McDonald’s Holiday Pie is a seasonal dessert offered by the fast food chain McDonald’s during the holiday season. It is a warm fruit pie typically filled with apples or cherries and topped with streusel. The Holiday Pie has become a popular seasonal treat for many McDonald’s customers looking for a festive dessert to enjoy during the holidays. But what exactly is in this sweet pastry? Let’s take a closer look at the ingredients and nutrition facts of McDonald’s Holiday Pie.
Crust
The crust of McDonald’s Holiday Pie is made from enriched bleached all-purpose flour. This type of flour has niacin, reduced iron, thiamine mononitrate, riboflavin, and folic acid added to it. These added nutrients increase the nutritional value of the flour.
The flour helps give the pie crust structure and a flaky texture when baked. In addition to enriched bleached all-purpose flour, the Holiday Pie crust contains:
- Water
- Soybean oil
- Salt
- Dough conditioner such as sodium stearoyl lactylate or sodium aluminum phosphate
The water hydrates the flour to form the dough while the oil provides richness and texture. Salt enhances the flavor and the dough conditioner strengthens the gluten network to create a flaky yet strong crust.
Filling
The filling of the Holiday Pie contains fruit, sugar, cornstarch, and various spices.
For the apple pie filling, the ingredients are:
- Apples – McDonald’s likely uses pre-sliced and pre-cooked apples to save time and ensure consistency.
- Sugar – Added to sweeten the filling.
- Cornstarch – Thickens the filling.
- Cinnamon – Provides warmth and classic apple pie spice flavor.
- Nutmeg – Adds a subtle, sweet spice flavor.
- Salt – Enhances overall flavor.
The cherry pie filling contains:
- Cherries – Either canned pitted tart cherries or frozen and thawed cherries.
- Sugar
- Cornstarch
- Natural and artificial flavor – Boosts cherry flavor.
- Salt
- Red food coloring – Provides vivid red color.
The sugar and cornstarch are balanced to provide a filling with a lightly thickened, glossy texture and balanced sweetness.
Streusel Topping
Crowning the McDonald’s Holiday Pie is a crunchy streusel topping. Streusel is a crumbly topping made from flour, sugar, butter, and spices that bakes to a crisp lightly sweet finish.
The streusel topping on the Holiday Pie likely contains:
- All-purpose flour
- Brown sugar – For rich, molasses-like flavor.
- Butter – Provides tender, flaky texture.
- Cinnamon
- Salt
This streusel adds a layer of crunchy sweetness and spice that complements the filling perfectly.
Baking Process
McDonald’s Holiday Pies are pre-baked and frozen. At the restaurant, they are reheated prior to serving. The pre-baking process may go something like this:
- Roll out pie dough and press into pie pans.
- Fill the pie shells with prepared filling.
- Top the filled pies with streusel topping.
- Bake at 350°F until the crust and streusel are golden brown and the filling is bubbling, about 30-45 minutes.
- Cool the baked pies then freeze them.
Freezing allows the pies to be stored for months before being shipped to restaurants. It also helps seal in freshness and flavor. At the restaurant, the frozen pies are likely reheated on a tray in an oven or microwave oven prior to serving. This quick reheating process provides customers with a fresh, hot pie on demand.
Nutrition Information
McDonald’s Holiday Pie delivers a delicious dose of fruit flavor but it does come with a higher calorie count and carbs being a indulgent, streusel-topped pie. Here are the basic nutrition facts for the cherry and apple pies:
Cherry Holiday Pie
| Serving Size | 1 pie (4.6 oz) |
|---|---|
| Calories | 370 |
| Total Fat | 16 g |
| Saturated Fat | 7 g |
| Trans Fat | 0 g |
| Cholesterol | 10 mg |
| Sodium | 180 mg |
| Carbohydrates | 57 g |
| Sugar | 29 g |
| Protein | 2 g |
Apple Holiday Pie
| Serving Size | 1 pie (4.9 oz) |
|---|---|
| Calories | 380 |
| Total Fat | 16 g |
| Saturated Fat | 7 g |
| Trans Fat | 0 g |
| Cholesterol | 15 mg |
| Sodium | 260 mg |
| Carbohydrates | 59 g |
| Sugar | 30 g |
| Protein | 2 g |
As you can see, each pie contains around 370-380 calories and 16 grams of fat. The majority of calories come from carbohydrates, with around 57-59 grams per pie. This includes 29-30 grams of sugar.
So while McDonald’s Holiday Pie provides a satisfying dessert, it is high in refined flour, added sugar, and fat. It is best enjoyed occasionally as a special treat.
Preparation at McDonald’s
Here is a quick summary of how McDonald’s prepares the Holiday Pie for serving:
- Thaw frozen, pre-baked pies overnight in the refrigerator or thaw quickly in a microwave oven.
- Place pies on a baking tray and heat through in an oven until hot, about 10 minutes.
- Warm any pie fillings like cherry or apple on the stovetop if needed.
- Transfer hot pies to packaging or dessert plates.
- Top with a dusting of powdered sugar right before serving, if desired.
Proper thawing and reheating ensures the pies have a perfect flaky crust and hot filling when served. The pies are best enjoyed fresh out of the oven!
History of the Holiday Pie at McDonald’s
McDonald’s first began offering seasonal Holiday pies in the early 1990s. The original pies were only offered around Thanksgiving and Christmas. The lineup included pumpkin, pecan, and Dutch apple pies. Cherry and cranberry pies were added later to the menu.
The Holiday Pie was an instant hit and drive-thru locations struggled to keep up with demand. McDonald’s sold over 200 million Holiday pies within the first 8 years.
The pies have continued to be an annual tradition for McDonald’s. Customers eager await their return to the menu each holiday season. Both the classic flavors like hot apple and indulgent new options like Snickerdoodle Hot Fudge Sundae pie keep customers coming back.
Fun facts about McDonald’s Holiday Pies:
- Approximately 1 out of 3 Holiday pies sold in the US are purchased from McDonald’s.
- In the 1990s, McDonald’s opened special satellite bakeries dedicated just to producing Holiday pies to meet demand.
- Over 250 million McDonald’s Holiday pies are sold each season.
- The hot cherry pie is the most popular Holiday pie flavor.
- Holiday pies now account for over 10% of McDonald’s dessert sales annually.
The Holiday Pie has become a beloved McDonald’s tradition for generations of customers.
Conclusion
McDonald’s Holiday Pie is a seasonal treat many customers eagerly await. It is made from simple ingredients like flour, fruit filling, streusel topping, sugar, and spices. Pre-baking and freezing the pies allows McDonald’s to offer freshly baked flavor conveniently.
The pies do deliver a high dose of refined flour and added sugar though. Enjoying McDonald’s Holiday Pie in moderation is key, as an occasional sweet treat. The memories of enjoying a hot pie with friends and family are often the best part of this McDonald’s tradition.