When my family travels to new states, we usually pencil in a meal that incorporates something that only that particular destination can offer. A recent vacation through northern Arkansas led us to Tusk & Trotter American Brasserie in downtown Bentonville. There we enjoyed a variety of entrees and introduced our tastebuds to one of the most unusual desserts I've ever heard of... Arkansas Possum Pie.
Don't be fooled by its name! This decadent treat is a creamy, chocolatey, nutty masterpiece - all awesome, no possum!
Upon returning from our trip, I knew I wanted to make this show-stopping layered dessert at home and was excited to find this mouth-watering recipe from Culinary.net:
Arkansas Possum Pie
Servings: 8
Ingredients
Crust:
- 3/4 cup butter
- 1 1/2 cups flour
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1 1/2 cups pecans, crushed
Cream Cheese Layer:
- 12 ounces cream cheese, softened
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 4 tablespoons heavy cream
Pudding Layer:
- 3 egg yolks
- 2 cups whole milk
- 1 cup sugar
- 1/3 cup cocoa powder
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch
- 2 tablespoons flour
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Whipped Cream Topping:
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- 4 tablespoons powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- chocolate syrup
- 1/2 cup chopped pecans
Directions:
Heat oven to 350 F.
To make the crust:
- In a saucepan, melt butter; add flour, brown sugar, and crushed pecans. Stir until combined. Press into a 9 1/2-inch deep pie plate.
- Bake for 15-20 minutes until the crust begins to brown. Cool completely.
To make the cream cheese layer:
- In a medium bowl, mix cream cheese until creamy.
- Add powdered sugar and heavy cream; mix until smooth.
- Spread over cooled pecan crust. Refrigerate.
To make pudding layer:
- In a medium bowl, whisk egg yolks.
- Add milk; whisk until combined. Set aside.
- In a separate medium bowl, whisk sugar, cocoa powder, cornstarch, flour, and salt until combined.
- In a saucepan over medium heat, add egg yolk mixture and flour mixture. Whisk constantly until the pudding begins to thicken and bubble.
- Add butter and vanilla extract, stirring until butter is melted.
- Pour chocolate pudding into a shallow bowl. Cover with plastic wrap touching pudding to keep it from forming skin. Refrigerate 30 minutes.
- Pour pudding over the cream cheese layer. Cover the pie with plastic wrap. Refrigerate overnight.
To make the whipped cream topping:
- In a stand mixer bowl, add heavy cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract. Whip until stiff peaks form. Spread whipped cream over the pudding layer.
To finish it off, drizzle the pie with chocolate syrup and sprinkle with chopped pecans.
Find more unique dessert recipes at Culinary.net.
