We first learned about the mysterious McDonald's Holiday Pie a few years ago. At the time it was almost like an urban myth, a legendary confection that few had experienced. Released exclusively for the holiday season, the Holiday Pie was not a part of McDonald's nationwide campaign. Only a few locations in the country would carry it. The thought of savoring this curious pastry was consuming and we became obsessed. We live and work in Brooklyn/New York City and phone calls to every McDonald's in the area resulted in disappointment as nobody had even heard of this elusive pie.
Two years ago, when visiting our family in Richmond, VA for Thanksgiving, we tried calling local McDonald's to see if they carried the pie. We expected rejection like we had in New York, but to our surprise the worker who answered claimed that they had them. Unfortunately, the restaurant had just sold out.
A year later when in Virginia more phone calls were made and this time gold was struck! We rushed over to the restaurant and were still in disbelief until the moment we saw the Holiday Pie in person. The first bite was magical, as if in a dream. We couldn't believe that it was actually in our grasp!
The pie consists of a freshly baked sugar cookie crust encrusted with confetti and sugar crystals and filled with warm velvety vanilla custard. It's the same shape as all of McDonald's pies, but the round colorful confetti and sugary coating make it stand out as something really festive and special, like a birthday cake. The scrumptious flavor is quite unique and something that we remember all year long as we patiently wait for the holiday season to arrive and for our annual trip back to Virginia.
And then....
On a freezing cold day last week we decided to scurry over to our favorite McD's on Broadway for a hot lunch. While ordering a Filet-O-Fish, we looked up and noticed a sign we had never seen before. It took a triple take to process that the sign was offering Holiday Pies! It was as if Christmas had come early. McDonald's NYC is now carrying our obsession! No longer do we have to travel out of state to get our paws on this mythical treat. And sure enough, the pies are as extraordinarily delicious as we remember.
Dreams do come true.