Trader Joe's Sweet Potato and Marshmallow Pixie Pie Mix

The pros:  Trader Joe's Sweet Potato and Marshmallow Pixie Pie Mix is new to shelves this year. If you normally enjoy sweet potato pie (topped with marshmallows of course) then you'll probably enjoy this easier boxed version that only needs, 1 egg, 1 stick of butter, and 3 tablespoons of water.

The cons:  Dieters need not apply. If you only cut this pie into 5 pieces then each person would be consuming over 500 calories. You'll also want to make sure you have an 8 pan for this otherwise the crust might not fit.

The verdict:  

I had no idea what Pixie Pie is. The cashier at Trader Joe's asked me what it was when I bought this item. I told her I didn't know either. It was new and therefore I had to try it. I couldn't even find a good definition online either. I found recipes dating back to the 1950s, but no solid definition on what makes something a "pixie pie." The only thing I noticed that they all had in common was sweetness. That is exactly what you are getting if you purchase this mix. It's a very simple mix to follow that much like Trader Joe's Maple Pecan Bars is a two-step recipe. All this requires are some basic ingredients. However, if you want this to look closer to the picture on the box, you might want to make this in a pie pan where it can easily removed from its sides. Bake this in a cake pan, and you'll be cutting slices from the cake pan. Just sayin'.

I started off with a pie pan, but after measuring it, it was a 9.5" pie pan. I did start there only to realize there was no way the crust would cover the bottom. So an 8" is a must because you'll have a very thin crust to this pie. You'll need to use your fingers to press the dough around to fit up the sides . A quick bake of the crust and the filling and marshmallow goes in. You might want to ponder how sweet you want your pie to be at this point. I used the entire packet. It came out very, very sweet. If I were serving this to a group I would either use half or possibly none of the marshmallow. I'd save the excess for guest to put atop their own slice to their liking. After about half an hour in the oven, this will need another half an hour to cool down.

Upon cooling down I figured this was going to be a bit tough to get out of the pan (even in slices). Mine went into the refrigerator to make sure slicing this would be an easier task (it was). After a brief chill of about 10 minutes, slicing went surprisingly easy. I was never going to be able to get it out of the cake pan to have the pretty presentation that you see on the box. So just be aware of that fact before choosing your bakeware.

Presentation concerns aside, the slice I got out of the pan had a nice crust. Both the bottom and the filling caramelized on top even though the marshmallow seemed to sink towards the bottom while cooking. That texture was one of my favorite elements here. The sweet potato filling is very smooth and tastes more like pie filling than sweet potatoes. It's very sweet on its own which makes me think that if you wanted to serve this as a less sweet dish, you can totally make a sweet potato pie out of this. With the addition of the packet of marshmallow filling, which is super sweet on its own, it ends up being a super sweet dessert. For me personally, the marshmallows pushed it into the "too sweet" category. But then again, I used the entire package of marshmallow and the package did advise this is how you achieve maximum sweetness.

If I were serving this to company I would absolutely reduce the amount used. I would even consider omitting it all together and then allowing guests to pour their own. I can't image adding whipped cream on top of all this as the box suggests. The marshmallow topping sank to the bottom while cooking so I'm sure I wouldn't be altering the taste too much here.

For $2.99 this is a quick and easy mix, but it walks the line to being "too sweet." While the box says 5 servings, I think you can get a few more out of this even though an 8" pan isn't that big to begin with. A small slice for me was plenty. While it had good taste, texture, was super easy to prepare, it's best to heed the ingredients warning about the sweetness level. Overall, it was something that was nice and easy and had good flavor. It should have good flavor being that there is an entire stick of butter and has a calorie count over 500 per serving.

Here is the visual run down of what you get if you buy this product:

The box of Trader Joe's Sweet Potato and Marshmallow Pixie Pie Mix:

The nutritional information:

The ingredients:

How to prepare:

How Trader Joe's describes this product:

After being baked you get:

After being sliced you get:

Would I buy this again? While I liked the flavor of this, I don't think I'll be making any more of Trader Joe's Sweet Potato and Marshmallow Pixie Pie Mix for the rest of the year. It's well done but very sweet. I would consider making it without the marshmallow filling if there is a next time. A good seasonal treat with if you have those with a sweet tooth around you who aren't counting calories.

Want to see more items I've reviewed from Trader Joe's? Click on Thoughts & Reviews of Trader Joe's for a searchable list.

Did you try it? Let me know what you think in the comments section!