McDonald's Blueberry Maple Pie

One of my favourite sweets is pie. There’s something comforting about a flaky, buttery pastry combined with sticky fruit that makes me happy. Though I am fairly comfortable in the kitchen, I have never had the urge to bake my own pies, even though I love them so. I think it’s partly because I’m intimidated by the idea of making my own crust, but mainly it’s because I’m pretty lazy. Why bake your own when you can walk into the majority of fast food establishments and have a hot mini pie for a dollar? I know it’s not the same, but it still tastes good!

I have always been a fan of the apple pies at McDonald’s, but when I noticed the sign for blueberry maple pies, I couldn’t help myself. At 99 cents each or two for $1.49, I figured it was cheap enough that if I didn’t like it, at least I wouldn’t feel guilty not eating it all.

For those of you who haven’t had a pie from McDonald’s, they’re fairly decent as far as fast food pies go. McDonald’s takes it a step further than most places and bakes their pies, even though the majority of their competitors still fry them. Each pie comes in its own mini box and is about the length of a stick of butter.

When I first opened the box to see the pie, I was expecting to be hit with the smell of blueberries and maple. I was disappointed that I really didn’t smell anything at all, even though the pie was still warm. Upon breaking it in half to examine the filling, there was a faint smell of blueberries, but again, no maple.

The filling is vibrant purple-blue that is extremely glossy and sticky. The taste has hints of blueberry, but I wasn’t overwhelmed with the blueberry flavour that I was expecting. I could taste no maple in it, but I did find that it was so sweet it was border-line too sweet to enjoy. The crust was flaky and soft, but the filling was too strong and made me dislike the pie. 

If you’re going to have a pie at McDonald’s, I would probably take a pass on this seasonal product and stick to the apple. My favourite way to eat it is with some of their ice cream in a cup, and spooning the pie into it. A cheap and quick pie a la mode, but so very delicious. Sometimes, you have to take the shortcuts but the end result is just as yummy.