An old-school member of the chess-pie family, Osgood Pie is a simple stir-up of pecans, raisins, butter, sugar and eggs. No reason it’s been forgotten — let’s fix that by making this deliciously do-able pie!
Osgood Pie Needs a Comeback!
Osgood Pie Needs a Comeback!This old-time treat is in the chess-pie family, made with butter, sugar, eggs, and a splash of vinegar to make the sweetness just sassy enough. Then there are two extra ingredients: Raisins and pecans! This made it a little bit special back in the days before stand mixers and chocolate chips and whipped cream in a tall can. It’s still special, so I’m ready to welcome it back to Pie Priority Status. Who’s with me?
Osgood Pie is one which doesn’t get as much attention as other desserts do, kind of like how I paid attention to reading and history and art, neglecting math. Time for me to fix that, pairing a neglected pie type with a neglected school subject (neglected by me, that is), math!
In terms of seasonal ingredients, right now it’s early spring here in North Carolina, and local fruit means apples from last fall. Rhubarb is surely up somewhere, but since I don’t have a pie plant out in the backyard (To-Do List entry: plant rhubarb for next spring), that didn’t work for a pi day pie.
Why Make Osgood Pie?
Browsing recipes we had to cut from my book, Southern Pies, I came across Osgood Pie, an old-school recipe that was standard in Southern kitchens but widely popular across the midwest as well. It’s in the chess family, which means it’s a very simple pie depending on butter, sugar, and eggs to bring great happiness to baker and to eaters.
What Are Its Key Ingredients?
Raisins and pecans are longtime standards in Southern kitchens, and called on for dessert pleasures in between the seasons for strawberries, peaches, figs, and plums. Berries and other luscious fruits will be here in a few months and last through fall — for now, Osgood Pie has the yearround, humble luxuries we take for granted nowadays: Pecans and other nuts, and raisins. I love dried cranberries and dried cherries along with or in their place!
It’s plenty sweet as is, but a lovely cloud of whipped cream, lightly sweetened and flavored with almond extract, makes an extra special serving of Osgood Pie!
Osgood Pie: What’s with the Name?
The name, Osgood Pie? Nobody knows. My favorite legend is that the person who first sampled it hollered out “Oh! So Good!” Could be — this-here Osgood Pie is indeed very, very good! If you love pie but want something else historical, consider my version of Miss Edna Lewis’s Tyler Pie right HERE. For something rich and chocolate-y, try my Chocolate Chess Pie right HERE.
VIDEO of Yours Truly on Hallmark Home & Family TV, Making a Pie on Pi-Day!
I love being in the Hallmark Home & Family Kitchen! Here’s one of my visits to help hosts Debbie and Cameron make a fabulous pie for Pi-Day! Click to watch me HERE:
Osgood Pie
Makes 1 9-inch pie
Ingredients
- Pastry for a 9-inch single-crust
- 3/4 cup (4 ounces) raisins
- 1 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup butter, softened (4 ounces/1 stick)
- 3 eggs
- 1 tablespoon vinegar
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cup (3ounces) chopped pecans
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 400 degrees F.
- Line a 9-inch pie pan with piecrust, then crimp the edges decoratively, or set out a prepared unbaked piecrust.
- Put the raisins in a small bowl and add hot water to cover them. Let stand for 5 to 10 minutes while you prepare the filling.
- In a medium bowl, combine the sugar and butter. Use a fork or a whisk to mix them well.
- Add the eggs one by one, beating well each time. Add the vinegar and salt and stir well.
- Drain the raisins and add them to the filling along with the pecans, and stir well to combine everything into a thick, chunky filling.
- Pour it into the piecrust and place the pie in the middle of the 400 degree F oven.
- Bake for 10 minutes.
- Reduce the heat to 325 degrees and bake until the pie is puffed, lightly browned, and firm, 30 to 40 minutes more.
- Place the pie on a cooling rack or a folded kitchen towel and let cool to room temperature.
Nutrition Information
Yield 6 Serving Size 1Amount Per Serving Calories 352Total Fat 20gSaturated Fat 12gTrans Fat 1gUnsaturated Fat 7gCholesterol 141mgSodium 294mgCarbohydrates 39gFiber 0gSugar 35gProtein 4g
Nancie, after spending time today, searching for my mother’s recipe for this pie, I was happy to find yours online. She made this every holiday season. It had always been my favorite. Honestly, , I thought she made up the name and was afraid I’d never find the recipe. Thank you so much for sharing yours.
Thank you so much for letting me know this, Gail! What a gift to me, to be able to reconnect you to this family treasure that you thought was lost!🥧 Perfect for fall baking and maybe Thanksgiving too. All the best to you and yours!
I’ve made this pie for many years. Mostly for my husband and myself. One version I have has a crust of quick oats, brown sugar, butter and flour.
Pleased to connect with you and tie his and around this classic pie 🥧, Frankie! I love the sound of this crust with oats, brown sugar, flour, and butter! If you shared that here, I would be so grateful. And either way, many thanks for letting me know you are Osgood Pie People, too!
I have made this for over 40 years but my MIL recipe was the same except used one cup of chopped dates instead of raisins. So much better!!!
Well that sounds so delicious, Ms. Martha! I am eager to try it. Perfect recipe for this deep-in-winter season. Thanks for the tip and happy new year!
We have it every Christmas. Mom’s recipe calls for 1/4 teaspoons of cloves, and 4 eggs, teaspoon of nutmeg, cinnamon. Little flour and 2 cups sugar. Been eating it for 83 years. Can’t beat Osgood Pie!!
I love knowing that, Dick! Thank you so much for this note. That is standing the test of time! Osgood Pie deserves more fame than it has garnered—-in honor of your comment I am going to shout it out more!
Good recipe…easy to follow. Recently had a slice at a pie social and it sent me looking for the recipe. Found yours and tried it. Not sure what the vinegar does. Can you explain why it is there? Thanks
Well, the truth is I do not know what the original purpose of the vinegar is, but here’s what I think. It adds a pleasing sharpness against the deep, luscious sweetness of sugar/butter/eggs, which are what this family of old-timey pies is all about. It gives a tangy quality which almost seems like it could be lemon, and back in the days when this kind of pie came into being, lemons would have been a rarity and a luxury for everyday cooks. It probably adds to the pie’s thickening properties, although there are many traditional chess pie recipes which use no vinegar, and they set up just fine, so it’s not essential for that purpose though I believe it has a small good effect in that way. In my book, “Southern Pies”, I offer two recipes for classic chess pies, of which pie family Osgood Pie is clearly a dressed-up member, because I found both kinds, with vinegar and without, to have a large following and presence in the Southern pie family. I admit to a preference for the vinegar-having versions, because I love the small flavor kick; but it’s also possible that I lean that direction because those are the kinds of chess pie that came into my hands as a child in this part of North Carolina, back in the day.