Sweet Pecan Pie and No Bake Apple Pie Cheesecake

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I love Thanksgiving dinner. It is one of my favorite meals of the year. My family keeps it pretty traditional. Over the years we all have all fallen into our “designated” contributions. And one of mine is pies! I mean prolly the best part of the meal! 😉 So today I will be sharing two of my favorite Thanksgiving desserts: my sweet pecan pie and no bake apple pie cheesecake.

The pecan pie is a staple. It’s taken me YEARS to perfect! My brother-in-law is my ultimate tester. He gives me good feedback every year. Then I like to mix it up for the rest of the pies. Sometimes I do pumpkin pie, I think I made chocolate cream pie last year. This year I decided to reintroduce my no bake apple pie cheesecake.

I tried a ton of pecan pie recipes. For me it’s finding the right consistency on the “guts” or inside of the pie – not too runny but overcooked. But I have finally settled on a recipe that I have used over the last few years. The taste is spot on and the consistency is right where I like it. So without further ado let me walk you through my sweet pecan pie!

SWEET PECAN PIE

Let’s start with the crust. You can make your own, grab a frozen deep dish, but for this particular pie I used the Pillsbury frozen roll out crust. I happen to have one in my freezer. Use whatever works best for you. So just follow instructions there and set aside. I will say this crust didn’t seem thick enough on the borders. You will see once it’s baked. Just make sure your dough is thick enough to hold up after baked.

Once your crust is ready, pour the pecans right in the pie dish. Then set side. Mix all your ingredients together EXCEPT the butter. You will add your butter separately. Pop your butter in the microwave until melted. Then you will add this to your wet ingredients. You will need to whisk it in – the melted butter will want to separate so whisk it really well. Then dump it right on top of your pecans. Let it do it’s thing for a few minutes. All the mixture will seep to the bottom. Cover with foil and pop into oven.

You will bake for 30 minutes covered and then for 30 minutes uncovered. Give or take, depending on your oven and pie crust thickness. I ended up covering this pecan pie again around 10 minutes to being done. The crust was much thinner that I have used in the past. I did not want it to burn or be too browned.

And that is ti! Place on a cool rack until completely set. Then GOBBLE IT DOWN!! Serve with with whipped cream, ice cream or plain. SO good my friends!!

NO BAKE APPLE PIE CHEESECAKE

If you are looking for a super simple SUPER yummy dessert, well my friends this one is for you. Like you don’t even have to bake it!! It does require a little bit of refrigerator time though. Ok so let’s start with your crust. You can use a premade graham cracker crust to make it even easier or you can make your own. I like to make my own. Only takes a few minutes. Using two sleeves of graham crackers, I like to use the cinnamon sugar kind. Place them in a large Ziplock bag. You can use a food processor if you prefer. However, this method requires zero clean up. Get a rolling pin out and slam away!! Great way to relieve aggression!! 😉

In a medium bowl, add your crushed graham cracker mixture. Then add in your melted butter and sugar. Mix well. Using a springform pan or regular pie dish. Push mixture down with your fingers until compacted nicely. Pop in freezer for 10 minutes.

Now moving onto the cream cheese mixture. In a medium bowl add your room temperature cream cheese and lemon juice. Mix until incorporated. Then add in your vanilla and slowly start adding in your sweet condensed milk. Mix until smooth. Then add your cream cheese mixture right on top of you graham cracker crust. Cover and put back into fridge for a least two hours.

Once the mixture is set. Top with your apple pie filling. I like to add just a smidge more graham crackers and a touch of cinnamon. Then put back in fridge for maybe an hour or until your apple pie topping is cold. Then serve away! I love the creaminess of the cheesecake, the cinnamon flavor and crunch of the crust. Then the sweet apples make it just perfect! Plus it looks like you spent all day making!

Well I hope you make these pies this holiday season! Perfect for Thanksgiving and Christmas!

For a really decadent dessert, check out my Chocolate Cream Pie with Oreo Crust.

I hope you have a wonderful weekend! I can’t wait to eat these pies in a few weeks with my family.

Happy Baking!
XOXO, Ivy