My 6 favorite ways to make fancier pie

Let’s be very clear: A good pie doesn’t need fancy adornment. Part of pie’s charm is that it’s humble, even a little rustic. But that doesn’t mean it can’t dress up for a party. As we creep toward celebration season, with lots of pies at the centerpiece, I think it’s fun to play around with pie designs. A pie that tastes good and also looks great? Call that a win-win.

The good news is that adding a little extra glam to your pie doesn’t have to be hard. In fact, some tips are quite easy. Here are my six favorite ways to make fancier pie, from the simplest to the most intricate pie designs.

Photography by Kristin Teig; food styling by Liz Neily

1) Sprinkle on some Sparkling Sugar

This is hands down the easiest way to upgrade your double-crusted pies. After brushing the top crust with egg wash, sprinkle Sparkling Sugar over top. Not only does it add some glitz and glam to the baked pie, but the crunchy, sugary coating makes each slice even tastier, too. (Sparkling Sugar is also great to dess up scones, cookies, and other baked goods.)

Get the ingredient: Sparkling Sugar

2) Get creative with your crimping 

Instead of giving your pie a classic crimp, you can play around with styles and designs to add some extra decorative flair. It’s almost as easy as a plain crimp, and you can get creative by using tools like scissors, forks, and even tongs (?!). To go the extra mile, braid strips of pie dough and attach them to the edges of the pie in place of a traditional crimp. (Watch our video demonstrating how to do this above!)

Here’s how to do it: Fun ways to crimp pie crust and How to crimp pie crust — and more decorating tips

Photography by Patrick Marinello; food styling by Sheila Jarnes

Photography by Patrick Marinello; food styling by Sheila Jarnes

3) Use a Fancy Foldable Pie Topper for pie designs

It’s all in the name — this easy-to-use cutter adds a stunning decorative touch to your pie tops. Just press it into your rolled-out pie dough — almost like a cookie cutter — to imprint an intricate design that surpasses plain knife-cut vents. Remove pieces of dough, place the crust on top of your pie, brush with egg wash, and bake. 

Get the tool: Fancy Foldable Pie Topper

Photography by Jenn Bakos; food styling by Kye Ameden

4) Give your cream pies a top crust

I love this tip from my colleague Kye Ameden, who argues that custard and cream pies deserve a top crust, too. Not only does the added crust allow for lots of decorative opportunities, but it also adds a nice bit of texture to any soft and creamy pies.

You can go super simple or a bit more complicated with this method. The most basic option is to use pie crust cutouts: Stamp out shapes from rolled-out pie dough and bake separately, then arrange on your finished pie. You can also braid and prebake pie strips, then overlay them atop the pie, or create a full stencil-stamped top crust. (The Fancy Foldable Pie Topper is a great tool to use here, too!) 

Here’s how to do it: Give cream pie a top crust

5) Make a rose apple pie 

This one is for people with fine motor skills and lots of patience. Instead of making a traditional double-crusted apple pie, make the filling the star of the show by slicing apples super thin and layering them in a floral design. Arrange the apple slices in a spiral — starting from the outer edge of the crust and filling until you reach the center — and a beautiful rose pattern will emerge.

Here’s how to do it: How to make a rose apple pie

Lauren Ko

6) Create a quilted pie crust

This tip comes from decorative pie mastermind Lauren Ko, so you know it’s going to be both stunning and intricate. It starts with slicing two rectangles of rolled-out pie dough into strips. Then weave those strips to make the distinctive pattern. While this design looks complicated, it’s not that much more complicated than making a regular lattice crust — you’ll just use certain numbers of pie dough strips at a time while weaving. I’ve found it to be a great project bake for a fall afternoon! 

Here’s how to do it: How to weave a quilted pie crust

For more tips on how to make your very best pies, see our comprehensive How to Bake Pie guide.

Cover photo by Patrick Marinello; food styling by Sheila Jarnes.