Julie Clark
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Million Dollar Pie
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Million Dollar Pie is a classic icebox pie from old church cookbooks, made extra special with a buttery homemade shortbread crust that pairs well with the sweetness of the pie. One bowl, no-bake filling!
Million Dollar Pie is cool, creamy, fruity, and unbelievably easy. While the filling stays true to the classic version so many of us grew up with, this recipe takes things one step further with a shortbread cookie crust instead of the usual graham cracker base. That simple swap makes this pie feel just a little more special.
I Made a Classic Million Dollar Pie, Then Swapped the Crust
This is one of those recipes that instantly makes me think of church dinners and my grandma’s church cookbooks sitting on my bookshelf. I’ve seen versions of Million Dollar Pie labeled as a Southern recipe, but if you grew up in the midwest like I did, chances are it showed up right alongside the Jello salad and Amish casserole at more than one church gathering.
It has whipped cream, crushed pineapple, lemon juice and maraschino cherries in every bite. It tastes almost like a no bake cheesecake, but there’s no cream cheese invovled.
What makes my version of million dollar pie different is the shortbread crust. If you’ve ever made my shortbread cookies, you already know how buttery and tender that dough is thanks to the cornstarch added in. Pressing it into a pie plate turns it into the perfect base for this creamy, no-bake filling.
If you’re a fan of easy desserts that live in the fridge until you’re ready to serve them, you’ll also love my no bake cheesecake bars, no bake buckeye cookies, haystack cookies or peanut butter squares.
Enjoy! -Julie
Ingredients
My shortbread crust is totally worth the extra time for this million dollar pie, but if you need a shortcut, use a graham cracker crust. This is especially good during hot summer months when you don’t want to turn on the oven at all. Or, as another variation, make my grandma’s pie crust recipe or oatmeal pie crust.
Million Dollar Pie with Shortbread Crust
Million Dollar Pie is a classic icebox pie from old church cookbooks, made extra special with a buttery homemade shortbread crust. One bowl, no-bake filling!
Servings 8
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 13 minutes
Chill Time 3 hours
Total Time 3 hours 33 minutes
Ingredients
Shortbread Crust:
- 1/2 cup salted butter room temperature,
- 1/4 cup powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract or almond extract
- 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup cornstarch
Pie Filling
- 1 can sweetened condensed milk 14 ounces
- 1/4 cup lemon juice freshly squeezed
- 1 can crushed pineapple 20 ounces, very well drained (squeeze it dry)
- 1 cup chopped pecans
- 3/4 cup maraschino cherries chopped and well drained
- 8 ounces Cool Whip whipped topping*
Instructions
- In a large bowl, use an electric mixer to cream the butter and sugar together, about 2-3 minutes. Add in the extract and mix again.½ cup salted butter, ¼ cup powdered sugar, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Add the flour and cornstarch. Mix again on medium speed until all of the flour is mixed in. The mixture will be very crumbly. Don't overmix the dough. This can lead to a tough crust.¾ cup all-purpose flour, ¼ cup cornstarch
- Use your hands to form the cookie dough into a ball, then flatten and place into a well greased 9” pie plate. Press evenly on the bottom and up the sides of the pie pan.
- Refrigerate for 30 minutes. Then bake at 350ºF for 12-14 minutes. Allow the pie crust to cool on a wire rack.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the sweetened condensed milk and lemon juice. The mixture should thicken slightly.1 can sweetened condensed milk, ¼ cup lemon juice
- Stir in the drained pineapple, drained cherries and chopped pecans. Gently fold in the whipped topping until combined. Do not overmix, or you will deflate the fluffiness.1 can crushed pineapple, 1 cup chopped pecans, ¾ cup maraschino cherries, 8 ounces Cool Whip whipped topping*
- Pour into the pie crust. Cover and refrigerate for at least 3 hours (or overnight) to let it set. Garnish with shredded coconut and maraschino cherries
Notes
*In place of Cool Whip, use 3 cups homemade whipped cream (1 ½ cups heavy cream and 3 tablespoons powdered sugar, whipped until stiff peaks form)
Refer to the article above for more tips and tricks.
The calories shown are based on the pie being cut into 8 pieces, with 1 serving being 1 slice of pie. Since different brands of ingredients have different nutritional information, the calories shown are just an estimate. **We are not dietitians and recommend you seek a nutritionist for exact nutritional information. **
Nutrition
Calories: 573kcal | Carbohydrates: 73g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 30g | Saturated Fat: 14g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 10g | Trans Fat: 0.5g | Cholesterol: 48mg | Sodium: 177mg | Potassium: 385mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 57g | Vitamin A: 561IU | Vitamin C: 11mg | Calcium: 199mg | Iron: 1mg
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