Last year our girls’ former preschool was doing a fundraiser selling frozen pies. It’s been a while since they went to that school, but we loved it so much and still keep in touch with some of their teachers, so we try to support when we can, and I’m always game to try new pie flavors. I bought a couple of pies, but the one that caught my attention most was the apricot pie. Fruit pies are always some of our favorite desserts, no matter the time of year. Some of our other favorites are Homemade Razzleberry Pie, Rhubarb Pie, and my Award-Winning Strawberry Cream Cheese Pie. Apricots are one of our family’s favorite fruits. Every summer when they show up at the farmer’s market, we grow crazy and buy pounds and pounds of the fresh, tender orbs. They don’t last long on the counter, mostly because Paul and the kids grab one every time they walk through the kitchen, so I had to set aside a few pounds for the express purpose of baking a pie! I love and adore this apricot pie recipe. It’s simple and homey and old-fashioned. Apricot pie is similar to peach, but definitely has it’s own unique flavor profile that I know you’re gonna love.
Recipe Ingredients
Pie crust: I’ve got an amazing, practically foolproof pie crust recipe that I swear by. It’s the only one I use and I even have a YouTube video showing you how I make it. But of course you can use a store-bought refrigerated or frozen pie crust instead, if you prefer. Apricots: You will want apricots that are ripe and soft but not mushy. Also, be sure to spot-taste one or two of your apricots as you slice them to get an idea for how sweet they are. Sometimes we get apricots that are a little on the sour side and need a smidge more sugar. Occasionally they are super, duper sweet and we cut back on the sugar just a tad. Sugar: Regular granulated sugar gets the job done sweetening the filling. Cornstarch: This is our thickening agent for the pie filling. Other popular choices for pies are flour or tapioca, but cornstarch is something I always have on hand and it works great. Lemon juice: A little bit of lemon juice keeps the flavors and colors bright. Vanilla extract and ground cinnamon: These two ingredients take on a supporting role and you don’t really notice them, but they provide complexity and depth to the pie.
How to Make Apricot Pie
Recipe Tips
Freezing: One thing I have started doing recently is making two pies at the same time and freezing one of them unbaked for a future date. Then, on the day I want to serve the frozen pie, I just pop it in the oven straight from the freezer and bake for 1 ½ to 2 hours until it’s done. It works amazingly well and I’ve done this with peach, apricot, and strawberry rhubarb pie so far! Other fruit: If you find yourself shy on the amount of apricots, you can sub in some other fruit to make up the difference. Peaches and apricots work really well, but you could also try apricot strawberry, apricot blueberry, or apricot raspberry pie. Maybe even apricot rhubarb? They say “what grows together, goes together” so if something shows up at the same season at the Farmer’s Market, there’s a good chance you can pair them up. Serve a la mode: This pie is begging to be served with a scoop of vanilla ice cream right beside it! Or go AWOL and serve it with some toasted almond ice cream or your other favorite flavor of ice cream instead! Yum! Decorating your pie: You can get creative and finish the pie with a braided lattice crust or other decoration if you prefer. I definitely recommend sprinkling the crust with either granulated or coarse sugar after brushing with the egg wash though. Not only does it make the pie pretty but it adds extra sweetness and crunch that we love.
More Pie Recipes
The Best Banoffee Pie Raspberry Peach Pie Best Key Lime Pie Recipe Lemon Meringue Pie Easy Blueberry Custard Pie Best Homemade Cherry Pie Recipe Homemade Blueberry Pie
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