The Pie:30 Project

30/30: Crack Pie I’ve been waiting all year to tackle the famous recipe from Milk Bar, and it did not disappoint, especially as a sweet ending to one of the best birthdays I’ve had in a long time. And with this, the Pie:30 Project is complete!

29/30: Bourbon Pear (with a twist!) Thanksgiving seemed like the perfect time to make this recipe from Four and Twenty Blackbirds. But I wanted double crusts and a little extra somethin’, so I put part of the crumble in the filling and added salted caramel. Swoon.

28/30: Chocolate Caramel Peanut Butter Mousse I needed something extra delicious to contribute to Chili Cookoff day at work, and this hit it out of the park. I started off with this recipe, but gave it my own twist (as usual), starting with peanut butter Oreos for the crust.

27/30: Key Lime I gladly obliged a request for this one for book club Friendsgiving. I used this recipe, and my Floridian friend G said “this tastes like Florida,” so I guess I did it right. (Don’t attempt without a lime squeezer. Thank me later.)

26/30: Creme Brûlée My brother loves nothing more than a good creme brûlée, so for his birthday, I was determined to make a pie version. This one wouldn’t win any prizes for beauty, but it was damn good. And using a culinary torch is super fun.

25/30: Caramel Apple Crumble It’s Boss’s Day, and I have a particularly stellar one — and pie is the best way I know how to show gratitude. I found some autumnal inspiration in this recipe, but tweaked it to include homemade crust, fresh apples and cinnamon chips.

24/30: Apple and Peach A very special someone has the same taste in pie as I do, and that makes me very happy. Two classics, better together. If I had to pick a signature recipe, this would be it. Happy Birthday to my man!

23/30: Irish Cream Coffee Mud Pie Birthday pies are my favorite to make, and when I get to sneak sips of Bailey’s while baking... well, even better. The birthday girl picked out this recipe — and it did not dissapoint — but be warned, it makes way too much filling (oh, darn).

22/30: Banana Cream I can think of no better way to say ‘thank you’ than with a pie, and I owe my brother a world of thanks for how often he’s taken care of my dog this summer. My homegirl Martha’s recipe helped me fulfill his special request.

21/30: Grasshopper Ice Cream It’s hot. And I’m busy. But pie makes everything better — particularly one that’s frosty, super-easy to make, and shared with my book club girls whilst drinking wine. I freestyled this one, but here’s a simple recipe for inspiration.

20/30: Strawberry Chocolate Oasis It shouldn’t be a shock that I love the movie Waitress. I’d been debating which of Jenna’s recipes to recreate, but then, without prompting, a friend suggested this one, the same day strawberries went on super-sale. Serendipity. 

19/30: Blackberry Icebox My wonderful parents celebrated their 36th anniversary this summer, so, of course, I made them a pie. This recipe from Fruitful (via Serious Eats) was beautiful, just like their marriage (yes, I’m sappy and not sorry about it).

18/30: Mile-High Chocolate It’s a good bet that anytime my Dad gets to request a pie, it will involve chocolate. This time, he picked out this recipe, which needs some rewording, but turned out just fine (and mile-high indeed!). Happy Father’s Day!

17/30: Blueberry Lemonade Lots to celebrate with multiple coworkers, so I actually made two of these suckers. Combined the lemon filling from this recipe, and the blueberry sauce from this one, and shed a tear of satisfaction (or maybe it was sweat).

16/30: Peach In my house, you can count on a peach pie for Memorial Day. It’s my favorite to eat and to make, and my secret recipe has been fine-tuned to near-perfection at this point. Especially when shared with friends and several PBRs.

15/30: Chocolate Kahlua My love of both chocolate and booze is genetic, and my penchant for combining the two is directly attributable to my dad. What better way to celebrate his birthday than with this Serious Eats recipe?

14/30: Dutch Apple The first pie I ever learned to make by myself is now my mom’s very favorite, and was her request for Mother’s Day this year. My current recipe evolved from a Keebler’s version, but the only must for this pie is using Granny Smith apples.