Arkansas bakery unveils award-winning dessert pie
Misty Stowers, owner of Buttercream Bakery in Arkansas, shares her take on possum pie, which recently won first place in the first round of the World Food Championship's dessert category.
Arkansas' unofficial state sweet is any dessert with an animal in its name.
But don't be fooled. Possum Pie, a native of Arkansas, has no marsupials.
“I like to joke and tell people that one of our specialties is our Arkansas possum pie, but there's no possum in it,” Misty Stowers told FOX News Digital.
Today's perfect puff pastry contains lard. Glory is back after years of notoriety.
Stowers owns Buttercream Bakery and Frozen Custard, which he opened in Pocahontas, Arkansas, during the height of the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic.
While many businesses were negatively affected by the pandemic, Buttercream Bakery was an exception and grew steadily in the years that followed. Stowers said there has been continued “amazing support from the community.”
This is the possum pie plate won by Misty Stowers of Arkansas in the first round of the World Food Championship. (World Food Championship)
Her business recently received a boost after winning a golden ticket to Indianapolis to compete in the World Food Championships.
Stowers competed against 20 other chefs to create her home state's signature possum pie, winning first place in the opening competition in the dessert category.
Snickerdoodle's pumpkin pie recipe is 'perfect' for fall
The origins of possum pie are unclear, but its first mention in print dates back to a 1983 restaurant review in the Arkansas Gazette newspaper.
But the recipe wasn't published until the late 2000s, according to the now-renamed Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.
Misty Stowers balances on a tray of possum pies during the World Food Championships in Indianapolis, November 2024. (Misty Stowers)
A similar pie recipe, called “Robert Redford's Next Best Thing,” had already appeared in the Indianapolis Star and the Los Angeles Times in 1982.
“Arkansas Possum Pie starts with a pecan-based crust,” Stowers said.
Click here to sign up for our lifestyle newsletter
“Then there's a layer of cream cheese, then a layer of chocolate pie, then topped with homemade whipped cream and pecans.”
Stowers showed off a possum pie made with buttercream bakery and frozen custard in Pocahontas, Arkansas. (Fox News Digital)
According to an Arkansas legend, the pie's name comes from the phrase “playing possum” because all the layers of ingredients are hidden under the whipped cream.
For more lifestyle articles, visit www.foxnews.com/lifestyle.
“We're not out there picking up roadkill,” Stowers joked, dispelling a common misconception that desserts contain possum meat.
Stowers said possum pie is “a must” for anyone visiting Arkansas.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
“If you haven't tried possum pie, you're missing out,” she says.
“It's delicious. It's comforting food. In Arkansas, we love comforting food.”
