Nancy Eakin, of Linthicum, Maryland, was in search of the recipe for the Cacao Lane pie that was served at the restaurant of the same name in Ellicott City back in the 1970s and ’80s. She said the pie, made with pecans, coconut and raisins, was absolutely divine and she has never tasted anything quite like it.

Connie Crabtree-Burritt, Baltimore chef, restaurateur and caterer, ran the Cacao Lane restaurant until the late 1980s. She now runs a culinary job readiness program as part of Baltimore Outreach Services that has provided training to more than 100 homeless women since Crabtree-Burritt founded it in 2005. I reached out to her to see if she remembered the pie and would be able to share the recipe.

While Crabtree-Burritt remembered the pie from some 40 years ago, she no longer had the recipe. However, she took some time from her busy schedule to re-create it. It’s easy to understand why Eakin was a fan of this creation. The filling is so delicious, I think you could even get away with using a store-bought crust.

Thanks to Crabtree-Burritt’s inventive additions, this recipe takes the pecan pie to another level. Serve a slice of this heavenly dessert with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or dollop of whipped cream.

Requests

Jessica Wright, of Ellicott City, Maryland, is in search of the recipe for the peanut butter cookies that were served in the cafeteria at her public school in Harford County, Maryland, in the 1970s and early ’80s. As she recalls, the cookies came in individual waxed paper bags and were thick, chewy and about 4 inches in diameter.

She has tried many recipes but has had no luck finding one as good as those cafeteria cookies.