I Love Pie.
That is the slogan of Mrs. Sullivan's, a Tennessee based snack pie business. You know how much I love dessert, and pies in particular, so, trying these was a no brainer.
But first, quick company history: Mrs. Sullivan made pies at home in Tennessee during the 1930's, they smelt good, neighbors liked them, one neighbor asked to distribute them, she bought a bigger oven and installed it on her pack porch, yadda yadda, eventually opened a pie business.
Now distributed nationwide, 10,000+ stores, packaged little pies.
Ok, not little pies. Mini pies. Truly, mini pies. Real single servings. That is what these are. The pies come as singles (sold on their website for $1, I'm sure you can snag them for less), or packs of 4 or 12.
Mrs. Sullivan makes a somewhat random selection of pies: pecan, coconut, chocolate, apple crumb, and cherry crumb. All classics at some level of course, but the inclusion of coconut when only 5 pies are offered seemed unique. The chocolate is not a chocolate cream pie obviously, since these are packaged shelf-stable pies, rather, more like a brownie in a pie crust. But I digress.
Mrs. Sullivan also makes turnovers, distributed under the "Armstrong's" brand: apple, cherry, peach, chocolate, coconut, bavarian cream, lemon, raspberry. I'm not sure why a different brand name. These are sold as singles, $1.
I only got a chance to try one pie.
Yes, it came in a box. With a bar code, an advertisement for their website, nutrition stats. Not exactly high end packaging, no real appeal to it. Very generic. No indication of expiration date.
"Life's too short to wait for pie to bake! Mrs. Sullivan brings pecan pie that's so tasty you'd swear it's fresh out of the oven! Each pie has a perfectly crisp crust, sweet pecan filling, and is perfectly sized for the pie fiend on the go!" -- Distributor
I'll admit that I did not expect to want more than a bite of my mini pie, hence cutting out my little slice (plus, isn't it fun to cut tiny slices?). I planned to give it to someone else, and didn't mangle it, intentionally.
I tried my bite, room temp, no topping. My expectations were so low that I didn't bother heat it up as I often do with pecan pie, nor even pull out some whipped cream or ice cream, which is basically unheard of for me. I had backup dessert ready.
But ... I didn't mind it. I wanted more, in fact.
Now, this was clearly not a homemade pie. Nothing like my mom's, nothing like you'd get from a bakery, a diner, a restaurant. It *is* a packaged product with a long shelf life. Set your expectations accordingly.
The crust was not a flaky buttery pie dough, instead it was a crumbly style, not really pie crust at all, but hard to describe, not really a tart shell either, not a cookie. It was rich though, sweet, and the crumble to it worked. Made with shortening, of course. The weakest element of the pie, but, not a deterrent. I finished even the little crusts.
Resting above that crust was a layer of sweet filling, and then a layer of chopped nuts.
The filling was sweet, not super gooey but not too thick. It tasted like corn syrup, because, well, it was made from corn syrup. Like most pecan pie, and again, not something I shy away from (the classic Karo syrup pecan pie has a special place in my heart!).
The topping was the least traditional element, chopped up nuts, no bits bigger than a few specs. The ingredient list curiously said "pecan and/or walnut", so they certainly seem to sneak some cheaper nuts in there ... at least sometimes? But it didn't matter, it tasted like fairly standard chopped nuts to me, too small to really taste much, probably not roasted to bring more flavor, etc. Just little nuts for texture, and a compliment to the sweet layer. It worked. Just go with it.
So yes, no element was stunning, no flaky pie crust, no ooey gooey complex sweet filling, no depth of flavor from luxury nuts. It was what it was. Shortening, corn syrup, and some questionable nuts.
But you know what? I liked it. I liked it at room temperature. I never bothered heat any of it up. I added whipped cream for completeness sake, but, it really was fine without it. A great quick dessert item, really, just as easy as a cookie. And much, much better ...
I'd have another. I'd try my flavors. If I could find them, that is.
That is the slogan of Mrs. Sullivan's, a Tennessee based snack pie business. You know how much I love dessert, and pies in particular, so, trying these was a no brainer.
But first, quick company history: Mrs. Sullivan made pies at home in Tennessee during the 1930's, they smelt good, neighbors liked them, one neighbor asked to distribute them, she bought a bigger oven and installed it on her pack porch, yadda yadda, eventually opened a pie business.
Now distributed nationwide, 10,000+ stores, packaged little pies.
Ok, not little pies. Mini pies. Truly, mini pies. Real single servings. That is what these are. The pies come as singles (sold on their website for $1, I'm sure you can snag them for less), or packs of 4 or 12.
Mrs. Sullivan makes a somewhat random selection of pies: pecan, coconut, chocolate, apple crumb, and cherry crumb. All classics at some level of course, but the inclusion of coconut when only 5 pies are offered seemed unique. The chocolate is not a chocolate cream pie obviously, since these are packaged shelf-stable pies, rather, more like a brownie in a pie crust. But I digress.
Mrs. Sullivan also makes turnovers, distributed under the "Armstrong's" brand: apple, cherry, peach, chocolate, coconut, bavarian cream, lemon, raspberry. I'm not sure why a different brand name. These are sold as singles, $1.
I only got a chance to try one pie.
 |
| Boxed Pie. |
The box *was* adorable though. You can't see scale here, but since it was a single serve pie, only 3 ounces, the box was sized appropriately.
Inside? Cellophane wrapped pie.
 |
| Cellophane Wrapped. |
In a little pie tin. Again, fancy packaging? Nah. Adorable? Absolutely!
Still, no indication of expiration date, which, was a bit confusing to be honest. I guess I had to eat it right then.
"Our delicious Mrs. Sullivan's ® Pecan pie!" -- Mrs. Sullivan's
 |
| Pecan Pie. |
"Life's too short to wait for pie to bake! Mrs. Sullivan brings pecan pie that's so tasty you'd swear it's fresh out of the oven! Each pie has a perfectly crisp crust, sweet pecan filling, and is perfectly sized for the pie fiend on the go!" -- Distributor
I'll admit that I did not expect to want more than a bite of my mini pie, hence cutting out my little slice (plus, isn't it fun to cut tiny slices?). I planned to give it to someone else, and didn't mangle it, intentionally.
I tried my bite, room temp, no topping. My expectations were so low that I didn't bother heat it up as I often do with pecan pie, nor even pull out some whipped cream or ice cream, which is basically unheard of for me. I had backup dessert ready.
But ... I didn't mind it. I wanted more, in fact.
Now, this was clearly not a homemade pie. Nothing like my mom's, nothing like you'd get from a bakery, a diner, a restaurant. It *is* a packaged product with a long shelf life. Set your expectations accordingly.
The crust was not a flaky buttery pie dough, instead it was a crumbly style, not really pie crust at all, but hard to describe, not really a tart shell either, not a cookie. It was rich though, sweet, and the crumble to it worked. Made with shortening, of course. The weakest element of the pie, but, not a deterrent. I finished even the little crusts.
Resting above that crust was a layer of sweet filling, and then a layer of chopped nuts.
The filling was sweet, not super gooey but not too thick. It tasted like corn syrup, because, well, it was made from corn syrup. Like most pecan pie, and again, not something I shy away from (the classic Karo syrup pecan pie has a special place in my heart!).
The topping was the least traditional element, chopped up nuts, no bits bigger than a few specs. The ingredient list curiously said "pecan and/or walnut", so they certainly seem to sneak some cheaper nuts in there ... at least sometimes? But it didn't matter, it tasted like fairly standard chopped nuts to me, too small to really taste much, probably not roasted to bring more flavor, etc. Just little nuts for texture, and a compliment to the sweet layer. It worked. Just go with it.
So yes, no element was stunning, no flaky pie crust, no ooey gooey complex sweet filling, no depth of flavor from luxury nuts. It was what it was. Shortening, corn syrup, and some questionable nuts.
But you know what? I liked it. I liked it at room temperature. I never bothered heat any of it up. I added whipped cream for completeness sake, but, it really was fine without it. A great quick dessert item, really, just as easy as a cookie. And much, much better ...
I'd have another. I'd try my flavors. If I could find them, that is.
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