# Pecan Pie Without The Pecans **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 17, 2015, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pecan-pie-without-the-pecans/731567 "2015-09-17T16:21:05Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Carryon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9fc29f/32.png) [@Carryon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Carryon)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2015, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pecan-pie-without-the-pecans/731567/1 "2015-09-17T16:21:05Z")
A coworker of mine has left me a slice of pie she makes and I always forget to ask her what it is. It looks like a pecan pie, except there are no pecans or any other nuts in it. The texture and the flavor is almost like a pecan pie (without nuts), not exactly the same but very close to it. It’s like heaven with a cup of coffee. I always seem to forget to ask her when I see her and we don’t work the same hours, I’ll try to remember next time, but any idea what this pie might be? Thanks ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2015, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pecan-pie-without-the-pecans/731567/2 "2015-09-17T16:25:50Z")
Sounds a little like chess pie to me. Both are divine! ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2015, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pecan-pie-without-the-pecans/731567/3 "2015-09-17T16:26:25Z")
Chess pie? ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2015, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pecan-pie-without-the-pecans/731567/4 "2015-09-17T16:28:46Z")
> [@jayjay](#): > > Chess pie? Gotta be! 😃 Simulposts of this nature must be de facto correct! ---
**Author:** ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2015, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pecan-pie-without-the-pecans/731567/5 "2015-09-17T16:29:02Z")
Oops. Disregard. ---
**Author:** ![Mollie\_Magill](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mollie_magill/32/20882_2.png) [@Mollie\_Magill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mollie_Magill)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2015, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pecan-pie-without-the-pecans/731567/6 "2015-09-17T16:30:24Z")
That was going to be my suggestion, too. Dammit, and now I want pie. ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2015, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pecan-pie-without-the-pecans/731567/7 "2015-09-17T16:33:49Z")
> [@Mollie\_Magill](#): > > That was going to be my suggestion, too. > > Dammit, and now I want pie. Chess or pecan? 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Cayuga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/3e96dc/32.png) [@Cayuga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cayuga)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2015, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pecan-pie-without-the-pecans/731567/8 "2015-09-17T16:39:26Z")
I haven’t had shoo-fly pie in decades, but when I did, I remember thinking it was pecan pie without the pecans. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2015, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pecan-pie-without-the-pecans/731567/9 "2015-09-17T16:41:41Z")
Shoo-fly pie has molasses. Chess and pecan pies don’t. Pecan pies also contain corn syrup, which chess pies don’t include. ---
**Author:** ![Maggie\_the\_Ocelot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/df705f/32.png) [@Maggie\_the\_Ocelot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maggie_the_Ocelot)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2015, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pecan-pie-without-the-pecans/731567/10 "2015-09-17T16:41:54Z")
This reminds me, I have read of the British “Banoffee Pie”, and I must find some. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2015, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pecan-pie-without-the-pecans/731567/11 "2015-09-17T16:46:42Z")
Almost certainly chess pie. If you’re in Kentucky, it might also be transparent pie. There’s also this thing called [crack pie](http://www.cookingchanneltv.com/recipes/momofuku-milk-bar-crack-pie.html) that is super rich and very much like pecan pie without the pecans. It is extremely decadent and delicious. ---
**Author:** ![Dung\_Beetle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dung_beetle/32/7945_2.png) [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2015, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pecan-pie-without-the-pecans/731567/12 "2015-09-17T17:19:50Z")
> [@Cayuga](#): > > I haven’t had shoo-fly pie in decades, but when I did, I remember thinking it was pecan pie without the pecans. That was going to be my guess too. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2015, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pecan-pie-without-the-pecans/731567/13 "2015-09-17T17:25:52Z")
> [@Dung\_Beetle](#): > > That was going to be my guess too. Ah, yes, shoo-fly is a good guess, too. Darker than a chess pie, and has a crumb topping. Looks more like a pecan pie because of its color than a chess pie. ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2015, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pecan-pie-without-the-pecans/731567/14 "2015-09-17T17:29:26Z")
Is it just me or does most chess pie have some coconut in it? ---
**Author:** ![percypercy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8baadc/32.png) [@percypercy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/percypercy)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2015, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pecan-pie-without-the-pecans/731567/15 "2015-09-17T17:51:54Z")
I love chess pie. In my experience, chess pie with coconut is called (no surprise here) coconut chess pie. ---
**Author:** ![ivylass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9de053/32.png) [@ivylass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivylass)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2015, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pecan-pie-without-the-pecans/731567/16 "2015-09-17T18:27:11Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > Shoo-fly pie has molasses. Chess and pecan pies don’t. Pecan pies also contain corn syrup, which chess pies don’t include. I make my pecan pie with molasses. That’s how I make my gingerbread cookies too. No, they’re not snaps, because they’re not crunchy. But they’re soft and yummy and smell so good baking. ---
**Author:** ![Mollie\_Magill](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mollie_magill/32/20882_2.png) [@Mollie\_Magill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mollie_Magill)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2015, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pecan-pie-without-the-pecans/731567/17 "2015-09-17T18:40:50Z")
> [@Zeldar](#): > > Chess or pecan? 🙂 Yes. ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2015, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pecan-pie-without-the-pecans/731567/18 "2015-09-17T18:41:00Z")
> [@ivylass](#): > > I make my pecan pie with molasses. > > That’s how I make my gingerbread cookies too. No, they’re not snaps, because they’re not crunchy. But they’re soft and yummy and smell so good baking. Sounds fine! Ginger is good in almost anything! I learned that fooling with Asian recipes. And I don’t mind the crunchy snaps either. Molasses cookies, however they differ from true ginger ones, are also great. For a while Kroger was carrying some in a brown paper bag that were a real deal. ---
**Author:** ![Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e47c2d/32.png) [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffy_the_Elephant_Shrew)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2015, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pecan-pie-without-the-pecans/731567/19 "2015-09-17T18:54:53Z")
> [@ivylass](#): > > I make my pecan pie with molasses. Indeed, the only time I ever made it myself was from a recipe on the Brer Rabbit molasses bottle. ---
**Author:** ![DrCube](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a3d4f5/32.png) [@DrCube](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrCube)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2015, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pecan-pie-without-the-pecans/731567/20 "2015-09-17T18:56:27Z")
I’ve never heard of chess pie. I thought pecan pie without the pecans was just called “[sugar pie](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sugar_pie)”. The wiki page for [chess pie](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chess_pie) describes it as more of a custard pie with cornmeal in it. Of course, the sugar pie page describes it as more often like a cream pie. I’m guessing either term would apply. Both wiki pages describe them as “pecan pie without the pecans”. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pecan-pie-without-the-pecans/731567.md?page=2)