When pumpkin pies hit the shelves in Costco, you know fall has officially arrived.
But is there more to the hype than just sugar and spice?
We did some digging to find out exactly how Costco's pumpkin pie is made, where the recipe
came from, and why it's so darn popular.
If you've ever made a pumpkin pie from scratch, you know it's a tremendous amount of work
First you have to buy a whole pumpkin, bake it, and puree it, adding condensed milk, cornstarch,
molasses and spices as you go - and don't forget about making your own crust!
That's the more ambitious method.
For those who want the easy (and cheaper) route, Costco pumpkin pie is at the top of
the shopping list.
Costco's pumpkin pie typically only costs about six dollars, and it's way bigger than
the normal sized pie you'll get from that complicated from-scratch recipe.
It'll save you from having to buy a whole slew of ingredients, and you won't have to
spend hours to make it.
After all, time is money, right?
"How's your pie?"
"I don't know, I didn't make a pie.”
While it's not exactly a family recipe, the pie you're picking up from Costco may be the
same pie your parents brought to a family Thanksgiving dinner before you were even born.
According to The Costco Connection, the Costco Pumpkin Pie has been going strong with the
same recipe since 1987.
The history behind the recipe is all thanks to Sue McConnaha, Costco's VP of Bakery Operations.
With prior experience in commercial bakeries, she developed the ideal pumpkin pie recipe
that could be used across Costco bakeries nationwide.
The recipe is meant to be easily duplicated to be consistent all across the board, allowing
Costco members to get the same beloved pie year after year.
For those without a Costco just down the road, don't worry!
If you can make your way to the big box store anytime between September and Thanksgiving,
you'll be all set to serve up that giant pumpkin pie.
You could even buy more than one, and be prepped for Christmas dinner as well.
It helps that Costco's pumpkin pie keeps well when frozen.
Because of the high fat content of the buttery crust, along with the custard-like filling,
it's the perfect pie to pop in the freezer in preparation for a big holiday.
Costco serves up their pies in a container that seals pretty tight, but if you want to
be extra sure it'll be safe for a month, wrap the whole pie in plastic wrap.
Just be sure you grab your pie from the freezer the day before you plan to eat it to let it
thaw out.
Even if you pick up three pumpkin pies, your purchase is only a tiny part of the ridiculous
number Costco sells every year.
In past years, they've reportedly sold well over 5 million pies, with a substantial number
of them being grabbed off Costco shelves in the three days before Thanksgiving.
Does that mean those of us who procrastinate in buying our pies are safe?
We can't be sure, so if you don't want to risk walking out empty handed, you had better
plan ahead.
As you know, you can't have pumpkin pie without starting out with pureed pumpkin, but what
else is Costco adding to the mix?
We may never actually know.
The proprietary recipe uses a list of dry ingredients and spices that are kept close
to the chest, but we do know they add that dry ingredient mix when they're making pies
in stores.
According to The Costco Connection, the in-store bakers combine the dry mix with a special
blend of spices, along with whole eggs and water.
All of the ingredients are dumped into a large stand mixer and blended to perfection.
Once the mix is blended, the liquid filling is scooped into each pie shell, with each
unbaked pie weighing 3.8 pounds.
When a whole baking rack of 24 pies is filled, they're sent into the oven to finish the beautiful
baking process before being packaged in that classic giant container and being displayed
for pumpkin pie lovers to snatch them up.
As you can imagine, if you're going to make millions of the same pumpkin pie within a
three-month span, the type of pumpkin used definitely matters.
There has to be consistency.
When McConnaha developed the pumpkin pie recipe for Costco, she decided using Dickinson pumpkins
would be best.
She told The Costco Connection,
"We only use the Dickinson variety for our puree, which is why the pumpkin is so key.
Our formula doesn't work with other varieties."
The Dickinson Pumpkins used for Costco's pies are grown in Illinois, where about 90 percent
of the nation's pumpkin crop is grown.
Illinois' growing conditions are just about perfect for pumpkins, providing nutrient rich
soil and warm temperatures, without too much water that would cause produce to mold.
Since the same recipe has been going strong since 1987, not much about the way Costco
does things has changed.
The one thing that has changed is the size.
The original recipe called for enough ingredients to make a 10-inch pie, while today's pies
sold in stores are a whopping 12 inches in diameter.
The pies now reportedly weigh more than 3.5 pounds.
That's a whole lot of pie, and perfect for a large group, providing about 12 servings
or more, depending on how you slice it.
You could, of course, also just eat the whole thing by yourself.
As if there wasn't enough hype behind Costco's pumpkin pie, social media has taken it to
a whole new level.
Pumpkin pie fans have rallied around a Facebook page called Costco's Pumpkin Pie, getting
news on the Costco pie season.
The Facebook fan page posts an annual announcement when pumpkin pies are officially back in stores
for the season, with updates throughout September to December.
It even shares memes and other photos of the pie, along with photos of Costco employees
dishing out samples of this beloved dessert.
The pie's cult following is most likely due to its unique flavor, with many saying they
can't find a pie like Costco's anywhere else.
The Costco Buys Instagram account, boasting over 80,000 followers, says it's their absolute
favorite pie.
And with the recipe going strong for over 30 years, there's no reason to doubt that
the store is onto something good.
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