Coconut Pecan Turtle Cream Cheese Pie
This Pecan Cream Cheese Pie begins with a flaky crust filled with a cheesecake-like center and topped with toasted pecans, coconut, chocolate, and caramel sauce. It’s what winning at dessert looks like.
Alright, friends, we’re officially in the Thanksgiving red zone. This is it. The turkey is thawing. The rolls are waiting patiently in the freezer. And maybe you’re so on top of things, you’ve even got your mashed potatoes whipped up and waiting for their last butter bath in the oven.
What’s left? The PIE.
What’s your favorite Thanksgiving pie? Obviously pumpkin is a classic, but it’s never been on my top 10 list. I’d choose a pumpkin pinwheel over pumpkin pie any day. Apple pie has always been underwhelmingin my book, though that won’t stop me from eating a fat slice of it with a scoop of ice cream.
Custard pie is our Thanksgiving standard, and while it definitely makes my favorites list, this year I was craving something a little different. I’m a fan of the brown sugary, crunchy pecan pie, but there are enough recipes for that floating around the inter webs. Instead, I thought I’d go with something a little less pie-ish and a little more cheesecake-ish. I hope you can forgive me.
Here’s the deal. Underneath that layer of toasty pecans and coconut lies an impossibly creamy mixture of cream cheese, powdered sugar, butter, and Cool Whip. That’s right. A little lighter and fluffier than cheesecake, this filling still has that delightfully sweet tang we know and love.
And of course, the goodies don’t end there. A cream cheese pecan pie is just begging for some chocolate and caramel sauce. A generous drizzle of both completes this dessert trifecta- Pie + Cheesecake + Turtles. Awwwww, yeah.
If you’re worried about fitting this pie in to your already-packed Thanksgiving day plans, FEAR NOT! You can whip this up the day before and store it in the fridge overnight. All you’ll have to do on the big day is gracefully whisk the pie to the table, just as everyone is unbuttoning their pants and pretending they simply couldn’t eat another bit. Don’t worry, they’re faking. They’re totally going to eat pie. No one can resist the allure of the Coconut Pecan Cheesecake Turtle Pie. No one I tell you!
Friends, I hope you all have a joyful Thanksgiving with the ones you love. And remember, at the end of the day, what’s most important isn’t the moisture level of your turkey, the loftiness of your mashed potatoes, or the strange color of Aunt Sue’s cranberry sauce. What’s most important is the faces gathered around the table. Take some time to give thanks, enjoy each other, and make memories with your family. I know that’s what I’ll be doing. Happy Thanksgiving!
Coconut Pecan Turtle Cream Cheese Pie
Ingredients
- 1 9 inch pie shell - I used the buttermilk pie crust recipe from this post
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
- 1/4 cup melted butter
- 8 ounces Cool Whip, thawed
- 1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
- 1 cup chopped pecans
- Caramel sauce for drizzling
- Chocolate sauce for drizzling
Instructions
Recipe adapted from The Family Treasures Cookbook Vol 2
Courtney – This looks spectacular. Can you expand on how to make the crust? I am not quite sure how to do it. Anyway you can go a bit more in-depth? Thank you so much, Merry Christmas!
Thank you Brett! If you’re wanting to make the pie crust from scratch, I suggest using one of the recipes in this post: https://neighborfoodblog.com/2013/08/the-ultimate-homemade-pie-crust-three-recipes-tips.html. There are full instructions for all three of them. The shortening one would be my recommendation for this recipe. Let me know if this doesn’t answer your question! Thanks!
Courtney! Thank you so much for responding. Actually no, not from scratch. So let me see if I understand the directions. So you go to the store, buy a ready-made crust (betty crocker, or whatever and it comes in a tin pan), from that you stick that in the oven? Is that what I understand to be correct? I apologize, kind of new at this and watn it to be as awesome as it looks. Thank you for your help and sharing this recipe. Merry Christmas!
Yep! You’ll want to take your store bought crust, line the inside with parchment paper, and fill it with rice or dry beans. Then you’ll bake the crust like that (without any filling). This is called blind baking. The rice helps weigh down the crust so it doesn’t puff up in the oven. Once the crust is baked, you remove the parchment paper and rice, allow it to cool, then fill it with the cream cheese filling. I hope that makes sense! Good luck!
I did it! It IS AWESOME! Thank you so much for your guidance and help! I love this and it is not going to be my “go to” Perfect!!! Thank you!
Great Brett! Congratulations! I’m so glad you enjoyed it.
I don’t think this could get any better. Wowzers. Thank goodness I’ve got a few more weeks in maternity pants!
Haha! I may have to give those a try! 😉
Whoa. I’d definitely take this over most other Thanksgiving pies. That caramel!
Sues
Who can resist a drizzle of caramel? 🙂
My God, that is stunning! It’s holiday dessert perfection, Courtney! I hope you, Will and your families have a wonderful, food-filled Thanksgiving!
I know Canadian Thanksgiving is already over, but that doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy a nice long gluttonous weekend too! 🙂
Mmmm…i wish to try this beauty!!!
I hope you do and you love it!