What was this amazing pie with cream and granola-like stuff?

March 14, 2014 1:59 PM

Inspired by dotgirl's cookie question. In college (Houston, TX, 1988-1992), the cafeteria used to make a pie I loved. It must have had a crust of some sort but I don't remember what. It had a thick layer of dry, sweet, chewy, crunchy granola-like (but not granola) stuff - topped with a thick layer of whipped cream type stuff. The granola-like stuff was the key to the deliciousness - chewy yet crunchy at the same time; somewhat rice-krispy like. I haven't run into it since, and can't find the right terms to get a hit on google. Anybody recognize it? Thanks!
posted by bluesky78987 to Food & Drink (16 answers total)

Maybe shoofly pie? I'm not sure I'd describe the texture as "granola-like" or "rice-krispy like", but it does have a kind of dry, sweet, chewy, and crunchy feel.
posted by mhum at 2:04 PM on March 14, 2014

Response by poster: I think it's drier than shoofly pie looks. It was really like dry loose crumbly cereal, with cream plopped on top. Not sticky or gooey at all.
posted by bluesky78987 at 2:12 PM on March 14, 2014

I think maybe rather than being a pie it was a crisp? Crisps use oats (the primary ingredient of granola), but the texture of the oats does end up being simultaneously crunchy and chewy since the oats get soaked by the juice of whatever they're on top of.

Here's Wikipedia on "Apple Crisp" -- note that you can use just about any fruit, and could obviously top with whipped cream.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apple_crisp
posted by pocketfullofrye at 2:12 PM on March 14, 2014

Response by poster: Definitely getting closer with the "crisp" concept. It probably had oats in it.
posted by bluesky78987 at 2:16 PM on March 14, 2014

Chess pie maybe?

If it had oats in it is most likely a crisp or a crumble.
posted by Fairchild at 2:19 PM on March 14, 2014

Best answer: Are you talking about Luby's? I'm almost positive you are talking about the butternut brownie pie. The "granola" was graham crackers and pecans. This recipe was one of the main reasons I bought their 50th anniversary cookbook, and here's the recipe from it:

Butternut Brownie Pie

A well-loved Luby's classic, this crustless pie boasts a nutty, toasty flavor and a tempting texture that's at its flavorful best when topped with whipped cream.

4 extra-large egg whites, at room temperature
1/8 tsp. baking powder
1/8 tsp. cream of tartar
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
14 graham cracker squares, broken into 1/2-inch pieces
1 cup pecan pieces
1 cup whipping cream
1/2 tsp. vanilla
Chopped pecans

1. Heat oven to 300 degrees. Lightly grease 9-inch pie plate.

2. In large mixing bowl, beat egg whites and baking powder until soft peaks form. Add cream of tartar, beating constantly. Add 1 cup of the sugar, a tablespoon at a time, beating constantly until stiff peaks form. Using rubber scraper, fold in graham crackers and pecan pieces. Spoon into pie plate.

3. Bake 30 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool completely on wire cooling rack.

4. In chilled small bowl using chilled beaters, beat cream just until it begins to thicken. Add remaining 1/4 cup sugar and vanilla and continue beating until stiff peaks form. Do not overbeat. Top pie with whipped cream. Sprinkle with pecans and refrigerate until served.
posted by Houstonian at 2:28 PM on March 14, 2014 [103 favorites]

Just to clarify- was there fruit or some other filling under the granola-y stuff? Because there would be fruit in a crisp or crumble, and the way you described it in the question didn't make me think there was.
posted by dizziest at 2:29 PM on March 14, 2014

(Note about the Butternut Brownie Pie -- the name makes no sense at all.)
posted by Houstonian at 2:39 PM on March 14, 2014 [2 favorites]

Response by poster: Houstonian nailed it. I only had it at the school cafeteria, and not at Luby's (Ah, fond memories!!!), but that's definitely it!! Thanks so much for including the full recipe!
posted by bluesky78987 at 2:48 PM on March 14, 2014

There were several years where I had this pie at least once a week. Enjoy!
posted by Houstonian at 2:51 PM on March 14, 2014

Why didn't I read this before going to the store???

This looks amazing. Thanks for asking about it, and thanks for the recipe Houstonian!
posted by apricot at 4:03 PM on March 14, 2014

Luby's!!!! Favorite of grandparents everywhere (in Texas). Also, according to the Luby's Wikipedia entry, they provide cafeteria services to several colleges and hospitals and so forth in the Houston area, so you may well have been eating Genuine Luby's Butternut Brownie Pie.
posted by MadamM at 10:18 PM on March 14, 2014 [2 favorites]

I just figured out that this "Luby's" is just the new name of the beloved Houston eatery of my childhood, ROMANA CAFETERIA. And here is the recipe for that amazing pie I have never eaten again since my parents moved us away when I was eight years old. Thank you, Houstonian!
posted by Harvey Kilobit at 12:09 AM on March 15, 2014 [2 favorites]

I was reading this and just happened to have 4 egg whites in the fridge so I made it!
It is a very weird pie, but tasty! Everyone at work was like, it has what in it again??
posted by exceptinsects at 5:16 PM on March 20, 2014

It's a meringue + nut + it's-got-what? + not-pie not-brownie not-cake chewy-yet-crunchy + with whipped cream on top. Right? There's really no other pie-thing like it.
posted by Houstonian at 5:20 PM on March 20, 2014

Exactly.
posted by exceptinsects at 5:22 PM on March 20, 2014