McDonald’s just quietly brought back a fan-favorite dessert

There has been a big shift in the past two weeks in the restaurant world: Autumn menus are turning into holiday menus. Cracker Barrel, Starbucks and Dunkin’ have all switched from fall specials to festive treats, with each menu item promising to put you in a good mood and holiday spirit.

And now McDonald’s has brought back a menu item that fans wait for all year — the holiday treats that have been around long enough to become a tradition for many, with one generation passing it down to the next.

McDonald’s Holiday Pie is back

We’re talking, of course, about McDonald’s Holiday Pie. The seasonal fan favorite is made with creamy, smooth custard drizzled into the flaky, buttery crust of McDonald’s handheld pies, glazed with sugar and topped with rainbow sprinkles. It’s a limited-time offer, available at participating McDonald’s while supplies last.

We all have our family holiday traditions, and many of them revolve around food. McDonald’s is apparently no different. The Golden Arches’ Holiday Pie debuted nearly a quarter of a century ago, in 1999, and has truly become an all-time favorite for many McDonald’s customers.

Last year, when the pie returned for the season, Instagrams @markie_devo posted on her page, telling her followers: “Gather your things and head over to @mcdonalds, Holiday Pie is back!” The comments section got a little sentimental.

“My mom and I used to get these and then go look at Christmas lights when I was a kid. This is my second Christmas without my mom, but my daughters and I still love the tradition,” noted one commenter.

Another commenter whose birthday is December said that when they turned 21 last year they got 21 holiday pies. “The best present I ever received,” they said, leaving us to wonder if they got 20 pies on their 20th birthday, 19 pies on their 19th birthday, and so on.

The raves just kept coming.

“The only item I run to McDonald’s for!” exclaimed one Instagrammer. Another said: “Hell yes, definitely the best of the year!”

One of markie_devo’s followers summed up all the excitement nicely, saying, “It’s the most wonderful time of the yearrrrrrr.”

And speaking of tradition, @markie_devo had the honor of secondment about the return of the pie again this year. “IT’S BACK!! The crunchy, custard goodness, McDonald’s Holiday Pie,” he wrote.

Does this mean McDonald’s Pumpkin and Cream Pie is off the menu? It sure does, but if you hit that sweet spot when a local McDonald’s is ending their stock of Fall Pies and is also starts selling Holiday Pie, you just might hit the jackpot. Throw in OG McDonald’s treats — the always-on-the-menu apple pie — and you’ve got a fast-food pie trifecta. Or should we say, pie-fecta.