Mystery Pie

Some of my fondest memories of childhood were when I visited my grandmother, Mammaw. When my sisters and I spent the night at her house one of her favorite sayings was, “Is everybody happy?” She wasn’t much of a cook, but on special occasions she made a dessert called Mystery Pie. Mammaw died when I was in high school, but when I make this pie, I am reminded of her positive attitude and constant desire for everyone to be happy.

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Ingredients

Serves 8

Mystery Pie:

• 4 egg whites

• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder 

• 1 cup brown sugar 

• 1 teaspoon vanilla 

• 25 Ritz crackers, crushed 

• 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips 

• 1 cup toasted pecans, chopped 

• 3/4 cup heavy whipping cream 

• 2 Tablespoons powdered sugar

Process

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9” pie pan liberally with butter. Beat egg whites with baking powder until soft peaks form. Add brown sugar and vanilla into egg whites and continue to mix until well incorporated. Next add chopped pecans, crushed Ritz and chocolate chips and gently fold into the batter. Pour pie filling into the greased pan and bake for 30 min. Remove from oven and cool completely.  While the pie is cooling, make the whipped cream by combining the heavy cream and powdered sugar together in a stand mixer and beating for 2-4 minutes until peaks form. Serve cooled pie with a dollop of fresh whipped cream.