISH PIE
- The easiest way to cover the dish with the crust is to dollop the dough all over the dish then lay a piece of plastic wrap (or wax paper) over the dough. Use your hands and fingers to spread the dough through the plastic wrap.
- Definitely toast the pecans for the filling – it makes it SO much more flavorful. There’s no need to toast the pecans for the crust but you can if you want. You’ll have better results if you toast and cool the pecans BEFORE chopping them.
- Even when I buy “chopped” pecans, I still run them through my nut chopper for this recipe to ensure all the pieces are uniform in size and I don’t have any huge chunks. You can also spread them all out on a cutting board then chop with a chef’s knife if you don’t have a nut chopper.
- Use light or dark brown sugar. I used light brown in the photos above because that’s what I had on-hand but dark brown would probably be even better!
- Don’t skip the salt – it really accents the taste of the pecans (and yes, we’re using salted butter as well).
- A 16-oz (1 lb) bag of chopped pecans yields almost exactly what you need for this recipe (with a little left over).
- Feel free to use real whipped cream. You’ll have to research how much and how to sweeten it to yield the equivalent of 16 ounces of cool whip because I don’t know.
- I haven’t tried it but this would be a great recipe to lighten up. You could use Neufchatel, Splenda or Swerve brown sugar and Cool Whip Lite (or real whipped cream for low carb). I’m sure you could make this GF or keto-friendly too but I’m not familiar enough with flour substitutes to tell you which would be best. NOTE: if you try any of these ideas, read the manufacturer’s instructions for quantities to use as most do not substitute cup-for-cup.
Pecan Cream Deep Dish Pie
Ingredients
- 1 cup flour
- 1/2 cup butter, at room temp
- 1 cup finely chopped pecans
- Pinch of salt
- 2 cups finely chopped toasted pecans
- 2 8-oz packs cream cheese, at room temp
- 1/4 cup butter, melted
- 1 cup packed brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 8-oz tubs cool whip, divided
- Additional chopped pecans for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
- Combine ingredients with a hand mixer or wooden spoon until incorporated into a dough.
- Press dough evenly onto the bottom of a 13x9 baking dish (see notes). Bake at 325 degrees for 25-35 minutes or until just slightly browned.
- Cool completely.
- TIP: Toast the pecans for the filling in the oven while the crust bakes. Spread pecans on a sheet pan then place the pan on a lower rack; cook for 8-12 minutes or until fragrant and pecans are starting to brown. Cool completely then chop.
- Mix cream cheese with an electric mixer until completely smooth.
- In a separate bowl combine melted butter, brown sugar, vanilla and salt then mix well, breaking up any lumps in the brown sugar if necessary.
- Add brown sugar mixture to cream cheese then continue mixing until combined.
- Fold in 1/2 of one tub of cool whip and toasted pecans until mixed well. Reserve other 1/2 of cool whip tub to top the dessert.
- Gently fold in remaining whole tub of cool whip just until blended (no white streaks).
- Spread over cooled crust.
- Spread reserved cool whip over pecan filling or pipe around edges.
- Garnish with additional chopped pecans.
- Cover then refrigerate for at least 4 hours before serving. Store in refrigerator up to 5 days.
Notes:
- The easiest way to cover the dish with the crust is to dollop the dough all over the dish then lay a piece of plastic wrap (or wax paper) over the dough. Use your hands and fingers to spread the dough through the plastic wrap.
- Definitely toast the pecans for the filling – it makes it SO much more flavorful. There’s no need to toast the pecans for the crust but you can if you want. You’ll have better results if you toast and cool the pecans BEFORE chopping them.
- Even when I start with “chopped” pecans, I still run them through my nut chopper for this recipe to ensure all the pieces are uniform in size and I don’t have any huge chunks. You can also spread them all out on a cutting board then chop with a chef’s knife if you don’t have a nut chopper.
- Use light or dark brown sugar. I used light brown in the photos above because that’s what I had on-hand.
- Don’t skip the salt – it really accents the taste of the pecans (and yes, we’re using salted butter as well).
- Obviously, you can use 1 16-oz tub of cool whip. I just felt the recipe would be easier to follow along using two small tubs.
- A 16-oz (1 lb) bag of chopped pecans yields almost exactly what you need for this recipe (with a little left over).
- Feel free to use real whipped cream. You’ll have to research how much and how to sweeten it to yield the equivalent of 16 ounces of cool whip because I don’t know.
- I haven’t tried it but this would be a great recipe to lighten up. You could use Neufchatel, Splenda or Swerve brown sugar and Cool Whip Lite (or real whipped cream for low carb). I’m sure you could make this GF or keto-friendly too but I’m not familiar enough with flour substitutes to tell you which would be best or how much to use. NOTE: if you try any of these ideas, read the manufacturer’s instructions for quantities to use as most do not substitute cup-for-cup.
Did you make this recipe?
