Pi Day Recipes: Delicious Pies to Celebrate 3/14

Pi Day is celebrated on March 14th every year to honor the mathematical constant π. What better way to celebrate this day than with a delicious pie? Here are some Pi Day recipes that are sure to satisfy your sweet tooth.

Pi Day is a great opportunity to celebrate the mathematical constant π with delicious pies. Whether you prefer a classic American apple pie, a rich chocolate cream pie, or a fruity blueberry pie, there's a Pi Day recipe for everyone. If your kind of pie isn't on this blog post go find the recipe for it online and start baking some delicious pies to celebrate 3/14!

Note: I got all of the following recipes from ChatGPT. I could have copied and credited recipes from various websites (recipes individually by themselves can't be copyrighted under U.S. law) but ChatGPT seems like a neutral way to pick which recipes to use. I am also interested in whether or not ChatGPT is good at generating recipes. Please feel free to reply below about your thoughts and opinions about the recipes.

Image Source: Stable Diffusion AI Generated

Classic Apple Pie:

Ingredients:

For the crust:

• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1 cup unsalted butter, chilled and cut into small pieces
• 1/4 to 1/2 cup ice water

For the filling:

• 6 cups apples, peeled, cored, and sliced (use a mix of sweet and tart apples)
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
• 2 tbsp all-purpose flour
• 2 tbsp unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

Instructions:

Make the crust: In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, and sugar. Add the chilled butter and use a pastry cutter or your fingers to cut the butter into the flour mixture until it resembles coarse sand. Add the ice water, a tablespoon at a time, and mix until the dough comes together in a ball. Divide the dough in half, shape each half into a disc, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C).

Make the filling: In a mixing bowl, combine the sliced apples, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and flour. Toss to coat the apples evenly.

Roll out one disc of dough on a lightly floured surface until it is about 1/8-inch thick. Place the dough in a 9-inch pie dish and trim the excess dough from the edges.

Pour the apple mixture into the pie crust and dot with butter.

Roll out the second disc of dough and place it on top of the apple mixture. Trim the edges and crimp the edges of the dough together with a fork.

Cut several slits in the top crust to allow steam to escape.

Bake the pie for 45 to 55 minutes, until the crust is golden brown and the filling is bubbly.

Allow the pie to cool for at least 30 minutes before serving. Serve with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, if desired.

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Chocolate Cream Pie:

Ingredients:

• 1 9-inch pie crust, baked and cooled
• 1 cup chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup cornstarch
• 3 cups whole milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• Whipped cream and chocolate shavings, for garnish (optional)

Instructions:

In a medium saucepan, combine the chocolate chips, sugar, and cornstarch. Stir in the milk.

Cook the mixture over medium heat, stirring constantly, until it thickens and begins to boil. Continue stirring for an additional minute, then remove from heat.

Stir in the vanilla extract.

In a small bowl, beat the heavy cream until stiff peaks form.

Fold the whipped cream into the chocolate mixture until well combined.

Pour the mixture into the baked pie crust and smooth the top with a spatula.

Chill the pie in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours, or until set.

When ready to serve, garnish with whipped cream and chocolate shavings if desired.

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Pecan Pie:

Ingredients:

• 1 unbaked pie crust
• 1 1/2 cups pecans, roughly chopped
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 cup corn syrup
• 4 eggs
• 1/4 cup butter, melted
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Instructions:

Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C).

Place your unbaked pie crust in a 9-inch pie dish, and crimp the edges.

In a mixing bowl, whisk together the sugar, corn syrup, eggs, melted butter, and vanilla extract until well combined.

Add the chopped pecans to the mixture and stir until evenly distributed.

Pour the filling into the prepared pie crust.

Bake the pie for 55-60 minutes, or until the filling is set and the crust is golden brown.

Let the pie cool completely before slicing and serving.

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Blueberry Pie:

Ingredients:

For the crust:

• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
• 1 cup unsalted butter, chilled and cubed
• 1/4 to 1/2 cup ice water

For the filling:

• 6 cups fresh blueberries
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon lemon zest
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
• Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C).

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, and sugar.

Add the cubed butter to the flour mixture and use a pastry cutter or your hands to work the butter into the flour mixture until it resembles coarse sand.

Gradually add ice water, one tablespoon at a time, until the dough comes together and forms a ball.

Divide the dough into two equal parts and wrap each in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

In a large bowl, mix together the blueberries, sugar, flour, salt, lemon juice, and lemon zest.

On a lightly floured surface, roll out one half of the dough into a 12-inch circle. Place the dough into a 9-inch pie dish and trim the edges.

Pour the blueberry filling into the pie crust.

Dot the top of the filling with the butter pieces.

Roll out the remaining dough into a 12-inch circle. Cut the dough into strips and lay them in a lattice pattern over the top of the filling.

Trim any excess dough from the edges and crimp the edges with a fork or your fingers.

Place the pie on a baking sheet and bake for 50-60 minutes or until the crust is golden brown and the filling is bubbly.

Let the pie cool for at least 30 minutes before slicing and serving.

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Key Lime Pie:

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
• 4 large egg yolks
• 2 cans (14 ounces each) sweetened condensed milk
• 1/2 cup key lime juice
• 1 tablespoon key lime zest
• Whipped cream, for topping (optional)

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

In a medium bowl, combine the graham cracker crumbs, sugar, and melted butter. Mix well until the crumbs are evenly coated with the butter.

Press the mixture firmly into the bottom and up the sides of a 9-inch pie dish. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until the crust is lightly golden brown. Remove from oven and set aside to cool.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and sweetened condensed milk until well combined. Add in the key lime juice and key lime zest, and mix until smooth.

Pour the filling into the cooled crust and smooth out the top.

Bake the pie for 15-17 minutes, or until the filling is set and no longer jiggles in the center when shaken.

Allow the pie to cool to room temperature, then refrigerate for at least 1 hour before serving.

Serve chilled, topped with whipped cream if desired.

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Raspberry Pie:

Ingredients:

For the crust:

• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, chilled and cubed
• 2-4 tablespoons ice water

For the filling:

• 4 cups fresh raspberries
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 3 tablespoons cornstarch

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C).

To make the crust, combine the flour and salt in a mixing bowl. Add the chilled butter and mix until the mixture looks like coarse crumbs.

Add the ice water one tablespoon at a time until the dough comes together into a ball.

On a floured surface, roll the dough out to about 1/8 inch thickness. Place the crust into a 9-inch pie dish, trimming the edges as needed.

For the filling, mix the raspberries, sugar, and cornstarch in a bowl until the raspberries are coated.

Pour the raspberry filling into the crust and smooth it out.

Bake for 45-50 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown and the filling is bubbling.

Let the pie cool on a wire rack for at least 30 minutes before serving.