Mystery Pie (Ritz Cracker Pie)

One thing that vintage recipes tend to do well is take a few very simple ingredients and transform them into something amazing. Like this Mystery Pie! You might know it as Soda Cracker Pie or Ritz Cracker Pie, though those names give away a bit of the mystery. It’s true – it’s largely made up of crackers, which (combined with a few other key ingredients) magically bake into a crustless pie that’s all at once gooey and crispy and so very delicious.

There are only six ingredients in this pie, and since you don’t need a separate crust, that really does mean six ingredients total. The ingredient list is small, but the specific combination of ingredients and the method of preparation are what give this pie its unique texture. You start with egg whites, which you beat to stiff peaks with some baking powder…

… before folding in the cracker crumbs, sugar, vanilla, and nuts.

It doesn’t look like any other pie filling out there, but as it bakes the crackers soften into the whipped egg whites, forming a sort of batter that stays soft in the center, becomes crisp on the edges, and has a little bit of fluff to it.

It’s nutty, it’s incredibly easy to make and while it might be a mystery how some cracker crumbs, eggs, and sugar can come together to form a complete pie, there’s no mystery at all that it’s seriously good eating.