A silky, sweet pie rich with the flavor of cinnamon, held by a buttery, flaky crust. It's a delicious Cinnamon Pie inspired by a fictional pie in one of our favorite shows, "Psych!"
Prep Time20 minutesmins
Cook Time55 minutesmins
Chilling time3 hourshrs
Total Time4 hourshrs15 minutesmins
Course: Christmas, Dessert, Fall Dessert, Pies/Tarts, Thanksgiving, Winter Dessert
2teaspoons ground cinnamon (the strong flavor of Vietnamese cinnamon is my favorite)
⅔cuppacked brown sugar
⅓cupgranulated sugar
3tablespoonsall-purpose flour, unbleached
⅛teaspoonsalt
1cup full-fat sour cream
½cupwhole milk
3largeeggs, whisked
2teaspoons 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 chilled pie crust dough 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 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 brown sugar, white sugar, flour, salt into the toasted cinnamon. Then, whisk in the sour cream and 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 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 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.