We're gonna be honest here: we are lousy when it comes to baking Thanksgiving pies.
The crust never looks flaky and golden brown like we imagine it should and the fillings are never the proper amount of sweet.
Don't even get us started on those criss-cross top crusts; ours always end up looking like a kindergarten project gone terribly bad.
So we cheat.
We sometimes get frozen pies that you bake yourself in the hopes that the warm fragrance of it baking will somehow fool our dinner guests into thinking we made it from scratch.
Or the ultimate cheat: we head out to our favorite baker and let them do it for us.
When we do that, we try to get unique variations to wow our guests enough that they forgive us for taking shortcuts.
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Here are five of our go-to pie makers who create interesting and tasty options. You need to order now if you want to get your pies in time for Thanksgiving on Nov. 28.
A slice of pecan pie from the Ajo Cafe.
Ajo Cafe
Luis Portillo is a one-man pie-making machine at this tiny south-side diner.
For 18 years, he's been crafting the restaurant's sweet potato, pumpkin and fruit harvest pies along with the pumpkin, pecan and banana loaves and cheesecakes.
"Luis's experience of being in the restaurant business since he was 16, he's bringing that extra ingredient of his knowledge and love to his cooking," said Lisette Maytorena, who with Portillo is an Ajo Cafe "administrator."
The pair and their family members have owned and operated the cafe for 18 of its 72 years, but they don't like to use the term "owners." Their role is more caretaker, keeping the diner open for the community of shift workers that drop by on the regular for the cafe's modestly priced chorizo and scrambled eggs or the BLT and potato salad. If they're having a good day, they might reward themselves with a slice of Portillo's pie.
Luis Portillo, owner of Ajo Cafe, rolls dough for an apple pie. He has committed to memory most of his 60 pie recipes.
Portillo follows the recipes handed down by his previous administrations going back to the cafe's 1952 opening. The old-fashioned pumpkin is spiced as they did 20, 30 or 50 years ago; the Dutch apple still boasts fruit that meets in-the-middle-of-fork-tender and slightly crisp. The pecan is sticky and sweet and downright addicting.
"We are very popular" for our pies, Maytorena said.
So popular that she warns customers thinking about getting one for Thanksgiving to get their order in now; the restaurant will cut off pick up at 10 a.m. Nov. 27. You pay when you order and pies are priced at $13.49 to $16.59.
Ajo has no website or social media presence so all orders are by phone or in person at the cafe.
Paulette Griggs folds the top pie crust over an apple pie at the Village Bakehouse in 2019.
Village Bakehouse
Pumpkin, apple, pecan, mincemeat and cherry pie are the overwhelming faves at Paulette Griggs's popular northwest-side bakery and restaurant, but if you want to really, really wow your Thanksgiving guests, consider the holiday specialty: pumpkin praline cheese.
The scratch-made crust is layered with sweet and crunchy housemade pralines, then topped with a cheese filling and pumpkin. More caramelized pralines are sprinkled on top.
Paulette Griggs, owner of the Village Bakehouse, fills an apple pie in 2019.
Or maybe consider Griggs' newest pie created from a recipe she found online: chocolate cranberry pecan.
This is a wild ride into pecan pie alley: Griggs takes traditional pecan pie batter and adds orange, dried cranberry and chocolate chips.
"It's sweet. It's like pecan pie but the cranberries give it a little bit of tartness so it's not overly sweet," Griggs explained. "It's got a lovely flavor."
It will be among the 2,000 pies she anticipates making now through Thanksgiving week. All of her pies are scratch-made "down to rolling out each crust," she said.
She's already taking orders and will continue until 2 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 23; the final days to pick up pies is before 4 p.m. Nov. 26-27.
Village Bakehouse has been a popular pie destination since it opened in 1996; Griggs has owned it since 2002.
Deep dish, 10-inch pies run between $24.95 and $32.95. Village Bakehouse also does minis.
A sliced pumpkin chai pie for sale at Rosebud bakery.
Rosebud Bakery
Unlike cookies and cakes, you can’t just buy a Betty Crocker mix and call it a day. It takes time to craft the perfect Thanksgiving pie; it is truly an art form. Every chunk of butter, every Granny Smith apple and every spice used must meld together perfectly to create the flavorful dessert.
Thankfully, Harper Hall and her sister Hayley over at Rosebud Bakery have been perfecting their pie-making skills since they were children.
Harper was seven years old when her grandmother first began teaching her the ins and outs of pie making. The Hall sisters’ passion for baking continued to grow as they got older, eventually opening up Rosebud Bakery this year, where they serve up slices of their homemade pie and other baked goods.
First up on their menu is a chai pumpkin pie, combining the warm, spicy flavors of chai to take your average pumpkin pie up a notch. To make this pie, they start off by making their pumpkin puree. Interestingly, Harper said they use butternut or honey nut squash to make their puree.
Then they cook it over high heat to get rid of some of the moisture, that way it ends up with a silky texture. Next, they add in their chai spices, which includes cardamom, ginger, clove and allspice.
That’s all put in their crust, which has become a favorite among customers. They use a European high-fat butter to ensure it's flaky and has a nice buttery flavor. Harper said they like to make sure their crust has a nice color after baking, that way there’s no gummy bottom.
Elena Gonzalez, a baker at Rosebud, rolls out fresh pie dough.
In addition to their chai pumpkin pie, they will also be offering a crumb-topped cranberry apple pie that includes grated ginger and sweetened with maple syrup, in addition to a chocolate pecan pie.
“We make a ganache, so the chocolate's on the bottom in a nice layer, and then instead of the traditional corn syrup, we sweeten ours with brown sugar and maple syrup,” Harper said. “We think it's a little less sweet, but it's still got that nice, decadent flavor.”
Pre-orders for their pies and other holiday menu items have already started. To make sure things don’t get out of control, they have capped their orders at 75. They will also have a limited amount pies available at the bakery on Nov. 27 for those who may have procrastinated.
Elena Gonzalez, a baker at Rosebud Bakery, assembles a fresh pie crust.
Despite the craziness the season brings, Harper is ready to tackle the pie orders. She and her bakers have started making fillings and will be making extra pie dough every day. She is making sure everything stays organized and they even have some help from workers who have experience with tackling the big Thanksgiving orders.
“I used to do a pretty sizable Thanksgiving order from my house, and that really did involve me staying up like three days in a row,” Harper said. “So, I'm looking forward to this one because we have more oven space and more people.”
Their handmade pies cost $36 each. Check out their website for more information on pre-orders.
Houlden’s Rise Above
Despite their brick-and-mortar only being open for the past two years, Houlden’s Rise Above has already made a name for themselves in Tucson. Hannah Houlden’s vegan pastries and treats have captured our hearts and she plans to make sure everyone has the chance to enjoy rich, decadent pies this holiday season.
Last year, she and her bakers focused on a traditional pie menu, but this year they are having more fun with it.
Houlden has combined the best duo — chocolate and peanut butter — to create a vegan caramel chocolate peanut butter pie.
Houlden first starts with the graham cracker crust. She isn’t using store-bought crackers — Houlden and her team actually make the graham crackers from scratch, pulverizing them and adding vegan butter to create the crust.
She then adds a layer of homemade caramel sauce, ensuring that you have a nice, chewy layer of caramel on the bottom when you slice into it. On top of the caramel layer goes her dark chocolate mousse that has peanut butter melted into it.
This year, Houlden's Rise Above is making a vegan caramel chocolate peanut butter pie.
It's all topped off with swirls of chocolate ganache and peanut butter along with a whipped cream piped border. It truly is a chocolate lover's dream.
“We have six pie options: pumpkin, apple, pecan, cherry, a French silk pie and this caramel peanut butter mousse pie,” Houlden said. “We also have what we're calling grazing boxes because it always takes so long for the big family meal to be ready. So we have an eight-pack or a 16-pack of pastries that you can open up and everyone can have a bite, have a cookie or have a scone while you wait for the main event.”
It’s the chaos the season brings that Houlden loves the most. Since they are a smaller, self-funded bakery, they cap their orders at 120 to make sure everyone receives nothing less than a fresh, delicious pie.
Though she has some overnight shifts in her future (it takes her two days just to make her crust!), it’s the pressure that gives her the push to get through the busy season.
“I like seeing how much we can do, like getting through a really hard bake, or a really busy morning and going, oh my God, look at what we accomplished,” Houlden said.
The pies cost around $30 to $40. Check out their website for more information on pre-orders.
Dedicated has added a new pie to their holiday menu: a vegan sweet potato pecan pie.
Dedicated
Jennifer Kinkade wants to make sure everyone at the Thanksgiving table is included. That’s why she and her team at Dedicated is, well, dedicated to serving up delicious gluten-free pies everyone can enjoy.
Kinkade’s grandmother taught her how to bake and now she is in charge of creating pies that will exceed her grandmother’s expectations, which is why she is launching a new vegan sweet potato pecan pie to go along with the other classic flavors on her menu.
Last year, Dedicated made a pecan pie but Kinkade felt she had to change up the recipe to make sure it wasn’t too chewy or runny since she can’t include egg. One way to combat that would to be to add more pecan, but then it would become unbalanced and too sweet.
That’s when the lightbulb went off. Since her mother’s favorite pie is sweet potato, Kinkade thought of combining the two flavors, that way the pecan pie has more stability.
“It turned out really good and it's not as sweet as you would think,” Kinkade said.
Dedicated also has a Dutch apple pie on their menu and it isn’t your ordinary apple pie recipe. Kinkade puts her own twist by using two different apples in the filling: fresh Granny Smiths and a pre-cooked apple filling. It’s then topped with a crumble, which helps seal all the delicious flavors inside.
“You're going get the soft apple and the crispier apple,” Kinkade said. “So you're going to get the sweet and the sour.”
To make sure they stay organized throughout the busy season, Kinkade and her bakers start making crusts at the end of August and freeze them. Since they don’t have a rolling machine, they have to hand-roll about 300 pie crusts.
During the week of Thanksgiving, some bakers will start their shift at 4 a.m. while others work a night shift to make sure all the pies are done and ready for the big day.
“At seven o'clock in the morning, there will be customers trying to get in,” Kinkade said. “Even before seven, they're like knocking down the door.”
Kinkade and her bakers have pretty much perfected their gluten-free crusts, which is hard to get right. Because of this, she’s had customers tell her that one pie is not enough.
“The other thing that we hear from my return customers is that last year they only bought one pie and everybody that wasn't gluten-free wanted the pie because it's so beautiful.”
Their pies range from $35 to $42. Check out their website for more information on their Thanksgiving menu.
Sydney's Sweet Shoppe has a long list of pie flavors, including both fruit and cream flavors. Pictured is cherry.
Other tasty options for your Thanksgiving pies
- Sydney's Sweet Shoppe, 8969 E. Tanque Verde Road. Deadline to order is Nov. 18. $29-$34.
- Gourmet Girls Gluten Free Bakery/Bistro, 5845 N. Oracle Road. Deadline to order is Nov. 24. $34-$37.
- Nadine's Bakery, 4553 E. Broadway. Recommended to place your order before Nov. 20, but the sooner the better. $15.50-$16.50.
- Back Dough, 6260 E. Speedway. The bakery isn't taking orders in advance; pies are first-come, first-served. $7.99.
Jamie Donnelly is the food writer for #ThisIsTucson. Contact her via e-mail at jdonnelly@tucson.com
Cathalena E. Burch
Reporter
