Fresh Strawberry Pie

Warning: this recipe is not healthy and may be slightly addictive. 🙂 Wait, strawberries are fruit, so that makes this healthy…right?

Strawberry pie is a dessert I remember my mom making every year (just about!) during strawberry season. The pie has a unique, sweet crust (different than a standard pie crust) which is super-easy to make since you just press it into the pie plate instead of rolling it out! Fresh strawberries fill the inside of the pie, and since you do not bake them, they stay firm and juicy, just like eating them straight from the patch! Of course you’ll want to serve this pie with a large dollop of whipped cream.

Crust
1/2 cup butter, cold
1 cup flour
2 Tbsp. granulated sugar

Filling
about 2-3 cups fresh strawberries
1 (3 oz.) package strawberry Jello
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 1/2 Tbsp. cornstarch
1 3/4 cups boiling water
2 Tbsp. butter

Wash strawberries in a colander.

Dry strawberries thoroughly on paper towels. Cut off the ends and pat the cut end dry also.

In a mixing bowl, combine butter, flour, and sugar together using a pastry cutter or a knife and fork.

Mixture will resemble coarse crumbs.

Preheat oven to 375. Lightly grease a pie plate. Press flour mixture into the pie plate. As you press in the crumbs, your hands will soften the butter and allow it to come together, forming a relatively smooth crust. (It might still look a little bumpy, but that’s okay.)

Bake the crust just until the edges are very lightly browned (about 12-15 minutes). Allow crust to cool.

While the crust is cooling, you can work on the glaze. In a saucepan, combine Jello, sugar, and cornstarch (no heat on).

In another saucepan, boil 2 cups of water.

When the water boils, measure out 1 3/4 cups and add it to the Jello mixture in the other saucepan. Return that saucepan to the heat (turn it down to medium) and whisk it while it cooks. Stir constantly and cook until glaze has thickened (about 5-7 minutes). (If you happen to leave the stove at this point to go discipline a cranky toddler, it will be okay. Just stir it pretty frequently.)

Remove from heat and add butter, whisking until butter is melted and combined. Allow glaze to cool until no longer hot (does not need to be cold).

Once crust is cooled, place strawberries pointed ends up inside the pie crust. (They are so much prettier this way than sliced!)

Spoon cooled glaze over top of the strawberries in your prepared pie dish, making sure all the berries are coated. (I find that using a spoon more evenly distributes the glaze than if I just poured it over from the bowl.)

Chill pie in the fridge until set (about 2-3 hours).