If You Grew Up Eating This Simple Pie, You Might Be A Boomer

Growing up in the 1960s and '70s meant you were using eight-track players and cassette tapes to record hits from the radio. The mall was the ultimate hang-out spot and you got a front row seat to some of America's most interesting foods, like Watergate salad and other old school side dishes almost everyone has forgotten. Housewives were obsessed with transforming convenience foods like Jell-O and Bisquick mix into unique desserts, dumplings, and more. If your mom was hip to kitchen trends, she might have used Bisquick to make a fluffy, custard-like treat known as Impossible Pie.

Impossible Pie was a coconut-flavored cross between a pastry and a custard which got its name because one bowl of batter separates into three layers as it bakes. You don't have to make a separate crust — it forms its own crust, custard-like center, and light, toasted coconut crumble top layer in the oven. Also known as mystery pie and coconut amazing pie, Impossible Pie was popularized by General Mills and General Foods throughout the 1970s, but the origins of the recipe are unclear.

The masses saw the recipe printed on the back of Bisquick boxes and in a few recipe books as early as 1968, but Bisquick's recipe could have been influenced by Southern baking; particularly recipes for crustless coconut custard pies, which date back centuries. Endless spin-off recipes appeared once Bisquick introduced its version on the box of its pancake mixes. Now, the Impossible Pie is more of a concept than a single recipe so you can use it to make all kinds of varieties.

Bisquick's Impossible Pie recipe wasn't a hit just because it magically formed layers in the oven. It's a seven-ingredient recipe that uses basic kitchen ingredients and tools, including a blender, a pie pan, and the oven. To make it, you first blend Bisquick Mix, milk, sugar, shredded coconut, vanilla, eggs, and butter. Once it's mixed, the batter is poured into a greased pie pan and baked for 45 minutes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit. The dessert comes out pretty enough to serve at a dinner party. The best ice cream toppings work well as a garnish, like chocolate syrup or berry sauce. That's just one way to make the original version of the Impossible Pie, though. A traditional recipe for coconut custard pie recipe that uses self-rising flour instead of Bisquick mix will also separate into layers in the oven.

Coconut is just the starting point for Impossible Pie flavors. It can include pretty much anything you can think of; making it a great way to get the flavor of some of your favorite dishes without the work. Swap out the coconut for apples or other fruit for an impossible-style fruit pie or add pumpkin puree for a fast take on a pumpkin pie. Use some of America's favorite pizza toppings for an Impossible Pizza Pie or use taco ingredients for a Mexican-inspired Impossible Pie. One vintage recipe even directs how to make an Impossible Reuben Pie by including sauerkraut, corned beef, Swiss cheese, and chili sauce.