Texas Trash Pie: The Sweet and Salty Treat That's Better Than a Candy Bar

Simply Recipes / Ciara Kehoe

Don’t let the name fool you—Texas trash pie is a regional treasure. Originating from Royers Round Top Café in Round Top, Texas, this well-loved Texas pie is an anything-but-the-kitchen-sink style dessert packed with sweet, salty, sticky, and nutty mix-ins. Similarly to magic bars, these mix-ins are held together with a sweetened condensed milk mixture, creating a gooey filling to sit atop a flaky pie crust.

This recipe is as easy as pie (pun intended). It’s especially delicious served warm, making it a wonderful dinner party dessert to pop in the oven while you and your guests eat.

What Is Texas Trash Pie?

Texas trash pie is the brainchild of the Royer family. Led by Bud "The Pieman" Royer and his late wife Dr. Karen, the Royer family and their children took over the Round Top Café in Round Top, Texas (then a population of under 100) in 1987. Through word-of-mouth marketing and the creation of their iconic Texas trash pie, the Royer family turned their tiny café into a well-known eatery.

This iconic pie is described by Royers as an “ooey, gooey pie... that has everything you want in both a candy bar and pie!” 

As a baker from a blended Asian family whose highest compliment for a dessert is that it's "not too sweet" (if you know, you know), it was important to me to develop a version that is the perfect balance of sweet, salty, nutty, rich, and gooey while still honoring Royer's version.

Simply Recipes / Ciara Kehoe

Tips and Tricks

• The pie can be prepped in stages. The pie dough can be made and chilled two days ahead of baking. The dough can be rolled, lined, crimped, and stored in the fridge a day before baking. The crust can be par-baked several hours before filling and baking. Finally, the full pie can be baked a day ahead of serving.
• Don’t skip par-baking the crust. This ensures the finished crust is golden and not soggy. 
• Lightly spraying a sharp knife with nonstick cooking spray makes chopping the caramel squares easier.
• The pie tastes best while still warm, but if you want super sharp, clean slices, let the pie cool to room temperature before cutting. 

Easy Variations on Texas Trash Pie

• Swap the dark chocolate chips for all semi-sweet if you'd like it sweeter.
• Skip the nuts. The Royer's version is nut-free.
• Use unsweetened shredded coconut instead of sweetened shredded coconut for a more mild coconut flavor and less sweetness. 
• For a stronger salty contrast, top the pie with a light sprinkle of flaky sea salt. 

Simply Recipes / Ciara Kehoe

Candy-Adjacent Desserts

• Candy Bar Dates
• Peanut Butter Cup Cookies
• Caramel Corn
• Peanut Butter Pretzel Magic Bars

Preheat the oven to 425°F.

Arrange oven one rack in the lower third and one in the middle of the oven.

Prepare the crust:

Line a 9-inch pie plate with the pie dough, pressing into the corners so it sits flush with the plate. Use a pair of scissors or a sharp knife to trim the excess dough (if needed), leaving about a 1/2-inch overhang. Fold the overhanging dough underneath itself to build up the crust and crimp as desired. Prick the bottom and sides of the crust all over with a fork. Freeze for 10 minutes until firm.

Once firm, line the crust with parchment and fill it with dried beans or pie weights. Bake on the lower rack until the crust edge is lightly golden and matte, 15 to 17 minutes. 

Remove from the oven and carefully remove the parchment and weights. Lightly re-prick the crust and gently press down any spots bubbling up, if needed. Return the crust to the lower rack of the oven and continue to bake until the bottom and sides are matte and dry, 3 to 5 minutes. Let cool set over a wire rack until room temperature, about 45 minutes.

Prep the filling:

While the crust cools, prepare the filling. Chop the pretzels; you should have about 1 cup chopped. Crush the graham crackers and add them to a large bowl with the pretzels. Finely chop the caramels using a greased sharp knife, yielding about 1 1/4 cups. Chop the pecans and add everything to the large bowl.

Toss in the coconut and both kinds of chocolate chips and mix to combine.

Make the filling:

Turn the oven down to 350°F. 

In another bowl, use a rubber spatula to mix the sweetened condensed milk, melted butter, and salt until combined. Pour over the pretzel mixture and fold until evenly combined. The filling will be thick.

Bake:

Scrape the filling into the room-temperature pie crust and use the rubber spatula to gently press into an even layer. Top with more whole pretzels as desired. 

Bake the pie on the middle rack until the filling is set and golden on top, 40 to 45 minutes. If the top edge crust is getting too dark, you can use a crust shield or ring of foil to cover it.

Cool and serve:

Cool the pie set over a wire rack until warm but not hot, about 1 hour. Slice and serve. 

If serving the next day, cool the pie completely, then loosely cover and store at room temperature. Leftovers can be stored tightly covered in the pie plate at room temperature for up to 2 days or sliced and stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days.

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