McDonald’s Brought Back Its Holiday Pie (But Good Luck Finding It)

Is McDonald’s getting into the festive spirit? You bet it is, people. The restaurant chain has been busy, particularly on the drinks side of things, with its new cran-orange Red Bull and Sprite beverages (which are pretty good), and its also-new cookie butter coffees (which are, again, pretty good, apart from the frappe – mainly steer clear of that one). But don’t you dare think it’s neglecting its food items too: It may have taken a minute there, but we’ve just got word that its fan-fave Holiday Pie is back in town.

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Which town, though? Perhaps not yours. So far, this dessert is proving elusive. Let’s break it down.

McDonald’s Holiday Pie

This week, food content creator @markie_devo confirmed that the McDonald’s Holiday Pie has returned. For anyone who’s not tried it before, this dessert is a festive spin on its classic Apple Pie, and combines a flaky pastry with a vanilla custard filling, sugar, and rainbow sprinkles. Like the Apple Pie, it’s baked, not fried.

I’m going to be honest, in my view, it’s not exactly a heart-stopping beauty: The pastry is a little pale and anemic, and the sprinkles can be oddly distributed, creating large, bare patches on its surface. But it tastes good. In a sea of disappointed customer responses to McDonald’s’ food drops, the Holiday Pie stands apart as one that’s generally well-reviewed and liked, although naturally, it’s got plenty of naysayers. You’ll have to make up your own mind, we guess.

If You Can Find It, That Is…

Yes, this is the problem: The Holiday Pie can be notoriously difficult to find. Every year, Reddit threads pop up asking where McDonald’s has dropped the pie, and it seems to vary considerably from one holiday season to the next. For his part, @markie_devo found his in Brooklyn, and as is often the case, cities and big towns may be more likely to have them – but that’s not a given. The best thing to do is to check your app.

Just be aware, too, that the Holiday Pie’s price can change a fair bit, depending on where you’re buying it (which is the case with all McDonald’s food). It’s usually priced anywhere from $1.79 to $3. It’s nice to see that it’s not quite as expensive as the returning McRib, though: The price of that one had people stunned, and we can understand why. Almost $12 for a McRib meal? No thanks.