My sweet Cinnamon Pie is a New England-style dessert, one that was inspired by a favorite TV show, Psych! The custardy pie features toasted cinnamon (but no pumpkin!) and a flaky, buttery pie crust. It's a new holiday classic
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I love to find recipe inspiration in unlikely places. Finding some in an offbeat and quirky episode of a favorite television show was a surprise and a lot of fun!
This is my recipe for Cinnamon Pie. It has a smooth, custardy texture, and it is a celebration of sweetness and cinnamon. This pie is right at home on Thanksgiving and Christmas dessert tables, or as a special treat for family visiting or when friends are staying for the weekend. The cinnamony filling is nestled in the equally delicious homemade All Butter Pie Crust.
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In a nutshell... 🐿️
- What this is: A silky, sweet, unique pie recipe that's loaded with cinnamon flavor, and tucked inside a flaky, buttery crust. It's a delicious recipe inspired by the fictional pie featured in one of our favorite television shows: Psych!
- You'll love this part: It's a wonderful pie that's destined to be a new New England classic. A slice of cinnamon pie is a perfect dessert to follow Thanksgiving dinner or to enjoy on a cozy winter evening. Or make it as a fall pie recipe!
- How it's made: Toast the cinnamon, whisk it into a stovetop custard filling, and pour it into a pie shell. Then bake! I recommend pairing it with my All Butter Pie Crust recipe.
Notes from fellow cooks:
"I just watch "Dual Spires... looked up Cinnamon Pie (they really did sell it, lol!) and found your recipe. I have to try it! — Sandy H.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Why you'll love Cinnamon Pie
Cinnamon Pie is one you'll want to add to your collection of pie recipes, whether you're a Psych fan or not. The flavor is simple, yet addictive.
It's great for holiday celebrations, like the Thanksgiving dessert table or for Christmas parties. Bake one up during the cool days of fall, when you can't get enough of cinnamon-spiced everything! Or, make one for your town's local cinnamon festival! (That's a Psych reference, there!)
At first glance, you might think that Cinnamon Pie looks similar to pumpkin pie. It has a similar, custardy filling that's baked up in a single pie shell. However, It contains no pumpkin! The silky filling is made with sour cream, milk, eggs, brown sugar, and toasted cinnamon. No other spices are vying for attention here; this homemade pie is a celebration of pure, sweet, warming cinnamon.
Cinnamon Pie filling is baked up in my All-Butter Pie Crust. This crust is flaky and buttery, and just as delicious as the cinnamon filling.
The inspiration for Cinnamon Pie? A fake psychic detective!
You've heard the concept that life imitates art. Or is it art imitates life? I've heard it both ways.
Raise your hand if, like me and my family, you're a fan of the show Psych. We are HUGE "Psychos," and it feels like we've been watching the adventures of Shawn and Gus our whole lives.
Psych ran on the USA Network from 2006 to 2014, and is all about Shawn Spencer, a "fan of delicious flavor", who pretends to be psychic so he can solve murders with the Santa Barbara police. His partner is his lifelong best friend Gus, a "sympathetic crier", who has a delightful scream when he sees dead bodies, and a car called The Blueberry.
I can't possibly fully detail here how funny and brilliant this show is—you just have to watch it! (It's available on DVD if you still have vintage tech, or you can stream it.) Psych has a talented, funny cast that includes Maggie Lawson, Timothy Omundson, Corbin Bernsen, and Kurt Fuller, plus loads of pop culture and '80s references. The guest star list was impressive, too: Tim Curry, Jane Lynch, Cary Elwes, George Takei, Kerry Washington, and more!
Because of this show, I became obsessed with recreating Cinnamon Pie, a fictional pie from the Season 5 "Dual Spires" episode. The episode pokes fun at the cult favorite show, Twin Peaks, with an isolated town full of very odd people—and murder.
Throughout the episode, Shawn and Gus lose their minds over slices of the ridiculously delicious Cinnamon Pie. The "Dual Spires" episode is one of my all-time favorites, and that pie has a lot to do with it!
Serve Psych Cinnamon Pie the way Gus and Shawn like it: with a dollop of whipped cream and a cup of "damn fine" hot apple cider. To complete the "Dual Spires" feel, surround yourself with a bunch of oddball locals—which may just be all those friends and family members in your house!
🔪 How to make a Cinnamon Pie
Ingredients
- Single pie crust: You can make a Cinnamon Pie with any homemade or store-bought pie crust dough. I highly recommend my recipe for All Butter Pie Crust, becaue the buttery flavor and light texture is delicious with this filling.
- Cinnamon: There are different types of cinnamon. Ceylon is a mild variety; my favorite is the robust and spicier Vietnamese cinnamon. If your cinnamon doesn't specify the region, it's likely a blend that's flavorful and a little spicy.
- Sugars: I use both brown sugar and white sugar to sweeten this pie. Light brown sugar adds notes of molasses and caramel that are lovely with the cinnamon.
- Flour: A little all-purpose flour helps to thicken the filling. My go-to brand for all flours is King Arthur Baking Company.
- Sour Cream: Some sour cream in the cinnamon filling makes it rich, creamy, and gives the pie a subtle tang.
- Milk: Use whole milk; it's part of the custard filling of this pie.
- Vanilla Extract: This is a lovely flavor to accent the cinnamon in the filling. Use a quality brand for the best flavor, such as Nielsen-Massey.
- Eggs: Whole, large eggs are crucial for the custard filling. Let your eggs come to room temperature and they'll blend more evenly with the other ingredients.
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Prepare the bottom crust
Roll out pie crust dough out to a ¼-inch thickness. Cut out a 13-inch circle and fit it into a pie plate. Fold and crimp the edge. Hold this in the fridge.
Make the filling
Toast the cinnamon in a pan until it's fragrant. Add the rest of the filling ingredients and cook them into a thick filling.
Pour the filling in the shell
Pour the cinnamon filling into the pie crust and smooth the top.
Bake, chill, and serve
Bake the pie until the filling is set. Allow the pie to cool to room temperature, then refrigerate it for at least two hours. Serve slices of pie with a dollop of whipped cream.
Cinnamon Pie FAQs
This pie is very flavorful and can be served with a simple dollop of whipped cream; you can always add a sprinkle of cinnamon to the cream. A scoop of vanilla ice cream is also a tasty sweet to serve alongside. Try lightly drizzling slices of Cinnamon PIe with caramel sauce or chocolate sauce.
Cinnamon Pie is a big topic of conversation in the Season 5 episode of Psych titled "Dual Spires".
In the episode, Shawn and Gus received a mysterious anonymous email with an invite to the Cinnamon Festival happening in Dual Spires, a town so small they can't even find it on the map.
After hiking through the woods, they finally make it to Dual Spires and stop by the Sawmill Cafe, where the chatty owner offers them mugs of hot apple cider and slices of cinnamon pie "that may just bring a tear." Shawn and Gus can't get enough of this delectable dessert!
When a corpse is discovered during the Cinnamon Festival, the Psych bros offer their investigative services—and request to be paid in Cinnamon Pie!
Cinnamon Pie Tips:
- Move the oven rack down a notch and place a baking sheet in the oven to heat up as the oven preheats. These steps will help ensure the bottom crust cooks through.
- Finishing the pie only takes about an hour; however, it needs to cool to room temperature and then chill for at least two hours—so figure this extra time into your planning.
The recipe for Cinnamon Pie is below! Here are a few more pies and cinnamon-scented treats to tempt you, too.
💬 Did you make and devour this recipe? Leave a comment below.
📖 Recipe
Cinnamon Pie
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Ingredients
- ½ recipe All Butter Pie Crust Recipe, chilled (or enough pie crust dough for a single-shell pie)
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon (the strong flavor of Vietnamese cinnamon is my favorite)
- ⅔ cup packed light brown sugar
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup full-fat sour cream
- ½ cup whole milk
- 3 large eggs whisked
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
Instructions
Prepare the pie crust:
- Preheat the oven to 450° F. Move the oven rack down one notch. Have a 9-inch pie plate ready - a metal pie plate is ideal to ensure the crust cooks through, and a baking sheet.
- Roll out the ½ recipe All Butter Pie Crust Recipe, chilled to a ¼-inch thickness. Cut a 13-inch circle from the dough.
- Fit the dough into the pie plate, pressing it along the bottom and sides. Fold the crust under all around the edge, and then crimp the edge all around. Cover the pie shell loosely with plastic wrap and hold it in the fridge.
Toast the cinnamon:
- Pour the 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon into a large saucepan and set it over medium heat. Toast the cinnamon for 3 minutes, stirring it often, until it's very fragrant. Slide the pan off the heat.
Cook the filling:
- Stir the ⅔ cup packed light brown sugar, ⅓ cup granulated sugar, 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour, ⅛ teaspoon salt into the toasted cinnamon. Then, whisk in the 1 cup full-fat sour cream and ½ cup whole milk.
- Heat the mixture over medium heat, whisking often. As soon as the first bubbles appear, reduce the heat to medium-low. Cook for another minute, whisking frequently. Slice the pan off the heat.
- Take ¼ cup of the hot mixture. While whisking the 3 large eggs constantly, pour the hot mixture as a slow stream into the eggs. (This process gently tempers the eggs so they won't go scrambled during the next step.)
- Pour the tempered eggs into the rest of the hot mixture, whisking constantly as you do, until the eggs are incorporated. Move the pan back over medium-low heat, whisking for 1 minute or so until it starts to thicken.
- Remove the pan from the heat. Stir in the 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract.
Add the filling to the pie shell:
- Take the shell from the fridge. Pour the cinnamon mixture into the pie shell, and smooth the top.
Bake:
- Place the pie on the baking sheet, then place the sheet in the oven. Bake for 10 minutes. THEN lower the temperature to 350° and bake the pie for another 30 minutes. The pie filling should be set and a knife inserted in the middle should come out clean.
Cool and chill:
- Let the pie cool on a rack to room temperature, then wrap and place it in the fridge for at least two hours. This helps the flavor and the texture.
- Serve slices of Cinnamon Pie with whipped cream. (And a "damn fine" cup of hot apple cider is very nice alongside!)
Notes
- Move the oven rack down a notch and place a baking sheet in the oven to heat up as the oven preheats. These steps will help ensure the bottom crust cooks through.
- Finishing the pie only takes about an hour, however, it needs to cool to room temperature and then chill for at least two hours—so figure this extra time into your planning.
Nutrition
Sandy Hughes says
I just watched Dual Spires as I am rewatching full series of Pysch 🙂 looked up Cinnamon Pie ( they really did sell it lol) and found your recipe. I have to try it, thanks for sharing.
Nancy Mock says
Isn't that an amazing episode?
Shawn: We came to investigate, catch bad guys and eat pie.
Gus: Not necessarily in that order.
Shawn: And it hasn’t been.
Gus: No.
Shawn: We started with the pie.
Gus: Always.
I'm so glad you found my recipe, Sandy, I really think you'll love it. When you make and try it, please let me know what you think!
Jennifer says
I just rewatched the Dual Spires episode and specifically searched for cinnamon pie recipes! So, of course, this is the one I'm going to try!
Nancy Mock says
Ah, best news ever!! That's definitely one of the most rewatchable episodes of Psych, it's never not funny. "You know I’m a sympathetic cryer, Shawn. Just leave me be." I hope you like my Cinnamon Pie - please let me know what you think! If only I had a cinnamon festival nearby to bring it to!
Heidi says
This looks so delicious, Nancy! Your pie crust looks just perfect too.
Nancy Mock says
Thanks Heidi! It was fun working on this recipe... we've eaten a lot of cinnamon pie in the last week!